About this spot
The Punch Bowl sits about four miles up Santa Paula Canyon in Los Padres National Forest, reached via an 8-mile round-trip hike from the Hwy 150 trailhead near Thomas Aquinas College, past Big Cone Camp. Santa Paula Creek carves a series of polished sandstone pools and short cascades, the largest punch bowl holding roughly 10 feet of clear water beneath natural rock slides. Jumps from the surrounding ledges run 10-25 feet depending on the pool, and the smooth stone gets dangerously slick when wet. Flow and depth vary heavily with rainfall and season, so scout before jumping. The USFS has repeatedly closed this trail over overcrowding, trash, graffiti, and illegal parking -- check current status before heading out, and expect no cell signal in the canyon.