Fossil Falls
California · height not recorded · Last verified 2026-05-15
Today at Fossil Falls: clear, 66°F.
Right now
Overnight
66°F
Clear
Friday
104°F
Sunny
Today's daylight
Sunrise 5:42 AM · Sunset 8:10 PM · 14h 28m
Snapshot built 10m ago. Sources: NWS VEF.
Fossil Falls is a waterfall in Inyo County, California. Height has not been officially recorded. Access details and conditions have not yet been verified in person by Fallspots — the data on this page comes from OpenStreetMap and USGS GNIS.
Fossil Falls sits in Inyo County, California. The base sits at roughly 3,273 feet of elevation. Drive time is about 15 minutes from Pearsonville. OpenStreetMap shows a trail within 30 meters of the marked location, though the name isn't recorded. No public parking is recorded within 2 km, so a longer approach is likely. This is one of the more frequently visited falls in the state by our popularity model. Source records come from OpenStreetMap and USGS GNIS.
The Fossil Falls is a unique geological feature, located in the Coso Range in Inyo County, California in the United States. Volcanic activity in the mountain range, along with meltwater from glaciers in the nearby Sierra Nevada, played a role in the creation of the falls. They are located near the community of Little Lake, 1.0 mi (1.6 km) off US 395 on Cinder Road to Red Hill, with signs to Fossil Falls.
Compare to nearby falls
If this one isn't the right fit, here's how it stacks up against the closest documented falls. Every column is filterable on the site — not buried in 13,000 reviews.
| Waterfall | Distance | Height | Trail | Dogs | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fossil Falls (this page) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Salmon Creek Falls | 30 mi | — | — | — | — |
| Seven Teacups | 32 mi | 200 ft | hard · 4.4 mi | Y | Free |
| Darwin Falls | 32 mi | — | — | N | — |
| South Creek Falls | 33 mi | — | — | — | — |
| Peppermint Creek Falls | 33 mi | 150 ft | — | — | — |
Questions visitors ask about Fossil Falls
Answers built from our structured data. If a question isn't here, the fact is unverified — we'd rather omit than guess.
How far is Fossil Falls from a major city?
Fossil Falls is 10 miles from Pearsonville (about 15 minutes' drive).
More waterfalls in California
Where it is
35.9701, -117.9088
Sources and live status
Where we got the data, and where to check current conditions before you drive.
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fossil_Falls
Wikidata (Q8564890)
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8564890
GeoNames (5350145)
https://www.geonames.org/5350145/
Last verified by Fallspots: 2026-05-15
Been there?
Marina and Theo verify pages one road trip at a time. If you've been to Fossil Falls recently, your local knowledge improves the page for everyone. Pick the kind of contribution that fits — every email lands in our inbox and gets read (and credited when we publish).
Add a tip
Something we should know — best time, parking trick, that hidden viewpoint.
Share a photo
Have a CC-licensed image on Wikimedia or Flickr? Send the link.
Report a fix
Wrong height, closed trail, broken link — tell us what we got wrong.
We don't collect your email. Replies go directly to hello@fallspots.com.