Some of California’s most dramatic waterfalls drop in Yosemite, but have you ever seen Burney Falls about an hour east of Redding? This 129-foot beauty is the centerpiece of McArthur-Burney Falls State Park, and a picture perfect day trip, especially in the springtime.
Aside from the misty falls, the park’s a hot spot for camping, picnics, fishing and boating. It encompasses almost a thousand acres of surrounding forest, and miles of streamside and lake shoreline along Burney Creek and Lake Britton. About five miles of hiking trails wind throughout the park, including a portion of the iconic Pacific Crest Trail (which continues all the way up the West Coast).
Like many other regions by the Cascade Range (including Lassen National Park about 40 minutes south), the park’s landscape was created over a million years ago by volcanic activity. It became covered with basalt rock, and still retains rain water and snow melt in an underground reservoir. The springs feed into the cascade from below – and from above – which combined allows the falls to have a constant flow year round, even during the hot and dry months of summer.
Even Teddy Roosevelt loved this waterfall and hailed it as the “8th Wonder Of The World”. But of course photos don’t really do it any justice. Check out this 129-foot gem in action below and swing by the park to see it in person one day:
Wow! Burney Falls is so mesmerizing. Have you been to this gorgeous park in California before?