South Fork American River Falls

Location

South Fork American River Falls: 38.8022 N, 120.1228 W

Lower South Fork American River Falls: 38.8037 N, 120.1246 W

USGS Topo: Echo Lake

Directions

From the US-50/CA-89 intersection south of Lake Tahoe, take US-50 southwest for ~10.2 miles and turn left onto a dirt road. Follow this somewhat rough and steep dirt road down to a parking area just east of the river ~0.3 miles from the highway. Walk across the bridge to the west and follow the dirt path/road to the south for ~0.1 miles (roughly the path that Google Maps has marked as "Slippery Ford Trail") to the Lower Falls. The upper section of the falls is ~700 feet upstream from here (difficult and steep, no trail). According to the World Waterfall Database, Lovers Leap Cascades is found just downstream of the bridge near the parking area.