Cedar Creek Falls (Devil's Punchbowl)
San Diego River Gorge, Ramona · near Ramona · San Diego
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- strenuous
- Route type
- out-and-back
- Distance
- 5.7 miles
- Elevation gain
- 1,100 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- Fall, winter, early spring · Falls flow after rain; dry and dangerous in summer
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- Yes
- How the permit works
- Advance permit required year-round via Recreation.gov (permit #234735), ~$6 per permit covering up to 5 people, ~75/day cap; popular weekend dates sell out. No walk-up permits. In a Forest Service high-heat closure all reservations are cancelled with refund.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 3 of 5
What is here
- Features
- 80-ft waterfall · 'Punchbowl' swimming hole · Granite gorge · Inverted climb-out · Frequent heat rescues
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- No
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- Book your Recreation.gov permit weeks ahead, start at dawn, and turn around by 10–11am — the midday climb out is where people get into real trouble. Carry far more water than feels necessary.
The guide
San Diego's most famous waterfall hike drops relentlessly into a shaded gorge where Cedar Creek plunges 80 feet into an emerald…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Cedar Creek Falls (Devil's Punchbowl) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 32.9951, -116.7562