Alto de Piedra – The Final Waterfall
I have been mentioning the three waterfalls at Alto de Piedra. Last but not least, the third fall can be reached from the same trailhead area as Waterfalls 1 &2, but by a different trail. Rather than taking the trail behind the white building, you set out on a footpath to the left, in front of the building, ascending a short hill for 100m before taking a footpath to the right (where there are a group of tires to help you pass the mud) descending another 700m or so to the third waterfall.
The fall is absolutely gorgeous. It’s larger than the first waterfall, with a larger drop to a pool below – where you can swim! When I went, I have enjoyed getting my feet wet in the pool, but there is not much comfortable sitting room on the river rocks. I also had a dangerous situation when an unstable boulder that I was sitting on that tipped over. As you enter the pool area, you’ll be surrounded by cliffs. You’ll note a landslide to the left, all underlining the need to be careful of big boulders in areas with wet, saturated soil.
The Trail
Trails in Santa Fe are not the maintained trails that many hikers may be used to. They are more either 4×4 dirt roads or horse trails or narrow footpaths. For these waterfalls, the trails are footpaths, ranging from 1m to 1ft in width. They are not maintained for hikers, rather for local people who happen to use them. In wet season, the paths can be overgrown. The third waterfall footpath is very muddy and descends through the rainforest. It takes me about 20 minutes to descend and 25 to ascend again to the parking area. There is one large tree that has fallen across the trail. It’s very slippery. This marks the point wherea very narrow, steep footpath that connects to the trail for Waterfalls #1 and #2, but I do not recommend taking it. When ascending from the third waterfall, it is easy to take this trail by accident