Sawtelle Falls Trail

Just up the street from the impressive Shin Brook Falls is Sawtelle Falls, whose allure is a bit more subdued. But it’s still nice to check out, and the black stone in the river — I think it is slate? — is sleek and beautiful.

There is no sign indicating the trailhead for Sawtelle Falls, but it is easy to find. A big pullover right after a bridge and an obvious trail leading into the woods will set you on the right path. If you continue down the unmarked trail for about 0.5 miles, you’ll reach a small bluff with a tiny bench. From here you can peer over the edge to check out the falls, the pool below, and the wide, bare wall of stone opposite.

Unfortunately, it’s difficult to make your way down to the waterfall base and shingle beach because of the steepness of the bank. But people do it and there is a rough little path, more like a slide, down to the bottom.

Directions: From Grand Lake Road, turn onto Scraggly Lake Road, which is a well-maintained and wide dirt road to Scraggly Lake Public Reserved Land. Drive about 1.5 miles, you’ll cross a bridge over Sawtelle Brook. Right after the bridge, pull over onto the wide shoulder and look for the trail heading downstream on the right (east) side of the road).