Dutch Creek Falls Trailhead — Attraction in Placerville

Beware of rattlesnakes and poison oak! I did not encounter a snake but there was a lot of poison oak on the second half of the trail! There are also a lot of lizards that I saw which was cool. But if you happen to be scared of lizards then it might be a rough trail to get through. There is no parking near the trail because its all houses so you have to park where the bridge is at and its $8 parking! From there you will have to walk up the street to the trail where there is a green gate. I give the actual trail a 3/5 , but overall i rate 5/5 because the waterfall was amazing and relaxing and a great spot to swim. The first half of the trail is not maintained and there is a lot of spiky plants that are overgrown into the trail. I almost did not think it was worth it when I first saw the trail. I used a walking stick to push the plants out of the way. My friend got cuts on her legs from all the spiky plants. The first half of the trail is in the sun and it was very hot so I suggest going when its cool outside. The way to the waterfall is mainly uphill ,so on top of the heat it was very tiring. The trail is mostly narrow and have to be extra careful when you see poison oak because most spots are growing into the trail. When you are about to reach the waterfall there is a slope downward that is kind of slippery but there is a rope tied to the tree that can help you get down easier. Overall, I enjoyed myself and would be great to go back again to get in the water. As long as you are cautious and hike the trail in cooler weather then It'll be worth the experience. The photos I posted show what the trail looks like so you can get a visual of the rough parts...

Good little hike. Starts off innocently enough but gets a little tougher about halfway in. Nothing crazy, but if you're working though an injury or have little ones, just be sure you're ok to do a bit of incline.

The lack of a star is only because when we got to the waterfall, there was an area that smelled like feces. Not sure if animal or human. But it was awful. Also, we happened to get there and hang out at a good time but as we left a LOT of people were heading up. Weekends slightly crowded. Weekdays...

Trail was "not maintained" but totally passable. We went Feb 2018. Yes, best parking is at Marshall Gold Discovery for $8 or so or risk getting towed. You get to walk over a historical bridge at least! The first fall is broad and a nice spot to stop to eat. If you keep going to the confluence of the two creeks those falls are gorgeous and fun to climb - don't stop at the first one! Pretty hike. Took our 5 year old with no issues. Cool wildlife and bugs. No dogs allowed sign posted. Careful...