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Waterfall Hike in Nojoqui Falls County Park, Solvang, CA
Rate it! Votes (11) | Comments (0) By Cheri Sicard and Mitch Mandell Photos: Mitch Mandell Posted October 25th, 2008

SOLVANG, CALIFORNIA, USA – When visiting the Santa Barbara wine country, every now and then even the most dedicated oenophiles need a break. That’s when a pleasant hike to Nojoqui Falls is in order.

Hike is a bit of a macho word in this instance. The 20 minute hike is so easy it’s really a walk -- we saw plenty of grandmothers on the trail when we visited, who had not trouble making the trek.

Located just 6.5 miles southwest of Solvang in the Nojoqui Falls County Park, it only takes about 20 minutes to walk to the falls. On the way you’ll find tensions starting to melt away as you commune with nature on the shaded, tree canopied trail. The reward at the end of the trail is the vista of the 164 foot waterfall cascading into pristine pools of clear mountain water.

We visited in early summer and there was still some water running, although I’m told the flow lessens as the season progresses.

Falls or not, it’s still a beautiful walk. Besides the hike to the falls, Nojoqui Falls County Park offers expensive picnic grounds, barbecue grills, ball fields, playgrounds and lots of gorgeous space to spread out in. Park admission is free and they’re open each day from 8:00 AM until sunset (sorry no camping here).

Nojoqui Falls County Park is located on Old Coast Highway off Highway 101 in Solvang, CA 93464. For more information on the park, visit this website --www.sbparks.org/Scripts/ParksDetail.asp?ParkID=14.

Getting to Solvang
From the city of Santa Barbara turn right from Highway 101 at Highway 246. For travel information specific to Solvang, visit the Solvang Convention and Visitor’s Bureau website at www.solvangusa.com.

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