Upper Falls is a waterfall on Swanson Creek in Santa Clara County, California, in the Coast Range region, with a total height of about 15 feet. It lies about 4.5 miles northeast of Day Valley and roughly 12 miles north of Watsonville as the crow flies.
At 15 feet it is on the modest side for California, where the typical waterfall with a recorded height stands around 70 feet; it ranks 264th of 286.
The Coast Range is a belt of steep, deeply dissected hills along the Pacific, wrapped in dense temperate rainforest of Douglas fir, western hemlock, Sitka spruce and red alder. Heavy winter rain feeds short, fast creeks lined with ferns, salmonberry and moss that drop steeply toward the ocean or the Columbia.
There are 8 recorded waterfalls in Santa Clara County. Black Rock Falls, 30 feet high, is under a mile away. Basin Falls, 20 feet high, is under a mile away. Upper Black Rock Falls, is under a mile away.
Upper Falls is located at 37.0801° N, 121.8022° 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 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.