Planet of the Apes dreamscape. Amazing to walk among the ruins of the dam. No restrictions on access - 5 . No signs at all. We walked past the ruins - 4. Fortunately, some knowledgable locals showed us the way. What we thought were large rocks downstream were gigantic blocks of concrete from the dam. They also showed us how to access the top of the retaining wall that was topped with concrete. Get your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape!

The site is easy to get to - just about a quarter mile walk on the old road that the map takes you on. The full abandoned stretch of road is about 2 miles and is a cool trek with a couple shady spots, but probably not great on a hot day as its long stretches of asphalt.The dam is largely unrecognizable but the big hunks of concrete show where it is. Its a scramble getting all over, but possible. Probably not great for small kids. Theres a big pool; Im not sure about the water cleanliness, yet people swim in it.Plenty of trash - broken glass - watch your hands, and silly trite tagging.The monument is at power house 2. Theres also a trail above the road that starts there. Youll see stairs going up the mtn to it.

An easy hike with some top notch urban decay - the road and road signs are still there but are being slowly swallowed by nature. Take the kids and dogs, park at the top or bottom, walk there and back again.

Only a few places to park, and at least a mile walk from there to the dam. At least it is an interesting hike along the old road, which is nearly washed out in spots.Make sure you read up about the disaster before you come. There are no plaques or other notifications about what was even here. Nothing left now but concrete and a few twisted pipes and rebar sticking out of it. You can actually miss it completely if you arent paying attention.

A sad place but still very pretty.

Interesting if you read its history first. Vandalism, graffiti, a few homeless camps and fire pits, broken glass in the parking areas. Toilet paper and food wrappers need to be picked up. Saw a lady and her daughter on bikes with a backpack of plants they were stealing. If you like the desert and can look past the trash, visit here, bring plenty of water. Theres no phone reception so be smart.

I left my cave of solitude and deep seated emotional distress to see the wonders of the world.My journey brought me to the St. Francis Dam site, where a disaster took place many moons ago.The paths were cracked and crumbling from countless years of abandonment. But buried deep within the wilds of California, the gem of the original dam site glittered temptingly for me to seek it out.And so, I braved the Old Black Road, hiked the Cliffs of Temperance, and arrived at the long forgotten Battlements of St. Francis himself.I was rewarded with spectacular views, and a mysterious plaque that was written in an unfamiliar runic language. After seconds of arduous study, I deciphered the message to be a commemoration of the original dam that had proudly defied nature, only to be flattened under its wrath a few days later.Feeling satisfied at leaving the site untouched by man since likely a score of hours ago, I continued my journey to see the wonders of the Earth and left in search of the next mystery.My life is richer having found this place.

Sad to see how many people really dont know how many lives were changed forever by the failure of engineering chief Mulholland when the St. Francis dam failed. Saying its a nice place is bitter. RIP

A must-visit site for anyone involved with dam safety or emergency preparedness planning. You will contemplate the role government regulation should play in society. Visit now, before it gets developed as a tourist attraction.

Its a great place to walk and explore the dam wreckage. Seeing nature reclaim the roads, along with the occasional graffiti gives it a post apocalyptic feel.

Just Amazing. The ruins were a sight to see

Historically important site. People needs to know the story.

The St. Francis Dam was constructed from 1924 to 1926, with a 12.5-billion-gallon capacity. At 11:57 pm on March 12, 1928, the dam failed, sending a 180-foot-high wall of water down San Francisquito Canyon to the Santa Clara River, reaching the Pacific Ocean near Ventura 5½ hours later. Over 400 people were killed. It was the second-worst disaster in California history, after the great San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906, in terms of lives lost, and Americas worst civil engineering failure of the 20th Century. On March 12, 2019, the Saint Francis Dam Disaster National Monument was established. Local fundraising efforts are underway to build a visitor center.

Could not find any type of reference point of the location of the last part of the standing dam.

Beautiful place unfortunately people have tagged all over the remains of the Dam with spray paint. Other than that wonderful place

Fun to see; I must have driven past it a million times! Getting to the site is easy and on an abandoned but paved road. Getting to the to of the West Wall was a challenge -a short but difficult hike. I still highly recommend that you visit.

This place is beautiful, especially after a recent rain. The remains of old San Francisquito Road make for an easy walking path, and the stream that flows through the area for most of the year means this area is overgrown with trees and underbrush year round (watch out for poison ivy). The area can make for a leisurely stroll (bring your dogs!), or a more strenuous hike up into the hills above the old road. It is at its most beautiful in the late winter and early spring when rain turns the stream into a serious river, and all the plants that were dormant in winter really come to life. There are beautiful flowers, fragrant sage, and butterflies all over the place. This place is not to be missed, especially if you live in SCV anyway.

I came here for a tour, I learned a lot and had a relaxing hike.

Interesting history where so many lives perished one night in 1928 the dam broke.

Confusing tho.

Great place to hike. And see some history of the area. Just watch out for Rattle Snakes.

This is a little known, but important historical site in the U.S. Over 400 people drowned when this dam broke, yet it is not memorialized. There is a proposal in Congress to designate a National Historic Monument here. You should visit this site if youre thinking about it.

Great place for a hike. Mostly level and lots to see.

The site of the second largest loss of life disaster in California.

Easy access to the disaster site. Plenty of debris from the dam to see as well as the landslide that ultimately broke the dam. Surreal indeed.

Nice place to walk to from either old road entrance. Not normally patrolled by any park service/police so always use buddy system.

Great historical location

Very I interesting place, intense history.

Very interesting and sad.

EZ to get too, just take your time and the creek is going over the road.

Cool place