Tiptoe Falls is a small cascading waterfall on Fall Creek in Portola Redwoods State Park, San Mateo County, California. The park's own Tiptoe Falls route is a 1.44-mile loop through redwood forest that starts behind the visitor center.
The falls
The waterfall is a small cascade where water rushes or trickles through a rocky notch into a pool at its base. Fall Creek is a tributary of Pescadero Creek. The main fall drops about 6 feet from a small gully, with an 8-foot upper fall a few hundred feet upstream, and mossy canyon walls rise more than 50 feet above the creek.
Getting there
From Highway 35, Alpine Road runs west about 3 miles to Portola State Park Road, which leads into Portola Redwoods State Park, roughly 1.5 to 2 hours from the Bay Area. Day use costs $10 per vehicle ($9 for seniors 62 and over), and the park is open from 6 a.m. to sunset, closing in severe weather. No closures affecting the Tiptoe Falls route are posted in September 2026.
The park route follows the Sequoia Nature Trail from behind the visitor center to the Iverson Trail, then a short spur to the falls, with 172 feet of elevation change. The return goes back to the Iverson and Tiptoe Falls junction, down the Tiptoe trail to the campfire center, and along the paved park road.
When to go
Flow is strongest in winter and spring, when the creek carries the most water. Trails can turn muddy and slick in the rainy season. In autumn, yellow maple leaves light up the canyon.
On site
Near the falls, redwood rounds lead across a wet area of horsetails and ferns, and salamanders can be seen in the pool below the cascade. The upper fall is reached by scrambling up the right side of the main fall, as the left side is wetter and more hazardous. Dogs are not allowed on park trails; they are permitted only in campsites and on paved roads, on a leash no longer than six feet. There is no cell reception in or around the park, so visitors should not rely on rideshares.
Nearby
Sempervirens Falls and Pomponio Falls are each about 4.6 miles away, and Butano Falls is about 5.3 miles away.
Distances are straight-line.