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7.5 Zim Zim Falls
As of Dec. 2005, northern California has a brand new waterfall! No, it is not Whiskeytown Falls. It is Zim Zim Falls, a 100+ foot cascade near Lake Berryessa, in Napa County. Ok ok, it is not a 'new' waterfall (of course, neither is Whiskeytown Falls a new waterfall). And no, it is not even a newly discovered waterfall. But it is new in the sense that it now on public land, and the trail is now completely accessible. 12,000 acres were added to the Knoxville Ranch Wildlife Area public lands in Dec., and this includes Zim Zim Falls and the trail accessing it. Upon hearing this awesome news, I was anxious to check it out this spring, and let me tell you, this is one great hike.
The trail to Zim Zim Falls follows an old road along Zim Zim Creek. It is mostly flat the whole distance, with great scenery along the way of the lovely creek, rolling green hills, pretty wildflowers, and plenty of oak trees. It is very beautiful in the springtime. The total distance hiked was about 7.5 miles there and back, and was probably the easiest 7.5 mile hike I have ever done. The trail crosses Zim Zim Creek a total of 9 times along the way, and you will get your feet wet. It is easy crossing the creek, the deepest it got was up to my shins. And it is fun. But I do recommend wearing shoes that you can get wet, so you are not constantly taking your boots off and on every 10 or 15 minutes on the hike. Shortly after the last crossing, you will come to a trail junction (a big boulder is on the side of the trail here). Go right and up the hill (the trail becomes quite a bit steeper here, but not too bad). At a second junction, go left. The trail cuts back to a great viewpoint of Zim Zim Falls. It is possible to scramble down to the base of the falls. But it is steep and you will need good footwear to do that. Watch out for ticks as well.
Zim Zim Falls cascades down about 80 ft. through a narrow cleft in the canyon. I suspect that it may actually be higher than 80 ft., and there is an upper part of the falls that is not visible. It is definitely a waterfall that is best seen in the winter and early spring months. By summer, Zim Zim Creek will only be a trickle.
Considering how "new" the public access to the trail is, I was quite surprised to find so many people hiking it on a sunny Saturday in April 06. I would not have thought that many people would have heard about the trail yet. I guess they were as anxious the check it out, as I was.
Zoom out on map to see all nearby waterfalls:
Other waterfalls nearby:
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