My daughter and I had a tough morning. I didn’t realize this at the time, but she was acting out that Saturday morning and purposefully making her little sister cry because she needed ‘mommy time’.

She had just completed her first week of first grade, which meant that she was gone at school all day and I was home with her younger sister.  However, the more she misbehaved, the less desire I had to give in to her need for attention, so I decided that we needed a way to reset and repair our difficult morning. I decided we would experience Rose Valley Falls for the first time together.

Rose Valley Falls trail is an easy half-mile hike to a 100-foot multi-strand waterfall in the Padres National Forest.  The trail begins at the Rose Valley Campground at an elevation of 3,450 feet. 

It feels like a nice short walk along a cool shaded path of Oaks and Sycamores. The trail is well defined and follows the path up Rose Valley Creek. Soon into our walk we saw small waterfalls along the creek and pools of cool water. The trail ends at the tall waterfall that cascades down sandstone cliffs beautifully onto a moss covered grotto. There is a fun very short cave/tunnel that takes you behind the falls. This was a hit with all the kids there. This hike is very family friendly. We found two other families with kids at the end of the path. The temperature right by the falls felt cool and a relief from the 90-degree heat by the campground during summer. Since this is at such high elevation, I was told that there is snow if you visit during the winter/early spring months. 

If you do visit during a warm summer day, I suggest bringing bathing suits and water shoes. There are vault toilets at the Rose Valley Falls campground. You can park right outside the campground and it is FREE. If you choose to camp, consult the Forest Service website for more information. 

Getting there:

It is a 15 mile drive from Ojai North on Highway 33 (Maricopa Highway). This portion of the drive will seem very long as you go deeper into the mountains and the road winds. You will see the large Wheeler Gorge Campground on your way as you continue North on the 33.

At the Rose Valley turnoff, turn right. Continue 3 miles to the Rose Valley Campground turnoff and turn right.  Drive one more mile and you will see the entrance to the campground.

The trail begins by campsite number 4 (there is a small sign). Make sure to have a map and directions handy as you will lose cell phone reception a couple of miles into the drive.

The proximity to the waterfalls and the ease of the hike made the drive worthwhile. My daughter and I restored our harmony and were able to communicate as we immersed ourselves in such natural wonders.

Questions? comment below!