Aztec Falls (Deep Creek)
San Bernardino Mtns / Deep Creek · near Lake Arrowhead / Hesperia · Los Angeles / SoCal
Canyoneering
At a glance
- Grade
- basic
- Best season
- Late spring–summer; avoid high flows & after rain
What is here
- Setting
- mountain
- Amenities
- Deep green Deep Creek pools · Cliff jumps & a rappel drop · Granite gorge setting · Warm-weather favorite
- Best for
- An aquatic jump-and-swim spot with a rope option
- Features
- Popular Deep Creek gorge · Deep pools & cliff jumps · Rappellable drop · San Bernardino classic
Worth knowing
- Hazards
- Jumping injuries & drownings — check depth, never dive · Flash-flood risk — check weather · High water dangerous; crowded, hot & exposed · Slippery granite; sun exposure
- Beginner friendly
- No
Canyoneering detail
- Character
- swims · jumps · rappels
- Water
- pools
- Commitment
- 2
- Descent notes
- A popular granite gorge on Deep Creek in the San Bernardino Mountains — deep green pools and cliff jumps with a rappellable drop, more aquatic jumping-and-swimming spot than technical canyon, but with a genuine rope option
- Stats note
- Rappel option + jumps into deep pools; moderate approach; half-day
- Wetsuit
- No
- Intl tip
- A popular granite gorge on Deep Creek in the San Bernardino Mountains — the creek pools deep and green between polished walls, first and foremost a cliff-jumping and swimming spot, with a rappellable drop for those with rope skills. High, dry pine-and-granite country reached by a moderate hike; a crossover between swimming hole and light canyon outing. Jumps cause frequent injuries and Deep Creek has seen drownings (check depth, never dive), expect crowds/heat/sun, Deep Creek runs dangerously high in spring (a low-flow summer outing), and it can flash-flood — watch the weather.
- Directions note
- Access via Splinters Cabin trailhead off Hook Creek Rd, Lake Arrowhead — high-clearance helps on the last stretch
The guide
Aztec Falls, on Deep Creek in the San Bernardino Mountains, is a popular granite gorge where the creek pools up deep and green …
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Aztec Falls (Deep Creek) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 34.33, -117.22