Bassi Falls

40.6 miles from Bell Tower. Easy 1.2 miles, round trip.                              MAP

Best in spring, April-May, when the snow is melting, Bassi Falls is a great 109 foot curtain of water just a bit over a half mile from the trailhead. You might want to hike in from Ice House Road to add another 3.4 miles to the round-trip mileage.

Directions: Go 23 miles east of Placerville on Highway 50 and turn L on Ice House Road. Go 15.9 miles and watch for an unmarked road on the right just after the Silver Creek Bridge. This is FS 12N32A which you follow for .2 miles to turn L at a junction, go 1.5 miles to a small parking lot at the end of the road. You may also park about a mile in to add mileage to the hike.

The trail is currently maintained by the USFS and is easy to follow from the parking area down across the granite where it is marked with rocks that line the way. For more adventurous souls a primitive trail climbs up to the top of the falls where you can enjoy awesome slabs of granite and more upstream exploration. Be aware of the dangers of slick granite and high flows of water.