San Carlos Falls Trail

Dogs Off-leash

Features Birding · River/Creek · Swimming · Views · Waterfall · Wildflowers · Wildlife

Trail is extremely slippery after a rain. Waterproof hiking boots or water shoes are recommended for the loop portion in the jungle as there are multiple stream crossings.

The trail starts with a rather bland 0.6 mile walk along doubletrack access roads and 4x4 trails before transitioning to a singletrack through saw grass meadows. The next mile offers views of Guam's inner grassland areas and the palm grove you'll descend into later to see San Carlos Falls. There are couple short sections that require pushing through saw grass, but you'll not encounter too much trouble hiking in shorts and short sleeves.

At 1.6 miles, the end of the jungle loop is off to your right. If you continue straight, you'll make the loop in a clockwise direction and see the larger San Carlos Falls first after a steep, rope assisted descent into the palm grove. The trail takes you across the steam above the falls, and you can walk up to the edge of the falls and look over at 1.7 miles. You then make another steep, rope assisted descent to the base of the falls where you can wade in the pool if desired.

From there, the trail continues along the stream (marked by pink ribbons tied to the trees) to another, smaller falls at 2 miles. You cross the stream and make a rope assisted climb up the left side of the smaller falls, then walk across the face of the falls to rejoin the trail on the right side of the falls just upstream of the face for a rope assisted climb back out of the palm grove where the loop ends.

Palm groves, ferns, wildflowers, saw grass, geckos, skinks, chameleons, frogs, occasionally wild pigs