Rush Creek & Shingle Falls

This weekend I headed down CA-20 again to see a couple of waterfalls near Nevada City. I first stopped at Rush Creek Falls along the South Yuba Independence Trail just off of CA-49. Visit the waterfall page (link provided below) for more info on this waterfall. When I arrived at the trailhead parking area, I was the second car. The women in the first car were taking their time, which allowed me to get on the trail first. Along the way to the falls, there were numerous flowers out including California Indian Pink and Yellow Star Tulip. When I arrived at the waterfall the sun was unfortunately already shining on part of it. I made the best of the lighting conditions while taking a few pictures. As I walked back to the main trail, several other people arrived. On my way in, I noticed a couple more drops to the creek just below the trail so I walked a little west to see if I could get a view of either of them. I was able to get a somewhat obstructed view of the Middle Falls just below the trail/flume after negotiating around several poison oak bushes. I haven't noticed any rashes yet, but it's been less than 30 hours so we'll see what develops. The Lower Falls would require much more bushwhacking and negotiating of steep cliffs so I decided not to push my luck. When I got back to the trailhead the parking lot was almost full. Good timing (except for the sun). I washed my hands as best I could with my water bottle just in case there was some urushiol residue.I next headed back to CA-20 and then west and south towards the trailhead for Shingle Falls. Visit the waterfall page (link provided below) for more info on this waterfall. On the way in, I saw a single turkey and a bunch of teenagers cooling off in Dry Creek downstream of the trailhead. The large trailhead was almost full but I wasn't too surprised since it was just a little before noon on a Saturday. I grabbed my backpack and camera and headed across the bridge and then along the road towards the falls. The road begins at ~350' elevation and was particularly hot on this day. A few trees along the way provided momentary shade. Some flowers were out along the road which somewhat distracted me from the sweat streaming down my forehead and back. A group of horseback riders also provided a few moments of distraction from the heat. About half way to the falls you turn off of the road and follow another road to the south where the trail runs into a gate. After climbing the small hill, the trail is at about the same elevation as the "Upper" waterfall near a cattle guard. From here, the trail drops down a little and splits into three routes. I chose the shortest and most level route and arrived at the waterfall after another ~15 minutes.I could hear the waterfalls as I approached the "Upper" one and was very impressed with its size when I came to the viewpoint. Shingle Falls (the "Upper" one) drops ~70' from a short, narrow gorge into a large pool. A use-trail leads down to the pool where you get better and better views of the falls and the orangish-red rocks along the cliff-side. I took several pictures from different points along this route and enjoyed the view from each one. I was not alone at the waterfall, but most of the people were content with sitting in the shade at the upper viewpoint just west of the waterfall. A couple of teenagers jumped into the pool and quickly reported to everyone how cold it was despite the 88 degree day. About 200 feet downstream of Shingle Falls is Lower Shingle Falls (usually together these two are referred to as Shingle Falls). The lower falls are harder to get a decent view of but not impossible. After a scramble down some rocks, I was able to get to a nice viewpoint. After taking a few pictures I re-hydrated in the shade near the falls. On the way back I took the longer route along the creek and passed by several more horseback riders. At the cattle guard a couple was searching for a geocache. I passed a few more groups of people heading towards the falls on the way back to the car. I was very happy to get back to my air-conditioned vehicle. All in all, this was a nice, mostly level ~5.0 mile round-trip hike to a couple of great waterfalls in the western foothills of the Sierras. Rush Creek Falls wasn't the most impressive, but is located only about a mile from the trailhead on a flat, well maintained trail. If it was possible to get a decent view of the Middle and Lower Falls, then this would be an even better destination.Waterfalls Visited:Rush Creek Falls (3)

Shingle Falls (2)