Leon Turnbull Photography

I decided in the morning that I would try one last time to get to Fantasy Falls, this time by yet a different route. If I made it, I would camp at Fantasy Falls that night, and if not, I would hike all the way back to the trailhead and drive home. I would probably never come back after this to try again. If I failed, I was resolved there was indeed no way to get to Fantasy Falls. It was all or bust.

I’m not going to say the route I chose. Suffice to say, I did not go down the cliff on the other side (because that would be suicide). The route I did choose had many sketchy sections, and one extremely sketchy section. It was one of the more dangerous hikes I have ever done. If my wife is reading this, it was really not dangerous at all, I’m just saying this for effect. Okay? (and everyone else is thinking, huh?) It took two and a half hours to hike the one mile or so from Island Slide Falls to Fantasy Falls (and the same back). But guess what? I made it!

I was absolutely ecstatic that after four hard tries, I finally made it to Fantasy Falls. Previously ONLY accessible by extreme kayakers. Now accessible by waterfall madmen as well.

Interestingly enough, I did see rock cairns along the river leading up to Fantasy Falls. What does this mean? Obviously hikers have been here before. But how? I am absolutely certain no one has ever gone there via my route before. It is too crazy. I am equally certain they did not go down the cliffs (unless they were canyoneers and rapelled). I suppose that canyoneering is possible, but if not that, then how? Well, I do have an idea how one could hike here and without too much difficulty. Hint: It was not in February. Whoever it was, never documented the journey. As far as I know, I am the only one who has ever done this trip on foot.

As you look at the photo, you may be thinking it is just a very small waterfall, and not very exciting. You would be wrong about that. Actually, this section shown here is at least 25 feet high. There is a lower tier as well, about 10-15 ft. high, so the total height of Fantasy Falls is about 40 ft. high. It is difficult to get both tiers in a good photo, but I took many pics and spent over 1.5 hours at the falls.

As I was taking photos and fiddling with my camera to get it set up as I wanted, I noticed out of the corner of my eye a large animal coming down the rock beside the waterfall. I looked up and I saw it run down the rock right beside the falls, and dive into the water. It was a river otter! It all happened too fast for me to get a photo, of course. I waited for it to surface in the pool below the falls (with my camera ready this time), but it never did. I saw it splash once, but then nothing. Where did it go? The only thing I can think of is it went over the lower falls and down the river. So that was a cool experience.

In the end I decided NOT to camp at Fantasy Falls after all. It was a very tough hike to get here, and if I had to hike this very difficult section in the morning, and then continue all the way back to the trailhead and drive home, and then go to work the next day, well needless to say, that would be just plain crazy. It was 12:30pm when I was finally ready to leave Fantasy Falls, and I made it back across the multiple of sketchy sections (which was easier than I thought it would be going back), and then back down to the river at Island Slide Falls, and continued hiking back to Blue Hole, arriving there at 4PM. It would be just a short 6 mile hike from here back to the trailhead the next day. It was a tiring but very rewarding day. Would I ever come back to Fantasy Falls? Yes, I think I definitely would go back here now that I know how to do it. The Mokelumne Wilderness is an absolutely amazing place.