10 Best Hidden Gem Waterfalls in California 2026

Photo of Tuolumne Falls in Tuolumne County, California
Photo via Google: Tuolumne Falls, California

The best hidden gem waterfalls in California are Tuolumne Falls, Red Rock Falls, Corlieu Falls and 7 more. Highly rated falls that few people review: 4.6 stars or better from 75 or fewer Google reviews.

See every waterfall on the California waterfalls page or the California waterfall map, or browse by town: Yosemite Valley, Ahwahnee, Oakhurst, Twain Harte, Bridgeport, Wrightwood.

How we picked: We took the 43 publicly accessible California waterfalls rated 4.6 stars or higher on Google by between 5 and 75 reviewers, then ranked them by a weighted rating that gives more credit to ratings backed by more reviews.

  1. 1. Tuolumne Falls

    5.0 11 reviews Yosemite Valley, CA Tuolumne County

    Tuolumne Falls near Yosemite Valley takes the top spot, rated 5.0 out of 5 from 11 reviews.

    Tuolumne County, CA (GPS 37.9058, -119.4177)

    Recorded history

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    Visitors rate it 5.0 stars across 11 Google reviews. Visitors have shared 30 photos of it on Google Maps. The USGS gazetteer describes it as: In Yosemite National Park, on Tuolumne River 34 km (2.1 mi) southeast of Wildcat Point and 1 km (0.6 mi) northeast of McGee Lake. (US-T121). The nearest town is Yosemite Valley, about 14 miles to the southwest. The nearest other named waterfall is White Cascade, about 0.2 miles to the northwest.

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  2. 2. Red Rock Falls

    4.9 56 reviews Ahwahnee, CA Madera County

    Red Rock Falls, near Ahwahnee, is next up, rated 4.9 out of 5 from 56 reviews. Visitors come here for struggles, nature, and beautiful place.

    Madera County, CA 93644 (GPS 37.4338, -119.6365)

    Waterfall hikePhoto spot strugglesnaturebeautiful place

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    Visitors rate it 4.9 stars across 56 Google reviews. Visitors have shared 177 photos of it on Google Maps. Reviewers mention "struggles", "nature", and "beautiful place". The nearest town is Ahwahnee, about 6.8 miles to the southwest. The nearest other named waterfall is Corlieu Falls, about 1.4 miles to the southeast.

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  3. 3. Corlieu Falls

    4.9 55 reviews Oakhurst, CA Madera County

    Corlieu Falls, near Oakhurst, is next up, rated 4.9 out of 5 from 55 reviews.

    Oakhurst, CA 93644

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    Visitors rate it 4.9 stars across 55 Google reviews. Visitors have shared 174 photos of it on Google Maps. The nearest town is Oakhurst, about 6.2 miles to the south. The nearest other named waterfall is Red Rock Falls, about 1.4 miles to the northwest.

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  4. 4. Jawbone Falls

    5.0 9 reviews Twain Harte, CA Tuolumne County

    Jawbone Falls near Twain Harte is another strong option, rated 5.0 out of 5 from 9 reviews.

    Tuolumne County, CA (GPS 38.0083, -119.9718)

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    Visitors rate it 5.0 stars across 9 Google reviews. Visitors have shared 21 photos of it on Google Maps. The nearest town is Twain Harte, about 14 miles to the west. The nearest other named waterfall is Preston Falls, about 9.9 miles to the southeast.

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  5. 5. Leavitt Falls

    5.0 9 reviews Bridgeport, CA Mono County

    Leavitt Falls near Bridgeport rounds out this stretch of the list, rated 5.0 out of 5 from 9 reviews.

    Mono County, CA 93517 (GPS 38.3193, -119.5629)

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    Visitors rate it 5.0 stars across 9 Google reviews. Visitors have shared 25 photos of it on Google Maps. The nearest town is Bridgeport, about 19 miles to the east. The nearest other named waterfall is Silver Falls, about 1.9 miles to the northeast.

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  6. 6. San Antonio Falls

    4.9 37 reviews Wrightwood, CA San Bernardino County

    San Antonio Falls near Wrightwood rounds out this stretch of the list, rated 4.9 out of 5 from 37 reviews.

