Leavitt Creek Cascade

In his constant search for great fly fishing photo locations, Philip Reedy never has to leave California.

Today, he sent this shot – part of a package he’d taken with a fly fisherman in the frame for a fishing publication – of Leavitt Creek. It’s located near Sonora Pass (CA-108) and presently it’s surrounded by peak fall color.

Sardine Creek runs nearby. There are two Sardine Creek Falls, an upper one and a lower one, but for all their power, this cascade on Leavitt Creek is lovelier.

Nevertheless, should you choose to hike to Sardine Falls, Sonora Central describes the hike as follows, “Reaching Sardine Falls requires an easy 1.2 mile hike on an unmarked trail but offers rewarding views of the surrounding Sierras as well as the falls themselves. There are actually two falls, the main Sardine Falls which drops about 50′ and a smaller waterfall downstream about 25′ high. Both falls are on McKay Creek which has plenty of runoff from the snow melt throughout the summer season. This destination gets quite a bit of foot traffic in the warm summer months but if you plan your trip on a weekday or late in the season you just might have the falls to yourself.”

I’ve not hiked to Sardine Falls, but the writeups indicate there’s no good spot to photograph the falls. However, this cascade on Leavitt Creek is remarkably photogenic.

California Fall Color creds go to Doug Van Kirk for correctly identifying the cascade as being on Leavitt Creek. We’d initially misidentified the creek as Sardine Creek. So, a can of sardines is ready for him to pick up as his prize.

• Leavitt Creek Cascade (8,750′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!