Leon Turnbull Photography

Horsetail Falls is THE waterfall I love to visit in the summer. This 790 ft. monster waterfall always has good strong flow in the summer, and this year, it is pretty much the only waterfall left around here that is still flowing at all.

As I drove up Hwy 50 on Friday evening after work, I saw that the South Fork American River looked pretty pitiful. It seemed much lower than just a week ago when we drove up to Tahoe. This was bad news. Since Horsetail Falls flows into this river, I had no doubt the waterfall would be pitiful also. Well, not so, actually. In fact, it seemed that Horsetail Falls had quite a strong flow still. I don’t really understand how it could be that Pyramid Creek had a bigger flow than the American River. Makes no sense, but perhaps it was just my imagination. Anyhow, I paid my parking fee and marched up to the falls.

When I arrived, I found a couple different people enjoying the view at the base of the falls. This is not allowed. I am the only one that is allowed to be here on a Friday evening. Just kidding folks. But it is surprising because usually I am always alone when I come here in the evenings. Well, I explored a bit further up the mountain this time, but did not find any interesting photo spots, then came back down, and by that time, the others had left, so I had my favorite spot to myself (actually, I have a few favorite spots at Horsetail Falls). This is definitely not a new composition for me but it is all I got this time around. It seems that I stupidly left my image stabilization ON, and I did not realize this until I got home. When you do this combined with using a tripod, your images are ALL blurry. Well, I managed to scavenge this one photo which is not too horrible, but it would have been much sharper had I not been so stupid. Anyway, at least I only did it at this easy to reach waterfall, which I have already been to a hundred times, and will return again many more times. The only other time I left the I.S. on was at a waterfall in which I will likely never return to again because it was so difficult, and I did not get any good pictures of that one.

I will probably be back to Horsetail Falls again very soon. I have one more idea for a new composition of this waterfall (IF I can get to this one particular spot which I was eyeing on Friday – and not kill myself in the process). The flow is definitely on its way out. In another couple weeks, you will be able to cross the creek easily at the base of the falls; I could have almost done it this time, but decided to play it safe. That’s a good thing.

The more I look at this photo, the more I like it. This is the upper tier of Upper Blue Canyon Falls at Sonora Pass. It is 36 ft. high. The total height of the falls is 77 ft.

I came to the bottom of the beautiful falls, but there is not a good view of the entire waterfall, at least I did not see a good one. After shooting the lower tier, I climbed up beside the waterfall to the upper tier. It is a wonderful place to be. The entire canyon is beautiful, and I think I will want to come back here sometime and explore some more.

I’ve been slow in sharing my Sonora Pass images on purpose. I have to make them last all summer. It is going to be three more months before we get rain (hopefully less though!), and I have not many photos left to share this summer. Ah well, do not worry, I will not make you wait three months before all of these Sonora Pass images are shared. In the meantime, I am getting excited for next season. I have been busy mapping out new hikes and searching out new waterfall possibilities, and I have some epic ones lined up to go find. I just pray God will oblige me this year. Or rather, that He will oblige ALL OF US. Another year of drought will be a nightmare for everyone in California.

Speaking of epic waterfalls, this is one I definitely hope to get back to next spring when it is flowing well. Even at low flow this was an awesome 120 ft. high falls. In fact, I think this might be my best waterfall find of the entire year. I thank my Flickr friend Philip for first alerting me quite a while ago to this waterfall on North Fork McKay Creek, right beside the popular Sardine Falls. If I had known how awesome the waterfall is, I would have made it out here much sooner. I wasn’t actually planning to come here this time either, as I figured the creek would be completely dry. However, the rain picked up all the streams in the area, and I thought I should try it. I am so glad I did.

After my Blue Canyon adventure, I drove up to the Sardine Falls trailhead. Someone had forgotten their car keys at the trailhead, and they were hanging on a post there. And you thought I was bad by forgetting my water on my hike at Blue Canyon! I just wonder how they drove their car away without their car keys? Hmm, well anyway, it is a simple little hike up to Sardine Falls. I could see it flowing decently well in the distance. When I got to North Fork McKay Creek, I found that there was flow in that smaller creek as well. I found a trail (or more like a path) on the far side of the creek and up I climbed. It is a 650 ft. climb in elevation from the trailhead. Nothing too difficult. Except for that darn elevation. The base of the waterfall is at 9400 ft. elevation, and it really killed me getting to it. It is probably twice as difficult to make a 650 ft. climb at 9400 ft., then say at 5400 ft. elevation. That is my highly unscientific analysis. But I am sure it is true.

