CASCADING BEAUTY
Waterfalls are a testament to each winter’s rain and snow. By spring, they’re pounding everywhere. On the coast and in the Bay Area and foothills, it can stay that way through April as saturated aquifers pump water into creeks.
In the mountains, waterfalls will run flush into July as the snowpack eventually starts to melt. About 33 percent of this winter’s total precipitation is locked in the snowpack and released as it melts, according to the Department of Water Resources.
There are roughly 100 stellar waterfalls on public land within reach of day hikers in California. These are among the best.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA’S SPLASHIEST FALLS
McCloud River Falls,
Siskiyou County: A 4-mile round trip on the McCloud River Falls Trail features three spectacular falls. The trail begins near the Lower Falls and follows the river upstream to the Middle Falls overlook, where there’s a popular swimming hole. Shasta-Trinity National Forest. (530) 964-2184. www.fs. usda.gov/stnf
Burney Falls, Shasta
County: This is one of Northern California’s jewels, a 129-foot waterfall with a matrix of free falls and cascades. Burney Creek flows over the brink and is mixed with subterranean flow from lava tubes at mid-wall to create a curtain effect. It pours 100 million gallons a day in summer. It’s only a 150-foot walk from parking to overlook. McArthurBurney Falls State Park. (530) 335-2777. www.parks.ca.gov /?page_id=455
Whiskeytown Falls,
Shasta County: A trail is etched into rock alongside 220-foot Whiskeytown, which curves down a canyon in a series of levels. It’s a 3.4-mile round trip. The ambitious can visit Boulder Creek Falls (138 feet) and Brandy Creek Falls, a series of wide cascades, also in the park. Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. (530) 246-1225. www.nps.gov/whis
Eagle Falls, Eldorado
County: One of the prettiest early spring scenes anywhere is from a boat on a pristine, calm day in Emerald Bay at Lake Tahoe. You gaze up at Lower Eagle Falls pouring down in a silver sheen at the foot of the bay, framed by snow and ice. Mount Tallac looms above. Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, South Lake Tahoe. (530) 543-2600. www. fs.usda.gov/ltbmu
Phantom Falls, Butte
County: Hike across flat-topped Table Mountain, edged by ravines, to 160-foot Phantom Falls. Other waterfalls are flowing as well. It’s a 5-mile round trip. I first sighted this from the air; what a find! West of Lake Oroville. North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve, Department of Fish and Wildlife. (916) 3582869. www.wildlife.ca. gov
Hidden Falls, Placer
County: The destination is a viewing deck that overlooks a surprise two-tiered waterfall. A 5.1-mile-loop hike extends past Seven Pools Vista. Located just west of Auburn. It’s not so hidden anymore. Avoid weekends. Hidden Falls Regional Park, Placer County Parks and Recreation. (530) 8896500. www.placer.ca. gov/depart ments/facility/ parks/parks-content/ parks/hidden-falls
Potem Falls, Shasta
County: The Pit River Gorge has a microclimate that often produces amazing rainfall totals, which feed Potem Falls, a gorgeous 70-foot chute in the national forest. Off Fenders Ferry Road, north out of Highway 299, about 30 miles east of Redding. ShastaTrinity National Forest. (530) 226-2500. www.fs.usda.gov/stnf
Shingle Falls, Yuba/Nevada County: You get a rock-edge view of the waterfall pouring down a gorge; dry in summer, pouring in late winter. It’s a 5-mile loop, with a steady climb on the way in. The waterfall is also known as Fairy Falls, Dry Creek Falls and Beale Falls. Spenceville Wildlife Area. (530) 538-2236. www.wildlife .ca.gov/Lands/Places-to-Visit/ Oroville-WA
Hedge Creek Falls, Siskiyou County: The trailhead for this waterfall is just off Interstate 5 at the exit for north Dunsmuir, then a 5-minute walk into the canyon. Your reward is a powerful chute of water with a rare rock overhang that allows visitors to walk behind the curtain of water and plunge pool. City of Dunsmuir Parks. (530) 235-4740. http://dunsmuirparks.org
Russian Gulch Falls, Mendocino
County: This 35-foot waterfall, streaming about 25 feet wide, is set deep in a lush coastal forest. A gorgeous early spring scene; 7-mile loop, easy. Russian Gulch State Park. (707) 937-5804. www.parks.ca.gov Yosemite Valley, Mariposa County: Take your pick: Yosemite Falls, 2,425 feet; Bridalveil Fall, 620 feet; Sentinel Falls, 2,000 feet; Ribbon Fall, 1,612 feet; Royal Arch Cascade, 1,250 feet; Horsetail Fall, 1,000 feet; Vernal Fall, 317 feet; Nevada Fall, 594 feet; Silver Strand Falls, 574 feet. www. nps.gov/yose McWay Falls, Monterey County: The best photo of 80-foot McWay Falls at Big Sur is taken not from a trail, but instead on the shoulder of a dirt pullout along Highway 1, 36 miles south of Carmel, a half mile before you reach Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. Pull over, walk to the bluff top, and through an opening among three trees, you’ll get your calendar photo. The waterfall is pretty even when just a trickle. It streams over the cliff to the beach below, while gentle blue waves lap at the shore. Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. (831) 667-2315, www.parks.ca.gov