Johnson Creek Falls
This is Johnson Creek Falls near Etna. My friend Brian was initially the person who told me about this one. You will not find this one mentioned in any of the CA waterfall books. Yet it is certainly a well traveled waterfall among the locals. The Etnans (or Etnanites? Etnatonians?) have done a pretty good job of keeping this one a secret from me until now.
The waterfall is technically on private property. But there is a sign indicating that the trail is open to the public for hikers. That is definitely the kind of sign I love to see. It has been this way for a long time, and obviously the locals come here rather frequently, and are no doubt respectful of the landowners’ property. Thank you, people of Etna, and especially to the owners of this property.
It is not a very easy waterfall to get to. It is only a 1 mile hike, but it is a very strenuous 1 mile. The trail climbs up and up and up to the top of the waterfall. It is a very steep hike, and once at the top of the falls, you are treated to an obscured view of the waterfall across the canyon. I measured the falls to be 118 ft. high, though it really could be higher than that (but if there is more above, then it is not viewable). From this viewpoint, it is necessary to scramble down to the bottom if you want to get a better up close and personal view. It is a very steep and difficult descent. It is also slippery and dangerous if the ground is wet (which it certainly was with the snow around). I managed to get down to the bottom, then cross to the other side of the creek to take my photos. From this low point, you can only see part of the entire waterfall (actually, about 71 ft. of the total 118 ft. height can be seen from the bottom). I imagine that in the spring it would be extremely wet down there from the spray of the falls. This time of year though presented another difficulty: falling ice. While I was down there standing in the middle of the creek taking photos, ice was falling down the waterfall. I was a safe distance away, but it was something that made me a bit wary. I did not stay down there too long.