Tenaja Falls in Murrieta, CA

I have heard of Tenaja Falls a few times from my colleagues, but because of the short distance of the trail, I didn't want to make it a destination hike for the day. But after a long work week and no plans on a Saturday morning (intentional planning), I decided to give it a go.

The drive to the hike once I got to the park area was a bit challenging. On a single lane winding road, I had to be rather careful, and since my car's suspension system is quite old, I took all the time needed to drive to the trail head.

Initially, I started hiking along the wrong way into the woods, but luckily AllTrails helped me out with showing the right pathway. It involved crossing a large creek. Apparently, with all the rain California got this winter the trail was conveniently overrun by water. No worries though, an overhead rope was a safe solution to the problem. Or was it?

The rest of the trail was pretty easy to follow, and together with a family of 6 I hiked all the way to the falls. Interestingly enough, they decided to chill out there drinking beer (yes, at 9 AM), while their neglected children were running around the treacherous drop of the falls. As you might imagine, I did not stay by the falls too long.

Another thing that was upsetting is how disrespectful people are to nature. Right by the falls, the rocks had graffiti all over them. Sadly, I anticipate that because of the short distance more people can access the falls, those people who probably would not hike longer to do something that damaging.