Decided to celebrate leap year with a challenging hike. I parked at the east end of Southern Ave. (don't know if that's cool, it's a dead end and I just pulled off on the side). It was a little closer than Broadway. Still ended up being 8 miles. Most of the way was serious bouldering, some are car size. As you go up, you can't see your destination until you are almost there so the lower pool almost comes as a surprise around the last bend. Seeing it and looking upward at the high falls was much needed inspiration for the last push to the top. The climb to the middle and upper pools was fairly steep but they were just beautiful! There were so many petroglyphs in that area. The climb to the top of the waterfalls was nearly vertical, maybe 20 feet, but there were good hand and footholds. Spent a lot of time up there admiring the view. I got some pretty good photos, even though the water was heavily shaded. This is a strenuous hike with a nice reward at the top when the water flow is good.