An out-and-back on the south side of the Gazos Creek canyon, it was first an informal nature trail for The Mountain Camp, a youth camp operated nearby from 1965-89. The camp fell on hard times, and eventually the buildings and property were purchased by the Sempervirens Fund in the late '90s, with the buildings being leased to a local environmental organization, the Pescadero Conservation Alliance (PCA). The Trail Center, in cooperation with the PCA, improved the trail to State Park standards in 2001-2002. Eventually, the trail will be annexed to Butano State Park, but for now it's (lightly) signed and maintained by the PCA, and known to just a few insiders - like you!
There is parking for two cars at approximately N 37 11.730 W 122 17.709, across Gazos Creek Road from the private Barranca Knolls Drive (do not park on the private road). Or there is more parking near the Gazos Creek cache (GCPA7G), just a few feet across a short bridge on Gazos Creek road. Find the trail by walking south up Barranca Knolls Drive. Although it is signed private, there is a pedestrian easement as far as the trailhead. Walk around the gate, across a wooden bridge, and look for the trailhead almost immediately to the right (signed with a small stake at this time).
The largest falls on this trail can be found by turning left onto a short trail after the first bridge, to an overlook at N 37 11.655 W 122 17.798. The falls are perennial in most years, but much showier in the rainy season. The bridge below is the result of a request by the PCA that it be built entirely from redwood salvaged from demolished buildings and decks, or found on the site. The eclectic designs have the same strength as standard State Park plans.
The cache is an camo painted jar further along the trail. The hide is basic - difficulty rating is due to the poor GPS reception here - weak signals and poor triangulation. Coords for 'She turned me into a NEWT!' cache are in the log book. There is another (seasonal) waterfall, spanned by a bridge, along the way to that cache.
Update August 2024:
The CZU Lightening Complex Fire in August 2020 burned through this area. A lot of trees are down along the trail past the waterfall, and the trail has not been fixed past the waterfall and is hard to follow in places so I increased the Terrain rating a little.