Shoal Creek Falls, also located on private property, is part of Reeb (beer spelled backwards) Ranch, which is owned by Oskar Blues Brewery. There is one place you can view most of this waterfall from the road, and it’s just after making the turn onto Dupont Road from Crab Creek Road.
At the first road to the left, Sky Valley Road, there’s a wide place to park along the road. Once parked, walk back towards Crab Creek and Shoal Creek Falls should appear below. While there are paths that lead down to the base of the falls, this isn’t one I’d schlep down without permission. So why do I seemingly “trespass” on some private property and not others? That’s a great question. Sometimes I refuse to trespass, like at Drift Falls, because there are notices posted. If there’s no notice posted, I still hesitate to cross over onto someone’s property. To me, posted signs indicate there have been issues in the past. When the waterfall is in a remote area of the woods/forest, I might be more adventurous and climb down a hill to grab a few more photos for my collection, but with posted No Trespassing signs I tend to keep my distance.
Bottom line? Use your best judgement. If a waterfall, much like Shoal Creek, leaves you exposed to the public or to people (with cell phones to catch you in the act), then respect the private property status and do NOT scramble down the hill for a better look. Chances are, if someone observes you trespassing, they will follow………….at least it seems that way. And if they don’t follow, they’ll certainly capture you trespassing on their cell phone. Never underestimate the power of being videoed. If the cascade is off the beaten path, you might get what I refer to as “bonus pix”. And, as always, leave all wilderness areas as you found them!
Of course, you can always swing by Reeb Ranch and ask permission to hike down to the base of the falls. I’m going to do that the next time I’m in the area because all these shots were taken from the road. What’s the worst they can say? No? I do not condone trespassing on private property. Be considerate of others and their property.
Let’s see. I would combine this waterfall with Triple & Hooker Falls in Dupont State Forest. You could also add in Merry Falls to make it a 4-falls kind of day. Because this is a “roadside cascade”, you’ll be able to enjoy more waterfalls in the same outing.