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Ramona · Permit required · Ranked in 1 list
Last updated
Cedar Creek Falls is a Ramona spot ranked #8 of 8 in our Best Hikes in San Diego list, scoring 80/100. Order the devils punchbowl, 6 miles round trip. A real waterfall and swimming hole, gated behind a permit and a punishing uphill return.
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Score 80/100 · Order: Devils Punchbowl, 6 miles round trip · Permit required
Cedar Creek Falls ends at the Devils Punchbowl, a swimming hole beneath an 80-foot waterfall. The catch is the return: 1,000 feet of climbing on fully exposed trail. It is genuinely dangerous in summer, and rangers enforce the permit system for that reason.
Local tip: Permits are required and limited; book online well ahead and never hike this in summer heat.
Scored with our ranking methodology — hikes.
Written and fact-checked by the Sandi Spots Editorial team — San Diego residents publishing under Sleep Coast LLC. Every place we recommend has been visited in person or verified against an official source, and no business can pay for inclusion or a higher ranking. Last updated .