No Place Like Home: Nojoqui Falls

Posted: Jun 11, 2010 10:38 AM by Jeanette Trompeter
Updated: Feb 23, 2012 12:56 PM

If you are like a lot of locals along the Central Coast, you occasionally see signs for attractions here and there and think "One day I'm going to take that exit and check that out". But the day never comes. Well, we paid a visit to one of those attractions this week and found out the Nojoqui Falls offer another reason there's No Place Like Home.

Just a short jaunt off Highway 101 near Gaviota, it's a little hide-away worth exploring.

"Just the beauty, the cool air, and the sound of the water," says Chrissy Hunt of Buellton when asked why she brings her dog up there fairly regularly.

The Nojoqui Falls are part of a Santa Barbara County park that offers an easy getaway from the hustle and bustle we all need a break from now and then.

The 100 foot falls aren't massive, but worth a visit. And the rain we got this winter and spring makes now a great time to make the trek. Amy Ganci lives in the San Fernando Valley now, but grew up in Santa Barbara. She brought her daughter up to check it out. "It's beautiful! I haven't been up here probably since I was in high school, and it's gorgeous."

You can thank the Santa Ynez earthquake fault for this little natural wonder, and unlike many waterfalls, the Nojoqui falls fall outward over a sandstone wall that continually grows as the water leaves calcium deposits behind.

It provides a natural playground for the young and a chance for young and old to re-discover the peace to be found in these kind of environments.

You don't have to make a day-trip out of it. It's five minutes off Highway 101, maybe a five minute walk and you are sitting in a little place of serenity. Breathe it in and then head back and hit the highway if you'd like.

The walk up is very easy, it's only a quarter of a mile or so. Anyone who isn't up for it shouldn't mind passing the time at one of the picnic tables at the bottom of the hill. "There's a wonderful amount of birds down there. In fact, this morning we saw a barn owl up in one of the Palm trees," says Jan Ross, who was visiting from Goleta.

There is beautiful vegetation around and a creek that flows from the falls making the journey up as enjoyable as the destination. We all need to relax now and then, and fortunately for us, there are plenty of places to do so, right in our own backyard.