Ortega Falls

Category: Tourist attraction

Address: -33382, 32806 Ortega Hwy, Lake Elsinore, CA 92530, USA

Reviews

Jack Morris

Apr 2, 2022

Had the best time…got lost, bushwhacked across country and laughed our butts off. Great place.

Cassandra Hall

Mar 4, 2022

It’s a nice little hike, lots of graffiti with phalanges and swear words so shield the kids eyes😅 the waterfall is more like a water stream maybe there’s more during the rainy season (good luck socal)

Ashley Crook

Mar 1, 2021

Beautiful scenery ruined by tons of graffiti EVERYWHERE. Not to mention broken glass and beer bottles scattered all over the place. The hike there was pretty moderate. Lots of climbing up and over rocks, and some pretty steep slopes. Once we got to the "falls" it was nothing but a trickle. In all, it was a pretty big let down. I'm sure its probably nice after a good rain though.

Karissa Ercoli

Jan 4, 2021

Only a 10 minute walk to where the falls are. Took my 6 year old with me And she was able to walk the path no problem. Unfortunately there was no water running when we went, but I think that made it better in a way. We were able to climb from the bottom area to the top where the falls are, and we got to see some amazing art work along the way!

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Questions & Answers

Is this place still running? Are we allowed to hike there?

Estdelin Serna | Aug 17, 2020
Brad Weldy | Aug 17, 2021

The trail was closed after heavy rain earlier this year. The waterfall itself is only about a 15 min. hike from where you park on the side of the road. There are some boulders and steep slopes, but overall a very easy hike and a short treck from the "parking lot".

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Do people purposely bring trash in to leave it here or is it just ignorant people not knowing better?

Smucking Awesome | Aug 17, 2020
Salty Sauce | Aug 17, 2020

Both. They also apparently ACCIDENTLY sprayed graffiti all over the place. Must Be a hard knock life hiking down 10 minute trails

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Does it still run water or is it dried up?

Isabel Alvarez | Aug 18, 2019
walden villalobos | Aug 18, 2019

Yeah u can see water beautifully running down...go for it...

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I was at the lower part of the falls. Noticed the sparkles in the water. Iron pyrite or real gold, or something different? Thanks for any input.

Lori Patten | Aug 18, 2019
Georgie | Aug 18, 2019

Pyrite

Do you have to hike far to get to the waterfall

Dayna French-Boone | Aug 18, 2019
Jake Nessirio | Aug 18, 2019

It is rough here and there, but not far and I saw little kids and elderly people there. Wear good sneakers or hiking shoes, though. You don't want to slip on the trail.

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Can you take your dogs

Ursula Woelcken | Aug 18, 2018
William Morse | Aug 18, 2018

Yep great place for dogs.. it's only a 7 minute hike...

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How is the water flow for April 2022? Trash, graffiti, etc still problematic?

Karen Frederick | Apr 19, 2022
Michael D | Apr 19, 2022

Lots of graffiti. Not a lot of rain this year so the water is pretty slow.

Do you get to see any fish in the water?

tom lucy10 | Aug 17, 2021
sister Zebullan | Aug 17, 2021

Is it dry now?

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Is its year round waterfall?

Fabian Abbott | Aug 17, 2020
Bob Hotter | Aug 17, 2020

No, only during rainy/winter season

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Is there any snow around this area now?

PH 7 (PH7) | Aug 17, 2020
Alex Lopez | Aug 17, 2021

It snows sometimes, it's beautiful after it shows...

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Has anyone been here in April? Just wanted to see if there's still water right now...

E | Aug 18, 2019
Suresh Raj | Aug 18, 2019

Yes we were there on 04/06. Water is still flowing it's treat to watch..

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Is there waterfallrunning here this month?

Rios Hikes | Aug 18, 2019
Daniel park | Aug 18, 2019

I think yes for this weekend.

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we want to go swimming at Ortega Falls

Juan Roberto Kobyłecki | Aug 18, 2018
Nicodemo Salinas | Aug 17, 2020

Can i speak wt ortega ph #

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I wanna go this weekend.. is there water?

Iris | Aug 17, 2021
Ashley Deiters | Aug 17, 2021

There was no water when I just went on Thursday.

Is there water right now?

Natalie Campoverde Sanchez | Aug 17, 2021
Iam Eternity | Aug 17, 2021

There's barely a trickle running down the falls and it goes immediately underground.

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Can u swim here?

Christian Mascolo | Aug 17, 2021
pike lambeth | Aug 17, 2021

No water as of May 2021. If there was I don't think it would be deep. Maybe knee high at most.

Is Ortega falls open to the public?

A Google User | Aug 17, 2021
Consuelo Ochoa | Aug 17, 2021

Yes

Are we going to see waterfalls this weekend?

Mel C | Aug 17, 2021
Kirk Urista | Aug 17, 2021

Best time to go is in February though March 😌 very beautiful huge water falls.

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Is there water there right now?

Angelo Gonzalez | Aug 17, 2021
David Medina | Aug 17, 2021

No water last weekend Back in March 2020 There was water

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Have you ran into any snakes?

J M | Aug 17, 2021
NEXT ADVENTURE | Aug 17, 2021

No really.... We enjoyed a lot ....but if you try to find it....you will..

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Any way to remove the spray paint from the rocks?

Regular Guy | Aug 17, 2020
James Ranger | Aug 17, 2020

Graffiti remover would be my guess. But because the rocks are so porous it probably wont do that much.

