San Ysidro Falls Trail

This hike is so intense !!! It is about 9 miles round trip and 4 of those miles are uphill. Seriously such a good effin work out !!! So good that I really teared at the very top because I was dying the whole time lol. The only reason I don’t give it 5 stars is the scenery on the way to the top of the hike was okay. There were a few trees and plants, but nothing worth taking pictures of lols.

I just completed this hike today. The trail up the waterfall was lovely because of the rocks and the little creek running down below; I like climbing over rocks. Unfortunately, the waterfall was dried up, so there was no water running down. Past the waterfall, it is quite a climb up to El Camino Cielo. I think the elevation is 3200 ft? A lot of never-​ending zig zag hills. You would walk 100 feet under the sun and then you hit another 100 feet with shade and a cool breeze. Once you get to the top, the view is gorgeous! Coming down was the most difficult part for me, because it was slippery due to loose gravel; I slipped a few times. The entire hike was about 4.5 miles one-​way or 9.0 miles roundtrip. It took us almost 3.5 hours to get to the top and then 2 hours to come down, but we stopped several times going up. Overall, I enjoyed the hike. It’s my first hike with elevation! Yay!

The 4.5 mile climb is not easy but the view at the top makes up for it. The second half of the climb is mostly in the sun but the shaded spots are nice places to take short breaks. There are some loose spots on the ground which made me and my friends slip a little bit on the way down. It’s very dry up there so be sure to hydrate and wear shoes that can get dirty!
⁷⁄₁₀ (The 5 star system on Unilocal sucks)

The trailhead was a bit hard to find at first so look up a map of the area to make sure you know exactly where you need to be. It’s located on E Mountain drive to the left of Park Lane. We got lost driving around Montecito looking for it for about 20 minutes and there’s poor/​no cell reception to get a gps reading up there. Getting lost wasn’t so bad considering the estates in the area were breath taking. The locals on the streets were very friendly and gave us directions. Listen to the directions carefully because there are many trails in the area and you might end up following the wrong trail! Do your research before you get there and make sure to print out a map. I found this website useful:
The San Ysidro Falls trail follows paved road for a slight part of the trail’s beginning and becomes quite steep at many points in the trail. The path is well carved by all of the previous visitors so it’s easy to follow without losing the tracks. There is a lot of tree cover and shade which is a blessing because you will definitely break a sweat going up. At later points in the trail closer to the waterfall you’ll get to extremely large high steps so if you’re not into making a climb then this isn’t the trail for you. It isn’t that difficult though unless you’re just plain lazy. The trail does go up pretty high in the mountains so it’s slightly tiring but is definitely doable with a few rest stops. Most people of average physical fitness should be able to do it with no problems. The trail is approximately 2 hours upwards and 1 hour to go back down if your ending destination is the waterfall. Make sure to bring a lot of water and a face towel to wipe sweat with. I hiked with one other person and we each carried a backpack of 4 water bottles which we ended up finishing 6 of the 8 bottles. There are some flying insects like ladybugs and butterflys but all of the insects are pretty much harmless. If you don’t like them flying near you then make sure to put on some insect repellent.
The waterfall is beautiful and definitely worth the climb. The coloring of the waterfall is much more spectacular in person than it is in the pictures. I walked into the pool of the waterfall and it was amazing. The water was pretty cold but you get used to it. There’s plenty of areas and large rocks to sit on and enjoy it.

It is not a good idea to do a 5 hour hike over Thanksgiving, then wait a month and then take on another 5 hour hike over Christmas, and yet that’s exactly what I did.
There are 17 miles of hiking trails located next to San Ysidro Ranch. They are beautifully maintained, but not all that well marked. So my desire to see the waterfall were proceeded by an accidental right turn onto Old Pueblo Trail, with the Buena Vista Loop thrown on top for good measure.
TIP: when other hikers try and tell you how to get to the trail you want, LISTEN. CAREFULLY. FOLLOW DIRECTIONS.
Thank goodness there was a hot tub waiting for me back at the Ranch. My legs are still boycotting me.