Black Star Canyon Falls

Waterfalls in Orange County are far and few between, with the best lying near and inside the Cleveland National Forest. Black Star Canyon Falls are some of the best just after a rain if you are heading out during a dry time of the season you should still expect to see some water. Free parking, easy directions and a WATERFALL you can't pass up this much beauty. The only limitation for some is that there are some tricky boulder areas for the last mile roughly leading up to the waterfall and back down. Make sure you know your limits! 

Hiking Trail Directions to the Waterfall

1. Beginning at the white gate hike roughly 2.5 miles up an easy fire road until you come across an old rusted sign that has the words Black Star Falls cut out of it. (I have it pictured above). It is roughly a fast paced part of the hike and will take anywhere around 40 minutes to an hour.
2. Stay on this trail for roughly a mile, distances will slightly change from person to person because you can hike in the riverbed or above on a trail parallel to the river. This trail will take a while due to climbing over boulders or walking on steep and slippery river banks up a canyon.
3. This will dead end at the waterfall. Be careful to not stay too close to dark because it's a long hike down the riverbed. Also be sure to bring slightly warm clothing for the way down if you are at night and it's not summer out, the canyons can drop in temperature fast.

Make sure when doing this hike that you are prepared for climbing over boulders for nearly a mile. It is not just a basic hiking trail that is steep.  There is not much elevation gain but you are going to be crossing the water many times and you need to be able to climb over human-sized boulders.