Sly Park Falls, also known as Park Creek Waterfall, is a man made waterfall at the Northeast portion of Lake Jenkinson. This waterfall is roughly 33 feet high and drops down into a pool of water that flows down Sly Park Creek and eventually into Lake Jenkinson.
Directions
The easiest way to get to the waterfall is to park in the Bumpy Meadow trailhead. This parking lot is located on the Southeast side of Lake Jenkinson.
If you are coming from Sacramento, take highway 50 east and get off on Sly Park road which is just past the town of Pollock Pines. You will make a right onto Sly Park road from the freeway exit. The speed limit is roughly 40 mph but it does require you to slow down during the sharp, winding turns. And, it’s even more dangerous if you go during the winter time because the roads will be slippery.
The road winds around for roughly 4 miles until you reach the main entrance. But then you have to travel another 1.4 miles to get to the bumpy meadow parking area which is past the main entrance and on Mormon Emigrant Trail.
Distance
Once you park at the Bumpy Meadows parking area, take the trail down along the lake and head Northeast for about 3 miles. The trail has many ups and downs, is not flat, and is deceptively taxing on the body.
At about the 2.8 mile mark, the trail brings you out into a little meadow along a calm, serene spot on the lake. This area leads to the Park Creek Bridge and not directly to the waterfall. You must head to the right roughly 250 yards and listen for the sound of the waterfall. Within a few minutes you will see the waterfall and the little trail brings you right alongside the middle of it.
Suggestions
- Bring plenty of bug spray. Depending on the season, portions of the trail are filled with mosquitoes.
- Bring plenty of water
- Bring sunblock just in case you spend more time at the lake
- Visit this waterfall in the Spring during peak water flow
Check out my article on my hike around Lake Jenkinson to this beautiful waterfall