Lewis Creek (Red Rock and Corlieu Falls)

Lewis Creek Photo Gallery / Trail Map

Hike Distance: 0.5 miles (0.8 km) round trip to Corlieu Falls; 3 miles (4.8 km) round trip to Red Rock Falls.

Distance from Yosemite:  7 miles (11 km)

Trailhead Elevation: 4,000 feet (1,220 meters)
Elevation Gain: 300 feet (90 meters)

Hiking time: 1 - 2 hours (Red Rock Falls); 30 - 60 minutes (Corlieu Falls)

Why hike the Lewis Creek trail? Not all of Yosemite's greatest sights are in ... well, Yosemite. Visit the waterfalls on this trail and you'll be wondering why the park's founders didn't draw the border another seven miles south to include them.

Crowd Factor: Less than you'll find with just about any waterfall in Yosemite itself. If you visit on a weekday, you stand a good chance of having Red Rock Falls all to yourself. And though there may be other people at Corlieu Falls (it's a shorter hike, and tends to get more visitors), the layout of the area is such that it's likely you won't see them.

Scenery Factor: The two waterfalls bookending this trail make it a memorable trip. Corlieu Falls, downstream from the trailhead, is an 80 foot (25 meter) series of cascades in a narrow canyon. Red Rock Falls is much shorter, at about 20 feet (6 meters), but compensates in width and concentration of power. The trail to Red Rock Falls is also pleasant in a daydreamy-stroll-beside-a-stream sort of way. It proceeds beside Lewis Creek, which is framed by ferns and mossy rocks, and the trail itself is lined with evergreens and dogwoods. The shady environment produced by the timber and the canyon through which the creek flows gives this hike a northwestern flavor, especially in the spring.

Difficulty: We'll rate these hikes as straddling the easy/medium boundary. Both involve some elevation, and the Corlieu Falls trail also includes a fairly steep & slippery descent down to the falls.

Best Time to Visit: In the spring, when there's lots of water going over the falls and wildflowers are blooming along the trail.

Nearest Bathrooms: in Oakhurst, 6 miles (9.5 km) south, or at the Yosemite entrance, 7 miles (11 km) north

Nearest Snacks: in Oakhurst, 6 miles (9.5 km) south

Driving Directions: The Lewis Creek trailhead is located on highway 41, seven miles (11 km) south of Yosemite's southern entrance, and 7.5 miles (12 km) north of the intersection of highways 41 and 49 in Oakhurst.

A hundred meters or so from the trailhead, the trail forks. Go left (upstream) to Red Rock Falls or right (downstream) to Corlieu Falls.

Parking: Lot at the trailhead that holds a dozen or so cars

Hazards: It's the familiar Sierra formula: water = mosquitoes. Bring your repellent.

Reaching upper Corlieu Falls requires a scramble down a steep and intermittently slippery trail with patches of poison oak growing along it.