There are four beautiful and easy to see waterfalls in the Mt. Shasta region of northern California that can be visited in a single day. Three are on the upper section of the McCloud River in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, and the fourth is in McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park. The McCloud River waterfalls and the state park are both located along California Highway 89 which intersects I-5 just south of Mt. Shasta. An alternate route is from Redding via CA-299 to CA-89. Below is an interactive map that will allow you to get directions from any starting point if you click on the balloon for the falls location wish to visit.
Burney Falls, Shasta County, California
Lower Falls, Siskiyou County, California, 96057
McCloud River Falls
There were thirteen volcanic eruptions from Mt. Shasta and other nearby volcanoes over the last 10,000 years which generated mud and basaltic lava flows. Over time, the upper McCloud River cut its way through these deposits forming a canyon. In three places, the river encountered rocks that resisted erosion leaving shelves over which it plunges forming the three waterfalls of the McCloud River.
The falls area is located about 6 miles southeast of the center of the town of McCloud. The falls are accessed by heading east along CA-89 from McCloud, turning right at the sign for the Lower Falls onto the waterfalls loop and following the signs to the Lower Falls parking area. Here you will find car, RV parking spaces and a nice day-use picnic area.
A very short walk along a paved path from the parking area takes you to the Lower Falls overlook. The waterfall, despite being only about a 15′ drop into a dark emerald green plunge pool, is beautiful. The walkway to the overlook is easily accessible to those with accessibility needs. From the overlook, you can take a staircase down to river level. During the summer months, this is a very popular area for swimming, sunbathing and is highly populated. It is recommended that you arrive early or late in the day or visit during colder weather. The photo on right was taken on a crisp December morning when I was the only one there.
The three waterfalls can be visited and viewed two different ways, either by driving the waterfall loop as there is a parking area near a viewing platform for each waterfall or by hiking the McCloud River Trail. The trailhead starts at the stairs of the Lower Falls overlook and is a 4-mile roundtrip hike.
A 1.3 mile hike upstream along the trail brings you to Middle Falls (or drive there along the waterfalls loop road). The trail is fairly flat until you reach the falls. Here, the trail climbs a series of switch backs and stairs to the falls overlook. Middle Falls is the most spectacular of the three waterfalls being 120 feet wide with a 50 foot plunge. The photo to the right shows the view looking down from the canyon rim. In summer, the plunge pool is popular with swimmers and rock jumpers. In December, there was just solitude!
If you don’t want to hike the entire 4-mile route but still get a bit of exercise, taking the trail upstream from the Middle Falls to the Upper Falls is a very easy 1-mile round trip. The trail is essentially flat and wooded. In summer, it would provide a nice shaded walk.
At times on the return trip between the Upper and Middle Falls, you can catch glimpses of beautiful Mt. Shasta.
Above the Upper Falls, the river tumbles and churns, as shown in the photo to the left, through a narrow gorge until it crashes over a lip into a pool below.
The Upper Falls exits the gorge to drop 25 feet into an aquamarine pool. There is no designated trail down to the river from the canyon rim, and the Forest Service discourages people from attempting to go down the steep slope to river level. Here, you view the scene from a platform about 90 feet above the falls. Again, the Upper Falls can be accessed from a parking area near the overlook. The McCloud River Trail continues upstream along the river for an additional 13.2 miles. Wildlife such as deer, bear, bald eagles, osprey, herons and waterfowl can be observed on this less traveled section of the trail. I turned around and headed back after only going a short distance above the falls.
Notes: For those with accessibility needs, all three of the falls can be viewed from overlooks that have flat paved pathways leading to them from the parking areas. Since these waterfalls are located in a national forest, leashed dogs are permitted to hike on the trail. The trail is also available to mountain bikers. In winter, rain and snow can make the trail a bit muddy and slippery in places so be prepared by wearing footwear that can provide traction.
Burney Falls
Burney Falls is the main attraction in McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park of the California park system.
Burney Falls is a twin falls of Burney Creek that drops over a basalt lip into a pool below. The basalt lip is part of a 200,000-year old lava flow that was quite fluid and formed a 43 square mile layer ranging in thickness from 10-120 feet. The waterfall runs year-round, even though only a half mile above the falls, the creek bed is often dry during the summer. During the spring and early summer, snowmelt percolates through the volcanic surface rock into an underground reservoir and reappears as springs that form the creek pouring 100 million gallons of water per day into the pool below. The falls are 129′ tall and about 250′ wide. This photo to the left shows the two main tiers of the falls with other water veils resulting from additional springs. The water is very cold ranging from about 42-48 degrees in summer.
The best way to enjoy the falls is on a 1-mile easy loop trail. The trail begins at an overlook of the falls and descends to creek level at the base of the waterfall. The loop continues down the canyon crossing the creek and then ascends to the rim on the opposite side of the creek. Hiking in the canyon was a welcome relief from the 90+ degree July temperature at the surface. The temperature in the canyon can be as much as 20 degrees cooler than at the canyon rim. Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Burney Falls as the 8th Wonder of the World! It is truly a spectacular sight. The photo to the right frames the waterfall through trees, a view on the way down the trail to the plunge pool.
Notes: This is one of the most popular parks in the California system and experiences very high visitation April-October. The park has very limited parking facilities, and when the parking lot is full, the entrance to the park is closed to entering vehicles. It is suggested that you arrive around the opening time of 8 am or in the late afternoon (park closes at sunset) if you want a good chance of gaining entrance to the park. Parking is restricted to vehicles no longer than 32′ for both day use and camping and also limits the number of oversized vehicles under 32′. Parking along CA-89 is discouraged, and vehicles parked on the side of the road may be issued citations or be towed. There are possible parking options in the Lake Briton parking lot which is about 1.5 miles from the falls. For those needing accessibility, the waterfall overlook is paved and accessible. The trail to the base of the falls is not very accessible. Pets are not permitted on the falls loop trail. A day use fee of $10 per vehicle is charged to enter the park.