#HEDGE CREEK FALLS PATCH#

They make it look like the rock face is swelling with water, and might explode any minute. Once you look closer, you'll see all these tiny rivulets leaking out from behind the rocks. The kind of natural wonder that makes you feel small and insignificant in the best way possible. I dare you.īurney Falls first strikes you as a massive, imposing wall of water. Just a third of a mile later, you'll be at the base of the waterfall. Once you park, you'll immediately hear the roar of the falls. The parking lot was easy to access from the road, but heads up: it's a $10 fee to park there.

It's also lower in elevation, so there was hardly any snow on the ground when I arrived. The drive from McCloud to Burney was just under an hour (perfect amount of time for my feet to defrost). Visiting Burney was the definition of saving the best for last. How many people can say they did that? I'm just glad I didn't lose a toe. I'll be back when the snow melts to close the loop.Ī real silver lining of this misadventure was I got to see the McCloud Falls with not another soul in sight. Thus, McCloud Falls left me wanting more. I was not wearing hiking boots, let alone waterproof hiking boots, because as it should be abundantly clear by now: I was underprepared.

#HEDGE CREEK FALLS PATCH#

I pulled over on the last patch of snow-free road I could find, then set out to walk about half a mile to Lower Falls. So I did what I can only advise you not to do: I tried it on foot. (In my defense, it's quite far down the page!) I didn't read the fine print on the Forest Service's website warning me this might be the case through early April. At a much higher elevation than my last stop, it looked like snow had been dumped all around me and no one had been tasked with clearing the roads. Turning off Highway 89 and into the park's entrance, it only took a few hundred feet for the road to disappear. You can see Lower, Middle and Upper Falls by driving to different lookout points, or you can hike a four-mile loop along the McCloud River Falls Trail to catch them all. McCloud Falls is where the waterfall count starts to climb quickly. I spoke with him before heading out on my adventure, and he suggested staying in Redding as a home base to cut down on drive time on your big day. This tip actually comes straight from Miles Howard, the waterfall enthusiast who penned the NatGeo article. So learn from my mistakes and keep reading for tips on seeing Hedge Creek Falls, McCloud Falls (three waterfalls for the price of one!), and Burney Falls. But let's just say things didn't go as planned for me. Howard suggests one easy way to see five of the best waterfalls in California - all in a single day.Īlways down for a mini-vacation, an adventure, and an excuse to get out of my (home) office, I jumped at the chance. In the piece, he makes a strong case for visiting the 'waterfall mecca' known as the Shasta Cascade region. In March of 2021, I came across an article on Northern California's most impressive waterfalls written by Miles Howard for National Geographic. One of the silver linings of the past year has been the opportunity to explore California's natural beauty (in between lockdowns, of course). 'I've seen the falls at Yosemite and these ones blew them out of the water.'

Hedge creek falls