Updated
Updated · Noozhawk · Jun 3
Dan McCaslin Rediscovers Mini-Waterfall Near Davy Brown Camp After 50 Years
Updated
Updated · Noozhawk · Jun 3

Dan McCaslin Rediscovers Mini-Waterfall Near Davy Brown Camp After 50 Years

1 articles · Updated · Noozhawk · Jun 3

Summary

  • May 7-8 brought McCaslin’s first sighting in more than 50 years of a small waterfall a few hundred yards above Davy Brown Camp in California’s San Rafael Wilderness.
  • The find came after an overnight stay at the U.S. Forest Service campground and a short walk past the uppermost campsite, the old water silo and two difficult creek crossings.
  • The same outing included a hike from nearby Nira Trailhead to Lost Valley Camp, where Manzana Creek was running strongly in what McCaslin called an excellent water year.
  • That flow may be temporary: McCaslin said the upper Davy Brown Creek feature will likely dry out in summer heat, as nearby hillsides already look more like summer than spring.
  • The account underscores how seasonal water and changing trail conditions can reshape even a familiar backcountry area roughly 50 miles from Santa Barbara.

Insights

A 50-year visitor just found a new waterfall. What other endangered ecosystems are hiding in plain sight in our local mountains?
While California's 'water whiplash' reveals new waterfalls, what does it signal for the drought-plagued American West?