Since it was taking quite a while to hike up the creek, I was wondering if it was such a good idea to continue. I wasn’t sure anymore if I had time to make it up there and back before dark. I also had to photograph Sardine Falls, and I was hoping to get to Leavitt Falls as well before dark. It seemed that I still had a long way to go up the canyon, and I wasn’t getting closer fast. Not to mention that I was dying from the elevation. But I persevered. Finally, I came around the last corner and let out a humungous WHOOP! Wow! North Fork McKay Creek Falls is an utterly spectacular 120 ft. fan shaped falls, and at this location you are up so close and personal. You can even get right up to the base of the falls if you desire. It is a tremendous beauty, and I definitely want to come back here again.

The storm was clearing out when I finished photographing the lower muddy Blue Canyon Falls. What should I do next? It was still early in the afternoon so I decided to climb back up into Blue Canyon. I had my tripod with me this time, but instead of that I forgot three more items back in the car: water (again), my hiking boots, and my GPS. I’m not sure what my problem was today! The high elevation must be getting into my brain! Well, I did not feel like climbing back up the hill to the car to get any of those things, and I figured I would not need any of them, so off I went up the mountain. It was actually nice to just wear my water shoes, because I had to cross the creek a few times on the way up and back down.

I shortly came to the first waterfall (again), this time armed with my tripod and ready to photograph it properly. This one is a brand new waterfall and not one I expected to find here. I like surprises! It is possible that I even might have missed it had I hiked on the other side of the creek (where the “official” trail is). It is tucked away in a small gorge, but it is a little beauty, 33 ft. high. I am calling it Middle Blue Canyon Falls, and I think it is by far the prettiest of the three waterfalls on this creek.

The birds were chirping away, and I figured that must mean the storm was all done (I’m sure they know the weather better than humans), so I continued upwards and onwards to the next waterfall in Blue Canyon.

In a desperate search for water, I sought out Sonora Pass this weekend. Most everything in California is dry now. The mountains in the Tahoe area are devoid of snow; they usually carry snow until late in the summer. The Sonora Pass mountains are quite a bit higher, so perhaps maybe they still had some snow. They did not. But I definitely picked the right day to go there.

When I arrived at Blue Canyon I found the creek was flowing high and muddy from the day’s thunder storms. Flash flood? More like flash mud. It was kinda weird actually. All the muddy water was coming down from a small side stream that was no doubt completely dry yesterday but was raging with muddiness today. Blue Canyon creek proper was clear and flowing nicely. I was unsure if Blue Canyon creek was also up because of the rain or was this a normal flow? If it was up due to the rain then why wasn’t it muddy also? So many questions. I had wanted to climb up into Blue Canyon but I wasn’t planning to do it until the next morning. With the flow up though, I decided to change the plan. Who knows what it would be like tomorrow.

I crossed the muddy stream below the lower falls and climbed up into the canyon. I felt something was wrong, that I had forgotten something back at the car but I could not think what I had forgotten. Oh well, it can’t be that important. I quickly realized one thing: I forgot to bring water. That didn’t seem like that was it though. Water is important but it was a short hike so I was not concerned about that. When I arrived at the beautiful upper falls (which was not really the upper falls – more to come about that), I realized the other thing I forgot: my tripod! Doh! Now that is important! I tried taking some shots hand held but it was no good.

By this time I heard the thunder. Another storm was rolling in. I don’t care about rain but I sure did not want to be caught up on the mountain in a lightning storm. Yet I did not see any lightning anywhere. How could there be thunder and not lightning? That makes no sense. It is not even possible! Well, I decided to go back down the mountain. It was pointless to continue up the mountain without a tripod anyway, and I’m sure it would have been stupid in the storm. By the time I got back down to the car it was pouring rain. Still no lightning. I did not leave yet though because I wanted to get a shot of that muddy falls. However, by the time the rain had dissipated, the waterfall was much less muddy than it was when I arrived. That side stream was now almost dry again. Well, I went back down to the creek, crossed the muddy stream again and took some shots (with my tripod!). It was quite nice, and only slightly muddy. Now what should I do next? Stay tuned to find out.