Update June 21, 2023 -- The Medical has confirmed that the body recoveredis that of the missing hiker,Richard Oliver,28, from Rancho Cucamonga

East County Magazine

File photo of Three Sisters Falls, by MIriam Raftery

June 19, 2023 (Julian)  Volunteer divers with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department Reserve Unit found a body just before 1:30 p.m. today. The body was recovered underwater in the middle pool of Three Sisters Falls, the same area where a missing hiker was last seen on Friday, June 16.

The man was last seen swimming there went he went underwater and never came up.

“For four days, deputies with the Alpine Sheriff's Station, Julian Sheriff's Substation, Sheriff's ASTREA helicopter, CAL FIRE and U.S. Forest Service continuously searched for the man,” the Sheriff’s department announced in a press release.  “The water current was too dangerous for divers to attempt a search underwater until today.”

Update June 12, 2023 --  The victim has been identified as Sarah Louise Crocker, 48, of Ladera Ranch, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner. 

Story and file photo by Miriam Raftery

June 8, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) – A woman supervising four teenagers on a hike to Three Sisters Falls died after trying to save a girl who slipped on a ledge at the middle waterfall and fell into the pool below in Cleveland National Forest near Descanso this morning.

Both the woman and girl fell, suffering severe injuries. According to Lieutenant Jeff Ford with the San Diego Sheriff’s department, “Several people witnessed the accident and attempted to render medical aid. 

Deputies from the Sheriff’s rural command responded. Rescuers pulled the victims from the water, but the woman was dead.

East County News Service

August 20, 2019 (Descanso) -- San Diego Humane Society is reminding pet owners to leave their animals at home when exercising on hot days. With another heat wave this week, it is crucial to remember that animals are sensitive to the conditions. Dogs are lower to the ground, absorbing heat from above and below. Their paws are also sensitive, as the ground is often much hotter than the air.

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Source:  San Diego Sheriff's Department

August 9, 2018 (Ramona) -  It has been a record-breaking hot summer in San Diego County.  With temperatures hitting triple digits in our backcountry areas, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, the U.S. Forest Service, CAL FIRE San Diego and other agencies have been busy rescuing hikers who didn't prepare for the heat and sometimes treacherous terrain.  

By Miriam Raftery

June 6, 2018 (Cleveland National Forest)—Nathalie Reed, a 20-year-old woman from Lemon Grove, died last night on at Three Sisters Falls in Cleveland National Forest.

Reed was hiking with a friend when her friend saw that she had become dehydrated and hypothermic. Reed fell into bushes and a bystander called 911, the Medical Examiner's report states.

Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call for help from Cal-Fire at 5:49 p.m. . Medical personnel along with deputies and a Sheriff’s helicopter arrived to find the victim was deceased, Sg. Chris Galve reports.

Story and photos by Miriam Raftery

June 18, 2017 (Cleveland National Forest) – Days after the Sheriff’s department issued an advisory urging hikers to avoid the Three Sisters Falls and Cedar Creek Falls trails during the current excessive heat warning, the department had to rescue eight hikers in distress on the Three Sisters Falls trail in Cleveland National Forest Saturday afternoon.

East County News Service

Photo via San Diego County Sheriff's Department

April 11, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) – For the second time in just over a week, an emergency crew had to rescue an injured hiker off the trail to Three Sisters Falls in the Cleveland National Forest near Julian.

East County News Service

June 6, 2016 (Descanso) -- The Forest Service has prepared a draft environmental assessment (EA) for the proposed Three Sisters Falls Recreation Management project, and we are asking you to review it and provide comments. This project was developed to establish a trailhead and trails along Boulder Creek Road and address public safety and resource issues in the Three Sisters Falls area. The draft EA is available on the Cleveland National Forest’s project webpage, listed below, or by clicking here. Hard copies are available from the project leader, identified below.

http://www.fs.fed.us/nepa/nepa_project_exp.php?project=46285

By Miriam Raftery

Photo from Yasmen Vidales’ Facebook page

August 1, 2014 (Ramona) – An 18-year-old woman who died July 22 of heat exhaustion following a hike in the Three Sisters Falls area has been identified as Yasmen Vidales, the San Diego Medical Examiner’s office reports.  A recent graduate of Chula Vista High School, she also played in the school’s orchestra.

By Cindy Buxton, Chair, Forest Committee of the San Diego Sierra Club

“This is the general “neck of the woods” of the famous Cedar Creek Falls and Three Sisters Waterfall… We are hoping for universal outcry to insist that all parties, SDG&E, the CPUC, and the USFS will embrace this as the golden opportunity to evolve community safety and environmental integrity forward.” – Cindy Buxton

October 21, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) -- The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) sent out its request for scoping on SDG&E’s Master Permit renewal.  The comment period is through November 7th.   Document links are provided at the end of this editorial.

The Forest Service, in an attempt to consistently and effectively manage wilderness and wilderness-like portions of their Forest, recommends moving the 626 69kV line that runs up Boulder Creek Road out of these fragile areas and makes this suggestion along with a mile or so wide corridor for study where portions of the line could be moved. But there more to this proposal than meets the eye.

August 14, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – San Diego Sheriff’s ASTREA helicopter rescued a woman, 28, suffering from heat exhaustion near Three Sisters Falls at 4 p.m. today.  

Sgt. Mark Johnson and Deputy Warren Voth found the distressed hiker about halfway down the trail from the trailhead parking area. The helicopter landed and Deputy Voth hiked down the trail to the victim.

By Miriam Raftery

May 9, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) –  A 49-year-old man suffered a head injury in a tumble down a trail leading to Three Sisters Falls on April 29.   The injury occurred at a steep section of trail where hikers must descend by rope, ECM has learned.

“The Forest Service considers this area unimproved wilderness,” said Lt. Todd Richardson with the Sheriff’s  office, which performed a hoist rescue via helicopter. 

Unlike nearby Cedar Creek Falls, where trails are maintained, the U.S. Forest Service declines to maintain trails in unimproved wilderness  areas such as Three Sisters Trails that are not officially designated as hiking trails.

Accidents at local falls raise questions over who is responsible for public safety on our public lands

By Miriam Raftery