About Leavitt Falls
Leavitt Falls was an attractive multi-tiered waterfall that was essentially a roadside stop.
The first time we came up here, we took Dad’s now-defunct MPV up here from Mammoth, which struggled with the steep inclines on the Sonora Pass Highway.
On a more recent visit, this place was a convenient stop for us after doing the hike to the nearby Sardine Falls.
The viewing deck afforded us a distant view of all the tiers of the waterfall itself while also giving us a commanding view of Leavitt Meadow further downstream of the falls.
We were even able to glimpse the drier terrain further to the east as the climate was making its dramatic change from lush alpine scenery in the west to the much drier and harsher climate to the east.
It was as if we were right at the boundary of where the Eastern Sierra would take most of the precipitation of passing storms from the Pacific while leaving a drier rainshadow on the mountain range’s leeward side.
Indeed, given that all of the relevant sights here were handed to us on a silver platter (so to speak), this was really a place to have a picnic, stretch the legs, and even make a FaceTime call as we were getting surprisingly good reception at this spot!
Since we had to do so little to experience the sights and sounds of Leavitt Falls, I could see people were tempted to scramble around for alternate views or to even find a way to access the bottom of the falls nestled within a box canyon.
But from looking at where some of the footprints were going, it was clear that it wasn’t a very sane thing to do due to the steepness of the terrain and the lack of improved views (the overlook really was the best spot to take it all in).
There was one informal trail that I followed (out of curiosity) that continued past a couple of picnic tables on the far side of the small parking area, but that turned out to lead to a suboptimal view of the main drop of Leavitt Falls.
Truth be told, it wasn’t worth the extra time or effort in my mind.
Authorities
Leavitt Falls resides in Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. For information or inquiries about the reserve as well as current conditions, visit the USDA website or their Facebook page.
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