McArthur - Burney Falls – One of the Best Waterfalls in California
As we happily move into fall and welcome the cooler weather, there’s also this feeling of getting in as much as we can before we settle into winter and once again adjust our lifestyles. If you’re looking for one more pacific coast road trip idea, look no further. True, here in California road trips never have to stop for cooler weather; however, this road trip takes place in Northern California where weather does matter.
This is an area I’ve been wanting to get to for years and life just keeps happening. Sound familiar? I have found through talking to people that Burney Falls lands in the middle as far as being a popular destination. Some people have lived in California their whole lives and have never heard of it and others living across the USA come to California with it intentionally being one of their stops.
For reference Burney Falls is about an hour east of Redding or 3.5 hours north of Sacramento - where I live. With that being said, we decided to drive up to Redding the night before. This park is like most others, you want to get their early to avoid long lines and we didn’t feel like getting on the road at 4 am.
To get to Burney Falls, in your gps of choice, put in McArthur – Burney Falls Memorial State Park and it’ll lead you to the gate. You do not need to pre-purchase a parking pass and the park opens at 8 am. Parking near the falls is limited, which is another reason to arrive early. There is additional parking by the lake and then you just hike the roughly 1-mile trail to the waterfalls.
Camping is another option if you prefer to visit the falls that way. With camping available there are restrooms throughout the park.
This might be one of the easiest waterfalls to see. The falls are only a short walk from the parking lot, so we chose to park by the lake and walk to the falls. I feel many people miss seeing the beautiful lake and this way we got more walking in. If I’m driving this far, I’m not spending only 15 minutes in the park. No judgement if that’s you, I’m just not good at sitting still and long car rides.
When we visited, the trail from the lake to the falls is closed part of the way, so there was a minor detour, but we felt it didn’t add any time to the walk. Though unpaved, the walk is easy and there’s plenty of shade.
The waterfalls are just captivating! We were there in the middle of summer and the falls were still in full force. For the curious the falls are 129’ high. Not the largest but it holds its own. Other waterfalls I’ve been to in California are not nearly this large.
I would say if you’re planning a trip to northern California, Burney Falls should definitely be on your list of places to visit. Hint, hint it’s also a popular place to get engaged.
I hope you enjoyed this quick post highlighting the wonderful McArthur - Burney Falls. It took me awhile to check this one off my list and I’m so glad I did. I’m hoping my travels take me back there again one day as it’s now my favorite waterfall in California. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post. I would love to hear from you. Drop a comment below to let us know what your favorite parks are in California. OR if you’ve never been, tell us what you look forward to when you visit for the first time.
Bianca Ramos - Travel Advisor
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