    San Bernardino County, CA 91759 (GPS 34.2719, -117.6345)

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    Visitors rate it 4.9 stars across 37 Google reviews. Visitors have shared 77 photos of it on Google Maps. The nearest town is Wrightwood, about 6.1 miles to the north. The nearest other named waterfall is Bonita Falls, about 7.9 miles to the east.

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  7. 7. Sentinel Fall

    5.0 8 reviews Yosemite Valley, CA Mariposa County

    Sentinel Fall near Yosemite Valley is another strong option, rated 5.0 out of 5 from 8 reviews.

    Mariposa County, CA 95389 (GPS 37.7249, -119.5966)

    Recorded history

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    Visitors rate it 5.0 stars across 8 Google reviews. Visitors have shared 14 photos of it on Google Maps. The USGS gazetteer describes it as: On the south wall of northern Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park , on Sentinel Creek and the southwest slope of Sentinel Rock, 1.1 km (0.7 mi) west of Sentinel Dome. (US-T121). The nearest town is Yosemite Valley, about 1.5 miles to the northeast. The nearest other named waterfall is Staircase Falls, about 1.4 miles to the northeast.

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  8. 8. Pit River Falls

    5.0 8 reviews Burney, CA Shasta County

    Pit River Falls near Burney rounds out this stretch of the list, rated 5.0 out of 5 from 8 reviews.

    Shasta County, CA 96028 (GPS 40.9860, -121.4719)

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    Visitors rate it 5.0 stars across 8 Google reviews. Visitors have shared 55 photos of it on Google Maps. The nearest town is Burney, about 12 miles to the southwest. The nearest other named waterfall is Young Falls, about 9.0 miles to the northeast.

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  9. 9. Wildcat Falls

    4.9 28 reviews Yosemite Valley, CA Mariposa County

    Wildcat Falls near Yosemite Valley is worth the drive, rated 4.9 out of 5 from 28 reviews.

    Mariposa County, CA 95389 (GPS 37.7235, -119.7174)

    Recorded history

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    Visitors rate it 4.9 stars across 28 Google reviews. Visitors have shared 85 photos of it on Google Maps. The USGS gazetteer describes it as: In Yosimite National Park, 0.48 km (0.3 mi) northwest of the mouth of Wildcat Creek and 0.8 mi) northwest of Elephant Rock. (US-T121). The nearest town is Yosemite Valley, about 7.7 miles to the east. The nearest other named waterfall is The Cascades, about 0.3 miles to the northeast.

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  10. 10. Rancheria Falls

    4.9 18 reviews Yosemite Valley, CA Tuolumne County

    Rancheria Falls near Yosemite Valley is another strong option, rated 4.9 out of 5 from 18 reviews.

    Tuolumne County, CA (GPS 37.9549, -119.7105)

    Recorded history

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    Visitors rate it 4.9 stars across 18 Google reviews. Visitors have shared 77 photos of it on Google Maps. The USGS gazetteer describes it as: In Yosemite National Park, on Rancheria Creek 1.6 km (1 mi) east of its mouth with the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and 0.96 km (0.6 mi) north of Le Conte Point. (US-T121). The nearest town is Yosemite Valley, about 16 miles to the southeast. The nearest other named waterfall is Wapama Falls, about 3.1 miles to the west.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the best hidden gem waterfall in California?

Tuolumne Falls tops our 2026 list. Visitors rate it 5.0 stars across 11 Google reviews. It is near Yosemite Valley in Tuolumne County.

How many hidden gem waterfalls are in California?

43 of the 189 waterfalls we track in California qualify. This page ranks the top 10; every waterfall in the state is on the California waterfalls page.

How was this list made?

We took the 43 publicly accessible California waterfalls rated 4.6 stars or higher on Google by between 5 and 75 reviewers, then ranked them by a weighted rating that gives more credit to ratings backed by more reviews.

Which counties are they in?

The 10 on this list are in Tuolumne County, Madera County, Mono County, San Bernardino County, Mariposa County, and Shasta County.