Forest Falls Trail Map

Hike Distance:  2 miles (3.2 km) round trip
Trailhead Elevation:  4,300 feet (1,300 meters)
Total Elevation Change:  200 feet (60 meters)

Map Notes: the red line is the Foresta Falls trail, and the yellow line is the road that leads you to it. Technically, they're the same thing, since you just drive to the far end of Foresta, then park and begin walking down the same road you were driving on moments before. But it's narrower, it's unpaved, and it has enough of an "Am I supposed to be driving on this?" look to be called a trail starting at this point.

It's surprising what an undiscovered feel the Foresta Falls trail has to it, given how close it is to various settlements. It's right at the south edge of Foresta, and the streets of El Portal are just to the south (the Foresta Falls trail will eventually meander its way into El Portal, possibly by accident). The highway 140 Arch Rock entrance is just to the southeast, and Yosemite Valley isn't far to the east (zoom out a couple notches to see it).

Note that the trail swings away to the northwest in its final stages before reaching the falls. As a smart hiker who knows that waterfalls are more commonly found in the vicinities of rivers than virtually anyplace else, you might be troubled about turning away from Crane Creek and start wondering whether you've somehow missed the falls. You haven't. The trail will turn east again, take you past a meadow, and then you'll cross a bridge directly below the falls. Unless the creek has dried up altogether, it would be an extraordinary feat to miss it.