What does have a rock, a heart and a waterfall in common? Usually not much but in this location, you can see all three of them together. A heart that seems like a man-made shape was created here by the chaos and randomness of mother nature right next to a waterfall. Heart Rock Falls which is more formally known as Seely Creek Falls is located at the end of a 1-mile roundtrip hike.
To get to the falls and the heart rock you will drive on Highway 138 and use the exit to Camp Seely but don’t drive on the parking lot of the camp as it is for registered visitors to the camp only. Use the little road turning off to the left just before the entrance to the camp and follow it. Yes, you have to drive over that creek and you can do it with any car and won’t get stuck. Be aware after heavy rainfall the creek could be flooded and carrying more water as usual.
After that drive the small and narrow road all the way to the end until you see a locked gate and dirt parking to the left and right of the road. Please don’t park at any of the turnouts as the road is at most points to narrow to accompany two vehicles side by side. Even tho these spots get often mistaken as parking areas.
Mark in the dirt lot to either side of the road and make sure you won’t block the gate at any time. From the parking follow the trail to the north. You will see a fenced-in swimming pool, this is your start point. From here the trail goes north to the Heart Rock and south will lead you to Camp Seely.
The dirt trail descends down about 200ft from the starting point to the waterfall through a mountain forest of black oaks and Jeffrey pines. After a few feet, you can hear already the water running in the creek. Follow the trail and stay on the trail. Shortly before you get to the waterfall, the trail breaks down and brings you closer to the water. It’s hard to see at first but the actual trail continues from there on the left side of the creek. Some people were adventures and took the rocky route directly through the creek and back up to the trail. I would recommend you to follow the trail. It’s the easier and probably faster hike anyway.
Once you reach the next hill-top you are basically at the turnoff to the overlook point. Go down to the right onto the rocks and you get a good view of the waterfall and the Heart Rock. Be careful as there is no railing to prevent any falls. But if you are careful there is no risk at all but you are still doing everything at your own risk.
If you follow the trail you will descend down to a slide rock pool and from there you can backtrack your way to the lower end of the waterfall. From there you get better pictures of the waterfall but the Heart Rock is not as noticeable as from the lookout point.
Trail Graph
Attention: The trail graph is actually in reversed order and shows the trail from the falls back to the parking lot.
There is no California Adventure Pass required to park here and to use the trail.
Gallery
Peter has a passion for Traveling, Photography, and Geocaching. These are the best ingredients for amazing adventures all over the globe. “Traveling is fun, no matter if you stay in a luxury hotel or travel like a backpacker.” Peter shares his experiences on his Blog www.gatetoadventures.com
Some of Peter’s photos are published on corporate websites, in-flight magazines, travel guides, and much more.