Pacheco Falls
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| | Raps:3, max ↨50ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:None Vehicle:Passenger | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 26 Apr 2025
"Backcountry weekend this year was a cold, drizzly day! Comfy in a 4/3 with air temps in the 50s. Webbing degraded on R3 and replaced with a hopefully |
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| Best season: | BEST in Spring
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37.1419, -121.4076
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Waterflow
Introduction[edit]
Pacheco Falls is a very short and easy set of drops which juts out impressively from otherwise calm rolling hills. In low flows it has potholes which make for nice swimming, and the flow can be significant shortly after rains.
Pacheco Falls may hold the record for the worst approach-to-descent time ratio in California! Except during Henry Coe Backcountry Weekend, the approach is long enough to make this an overnight expedition for most groups.
Approach[edit]
Choose your own adventure to reach the falls based on your parking location. If approach from the SW, drop in 1/4 mi upstream from the falls to avoid the steep walls of the cliff. If approaching from the NE the slope is steadier, so you can drop in only 100' or so before the falls.
Descent[edit]
All but three drops can be downclimbed, though in high flows a rappel or handline could be necessary. All raps are anchored down canyon right. The final drop can be jumped if the water is clear enough to see the deep spot.
Exit[edit]
The hillside DCL immediately after the last drop can be hiked back to the canyon entrance, making it easy to run multiple laps in the same day. The trail DCR could take you back as well, at the cost of a higher elevation change.