Cal Poly student found dead at base of Big Sur waterfall, Monterey County sheriff confirms
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The man found dead at the base of the Salmon Creek waterfall in Big Sur on Saturday was Cal Poly student Kenneth Taylor, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Tuesday.
Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong announced Taylor’s death on Monday, saying it was due to “an accident during a trip to Big Sur.”
Taylor, 21, was an outdoor enthusiast and a founding member of Cal Poly’s Alpine club, Armstrong said. A friend posted on Instagram that he asked Taylor to go on a hike that day, but Taylor already had plans to got to Big Sur.
Salmon Creek is a favorite hike on the Big Sur stretch of Highway 1, about 28 miles north of Cambria.
Because of major landslides and ongoing repair work that have cut off portions of the highway to the north, San Luis Obispo County sheriff’s deputies responded to the first report of a climbing accident at the waterfall at around 7:45 p.m. on Saturday, even though it was located in Monterey County, SLO County Cmdr. Stuart MacDonald told The Tribune.
Deputies at the scene found an individual who appeared to have died “in the pool at the base of the waterfall,” MacDonald said.
Monterey County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Andres Rosas confirmed the person was Taylor on Tuesday.
Rosas said the agency had arranged for his body to be transported to Monterey County for an autopsy.
They will also coordinate returning him to his family from there, Rosas said.
Friends mourn death of Cal Poly student
According to an Instagram post from friend Kenneth Bevens, Taylor was on a rock-climbing trip in Big Sur at the time of his death and had plans at be at an event for the Van Life Club in Cayucos that night to celebrate the outdoor community.
“He would have loved it!” Bevens said. “The hammocks, the photos, the music, the oceanview, and all the love. When I was taking photos, I could practically feel his beaming energy and positivity!”
The two were known as “Kenneth squared” and often got confused with each other since they were both outdoorsy photographers, his post said.
“I loved talking to him and hearing his laugh. He was so incredibly kind, enthusiastic, smart and gave 110% of himself to everything he did and everyone he met,” Bevens said. “Kenneth felt tremendously loved and helped others feel the same.”
Other friends followed Bevens’ post with tributes to Taylor of their own.
“Ugh it still hurts my heart. That man was a true legend and inspiration,” wrote Isaiah Traub, who goes by the user name hiker_hawk on Instagram.
In his comment, Dillon Behling called Taylor “a true light in our community. Our hearts are heavy and miss him dearly. ... His enthusiasm and kindness will continue to ripple throughout our beloved community. Much love to all who know him and to his family.”
Student was ‘outdoor enthusiast’
Taylor, who was studying mechanical engineering and was set to graduate in 2025, was from Richland in Washington state, according to an email to the Cal Poly community on Monday.
“Kenneth was an outdoor enthusiast: He was a founding member of the Alpine Club, participated in activities with the Surfrider Foundation and served as a trip leader for ASI Poly Escapes,” Armstrong wrote in the email. “ASI staff described him as ‘a person of incredible technical skill and even more incredible kindness, unmatched wittiness and a passion for adventure that could inspire anyone.’”
Armstrong said the university is in touch with Taylor’s family and is “extending its full support to them and his friends.”
“Our thoughts are with them as they grieve their loss,” Armstrong wrote. “It is never easy to share news like this, and we know that processing this loss can be difficult for members of our community.”
