McWay Creek Falls is a 20-foot waterfall on McWay Creek in Monterey County, California, in the Central California Foothills and Coastal Mountains region. It lies about 24.3 miles south of Carmel Valley Village and roughly 35.5 miles south of Salinas as the crow flies.
At 20 feet it is on the modest side for California, where the typical waterfall with a recorded height stands around 70 feet; it ranks 243rd of 286.
The Central California Foothills and Coastal Mountains are rolling hills and low ranges of oak woodland, chaparral and grassland with a Mediterranean climate of wet winters and dry summers. Streams are seasonal, and waterfalls run strongest after winter and spring rains. McWay Creek carries 2 recorded waterfalls; the biggest of them reaches 80 feet.
Monterey County holds 14 recorded waterfalls, and several are close by. Canyon Falls, 30 feet high, is under a mile away. McWay Falls, 80 feet high, is under a mile away. Anderson Canyon Falls, is under a mile away.
McWay Creek Falls is located at 36.1636° N, 121.6658° W. The listing is based on the World Waterfall Database, one of the sources compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey in its inventory of waterfalls and rapids of the conterminous United States. The creek name is confirmed against the federal Geographic Names Information System. The exact position has not yet been verified on aerial imagery, so treat the map pin as approximate. Details on trails, parking and access have not been documented for this waterfall yet.