Bassi Falls is a 120-foot tiered cascade on the Bassi Fork of Big Silver Creek in the Crystal Basin of Eldorado National Forest, El Dorado County, California, west of Lake Tahoe. It runs strongest during spring snowmelt and is often a trickle by midsummer.
The falls
The creek zigzags down a broad face of granite in a series of steep, tiered cascades rather than one vertical drop, with pools scattered around the base. Lidar evaluations indicate a cumulative drop of about 120 feet, whereas older surveys listed 109 feet. The falls sit at an elevation of about 5,480 feet.
Getting there
Access is from Ice House Road, which leaves Highway 50 east of Pollock Pines; the turn onto Forest Road 12N32 near Big Silver Group Campground is roughly 20 miles in. Trail 15E10 from road 12N32 is rated moderate with limited parking, and the Millionaire Trail also serves as an approach route. The last stretch of forest road is rough, and four-wheel drive is recommended. Distances depend on where you park: from the parking area near Union Valley Reservoir the trail is about 1.2 miles with some 200 feet of gain, while longer routes cover 4.1 miles round trip with 449 feet of gain. Seasonal road closures can lengthen the walk.
When to go
Flow depends entirely on snowmelt. The strongest water is in April and May, it drops through June, and from July into fall the falls are often reduced to a trickle or run dry.
On site
The granite around the falls is slippery, and there are steep drop-offs with no barriers at the top. In spring the water is cold, fast and too strong for swimming; the pools become usable only at lower flow, and then with care. The exposed rock has little shade. The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office logged a search-and-rescue call at the falls on May 31, 2025. Dogs are permitted on the trail.
History and name
The falls are named for Giosue Bassi, a Swiss immigrant who came to California in 1859, bought a dairy ranch on the South Fork American River around 1870 and spent summers near Big Silver Creek. He died in 1919.
Nearby
Upper Bassi Falls is about 1.1 miles away, Morattini Falls about 2.2 miles and South Fork Silver Creek Cascades about 4.8 miles.
Distances are straight-line.