Is it there a short hike to the falls I usually have a hard time finding the actual trail and falls

Venessa Lopez | Aug 17, 2020
Eduardo Rojo | Aug 17, 2020

The las sunday 5/2 was no water

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As today 8/02/2020 Still running water? To enjoy the fall

NEXT ADVENTURE | Aug 17, 2020
Mr Mclovin | Aug 17, 2020

I went there 3 days ago and there was water but it wasn't running down the cliff, it was just in a puddle up at the top

How long is the hike to the falls

Eric Watts | Aug 17, 2020
Christopher Shonafelt | Aug 17, 2020

If you park on Ortega adjacent to the falls, about 10-15 minutes from the road

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Is parking free? or do you need a pass?

Mali Martinez M. | Aug 17, 2020
Dzmitry Ivashutsin | Aug 17, 2020

You park on the side of the road, it's free.

Is there water running at this time of the season?

alexis cabanas | Aug 17, 2020
Danny Chiles | Aug 17, 2020

Barely

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Does anyone know if Ortega Falls has daily closing time? How is parking? Any water left?

Alex G. | Aug 17, 2020
Alec Bach | Aug 17, 2020

Just went there yesterday. There is water coming from the fall, not alot but a good amount. Parking wasn't too bad we got there around 3 I think. Closing time, I'm not sure about we left at 7.

Is there water falling right now?? Planning on going (mid June) but don't want to get my kids hyped up if they're not going to get to see the waterfall.

Sarah Hansen | Aug 17, 2020
Christopher Roman | Aug 17, 2020

Yes there was water there last week

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Is it pretty easy to hike with kids? Want to take the little ones

Trina Valadez | Aug 17, 2020
Salty Sauce | Aug 17, 2020

It might be a good pit stop going through Ortega but only if necessary. I wouldn't go out of my way to hike here.

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Is there a visitor center?

Valeria nunez | Aug 17, 2020
Abdullah Manely | Aug 17, 2020

No

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How long do I get from the parking lots to the waterfalls

Gustavo Burgos | Aug 17, 2020
Sofia Lopez | Aug 17, 2020

10 to 15 minutes

Anyone been up there today or recently since the rain? Is the trail difficult right after rain?

Benji Stein | Aug 17, 2020
garrett Heller | Aug 17, 2020

I've been up there and weather like this before and it is usually pretty easily accessible. I would just practice caution.

Is any gold in or near the falls? And can you pan for it?

Justa Gigalo | Aug 17, 2020
River Phoenix | Aug 17, 2020

It is illegal to pan for gold in state and national parks.

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Can you drive a car to the Falls???

Drina Cantin | Aug 17, 2020
Zaffino Valori | Aug 18, 2019

There's a small parking area above the falls. Then a short climb down the trails. Its rocky and steep but it's only about a quarter mile. I had a challenging time but would have found it fairly easy in my younger days. It took a few rest stops to make it back up but I did. The only falls we took were in the parking lot.. my usual

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Hi.. could some one please tell me if I can see water if I go today (12/31/2019)? Thanks!

Vijay Suresh | Aug 17, 2020
Inga Vassileva | Aug 17, 2020

Yes, there's water!

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How is the current Hwy 74 road condition ?

PH 7 (PH7) | Aug 17, 2020
Autumn | Aug 17, 2020

It's fine.

Will there be water flowing November 29th? And can you also swim?

Krista wright | Aug 17, 2020
Krista Wright | Aug 17, 2020

Damn 😨well thank you dyo much tho for responding I really doappreciate it

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I was considering visiting this weekend, any idea if there will be decent water this weekend?

Alexandre Page | Aug 17, 2020
Anita Perez | Aug 17, 2020

No water. No rain.

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How long does it take to walk to the falls?

Laurie Murphy-Margisian | Aug 17, 2020
L H | Aug 17, 2020

Yeah about 15 minutes. A bit tough climbing over rocks the higher you go up the falls. The nicest pool in my opinion is higher up but it's not far at all. It's beautiful.

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Does anyone know if there’s a waterfall right now and if this place is a campground?

Olga Nuñez | Aug 18, 2019
Paul Gunner McGuire | Aug 18, 2019

It's not a campground, it's a hiking trail. I was there last week and it still has water flowing. There are campsites near the fall if you are looking for a place to stay.

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Does anyone know if there is water now

ana lopez | Aug 18, 2019
Ryan Wilson | Aug 17, 2021

Some...not much..some fools graffiti it..

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Is there still a waterfall? I know late in year, but due to recent rain hopping there still is! Has anyone been there in the past week/few days?

Dana Ritter | Aug 18, 2019
Anna Morrison | Aug 18, 2019

Yes, multiple waterfalls. Visited last weekend, very crowded though

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How long does it take to get there? Planning the day ahead of time for a family vacation in May.....

Gabriel Bernal | Aug 18, 2019
Amruta Pohankar | Aug 18, 2019

Its a short hike (around 15 mins) to get to the waterfall from where you park

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can i take my dog

Guadalupe Brito | Aug 18, 2019
Katherine Bennett | Aug 18, 2019

Yes! But also remember it's a natural area and other animals that actually live there will be scared away if they smell your dog, so it's best to stay in the most well-traveled parts of the falls 🐶

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Are there firs roads for a stroller?

Denita Greene | Aug 18, 2019
Adam Spivack | Aug 18, 2019

No way down with strollers. No real trails mostly small windy paths with many rocks and small dose of bouldering.

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How many miles?

April Crowder | Aug 18, 2018
Anzu love | Aug 18, 2018

Is just less than a mile off 74. It is very rocky to get to the falls. It is dry during the summer.

is the waterfall this running around this time of year

Angelina Noble | Aug 18, 2018
Isaac Cortez | Aug 18, 2018

Seasonal after a nice rainfall Great Time To Go

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Can u camp for free here

travis plowe | Aug 18, 2018
Daniel Dimas | Aug 18, 2019

Parking was free when I whent during normal morning and daytime hours.

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