McCloud Falls should have its own Yelp page listing because this is like posting about Niagara…read moreFalls in a Niagara River page. McCloud and Burney Falls (an hour away) make the best one-two punch for waterfalls outside Yosemite. However, unlike Burney Falls, McCloud Falls has lots of free parking and no entrance fee because it is not a state park. Upper Falls is the least dramatic. An ADA-accessible trail leads to an observation deck about 90 feet above the falls. The fact that people were waiting efficiently in a line to take a photo was more exciting for me than the falls itself. Plus, it is a bit strange looking down on waterfalls. Stupid waterfalls. Anyhow, of the three locations Upper Falls offers a quieter environment, ideal for relaxation and reflection, especially if the water is still. Lower Falls was the most chaotic, with two lanes of parking lot traffic on a one-way road, and more kids sprawling the river for swimming. The area, stocked with trout, seemed the more picnic and day trippy of the falls, the best place to eat your lunch. Middle Falls is the money shot. The postcard. The one that has people posing for hours for the 'Gram. This is because it's 50 feet high and over 100 feet wide, creating a curtain of water over a basalt cliff into a pool below. McCloud Falls deserves its own Yelp page--lumping it in with a generic "McCloud River" listing is like posting Niagara Falls under the Niagara River. Come on now. Together, McCloud Falls and Burney Falls (just an hour apart) make the best one-two punch for waterfall chasers outside of Yosemite. But unlike Burney Falls, located in a state park that charges an entrance fee, McCloud Falls offers something rare and beautiful: lots of free parking and zero entrance fees. My favorite kind of waterfalls are free. Upper Falls is the least dramatic of the trio. A well-maintained ADA-accessible trail leads to an observation deck perched about 90 feet above the falls. Ironically, the orderly line of people waiting to snap a photo was more thrilling than the waterfall itself. Also, there's something a little odd about looking down on a waterfall. Stupid waterfalls. That said, Upper Falls is the most peaceful and serene, making it perfect for quiet moments of reflection--especially when the water is still. Lower Falls is the more chaotic of the trio, with two lanes of traffic trying to share a narrow one-way road, while kids are sprawled across the banks of a rushing, whitewater river. The area, stocked with trout, feels tailor-made for picnics and day trips--the kind of place where sandwiches taste better for no logical reason. Middle Falls is the showstopper. The money shot. The backdrop of annoying Instagram photo sessions. At 50 feet high and over 100 feet wide, it sends a dramatic curtain of water spilling over a basalt cliff into a pool below, with summer crowds climbing the shoreline boulders and wading into the 42 degree water just to ruin your pictures. I had to edit out so many people, they should call them McPhotoshop Falls.

We love Water Falls in California on the quest of exploring all the beauties within. we found the…read moreMcCloud River in Redding, contains 3 beautiful water falls, although we missed the Burney Falls that's not too far away. One day we will try it. From the east bay, it's about 300 miles north, if we want to see the falls and the lake shasta caverns, we need to sleep over one night because it'd take 5-6 hr to drive. When we get to the McCloud River, there are actual roads to drive to 3 Falls, Lower, Middle and Upper Falls. Each from the parking lot only take a few minutes hike to see the Falls, although we didn't go to the bottom of the upper falls, but we could see some. The lower falls where many people swim, or like us, sit on the rocks to feel the water gushing through rocks very nice. The middle falls, we didn't really hike to the bottom of the falls but stayed where we could see the clear views of the falls. Where people also play with the water. Next time when we visit Burney Falls, we will hike to the bottom of all these falls. Love these falls, love California.

I had such a wonderful short hike at this preserve this past August. Located in Shasta/Trinity…read morenational forest, entrance is free. I parked the Upper falls and followed the trail along the river to see those falls followed by Middle and Lower Falls, If you start where I did it's downhill first with the uphill on the way back but it's a fairly easy grade. The falls each had their own unique attributes and Middle and Lower falls have swimming access. Really lovely area and not too crowded.

We finally got a glimpse of this beauty well, the lower…read morefalls of it! Still beautiful. We walked about 1.1 miles to get to the lower falls because the road was closed. It was a really easy and breeze of a hike. There's a lookout point once you get to the waterfall and there's also stairs if you prefer to get a closer view of the waterfall. All in all, this hike is about 3.2 miles round trip and there's plenty of snow to walk & see right now.

Very well maintained trail along the perimeter of Lake Siskiyou. Decent amount of free parking near…read morethe trailhead/lakefront with bathrooms and trash cans. Tons of folks with boating equipment and stuff to hang out by the lake front and relax, fish, or have a picnic. The trail itself is a loop and you can turn around at any point. Not terribly strenuous and almost all flat - great for little ones/carrying a baby. There is a developed camp and a beach on the other side of the lake. If you're interested in a little bit more seclusion, there is plenty of space to spread out and relax, looking up at the base of Mt Shasha!

This spot was utterly incredibly! Came here with my family as it is my brothers birthday and we…read morethought a Mount Shasta trip would be a nice easy fun get away from the rigors of Los Angeles and the concrete jungle. We stopped by after eating around the area (recommend the smokehouse or bbq, stay away from the Mexican food at all costs!!) So we went to cable beach and got off and walked around and went to the lake to skip rocks and hang out as we unfortunately forgot our bathing suits. The view was so incredible, and perfect I couldn't even believe the how breathtaking it was at sunset . We skipped many rocks and even made it into a competition which I won, then I went off and found a great stump to take pictures on and unfortunately I slipped and fell on the rocks. Caution! Many rocks here so take water shoes or something with a thick bottom! Although it was pretty funny I'm still hurting haha. We saw boats on the lake and some people off to the side having a picnic and taking a dip in the lovely, warm water. All in all this was an incredible place to stop by and visit! I highly, highly, highly, HIGHLYYY recommend coming here!

The water is hypothermia inducingly cold, the walk is treacherous and the falls aren't that…read moreexciting. You can take the long route which requires a lot more walking near the train tracks or attempt the river crossing which could end with you swept miles downriver or drowned. At any moment they could let water out of the down to send a surge down the Sacramento River and send you off through rocks and rapids below the falls. The trains come through fast and around blind corners and the roar of the river masks the sound of the train. It is a dangerous hike and people have died there. I don't recommend it for day trippers or casual tourists. Advanced hiking skills required and extra attention to safety and strong swimmers only. Even in mid August the water is high and freezing and the river crossing is very slippery and dangerous. If you know what you are doing and manage the trek there and back you will have seen one of the areas smaller but pretty waterfalls. There is talk of building a trail with a pedestrian bridge to the falls so once that is done it will likely be overrun with day trippers. I recommend going now but be careful.

A must visit in Dunsmuir! Live the cascading waterfall so majestic , calm and mesmerizing ! It's…read moreour second time here and definitely be more visit in the future ! We had the whole waterfall to ourselves

Great little hike, work the walk. Little park at the trailhead, dog friendly, easy hike for me and…read moremy dogs. Cool falls, not an excessive amount of water due to time of year, can walk behind the falls. I didn't hike beyond the falls as I had a long drive ahead of me. So glad I found this spot. Lots of berry plants, beware of poison oak. You can scan a QR code to donate to the upkeep of the park, trail and falls.

A must-stop on your drive through Northern California other than stopping for Weed…read more Remember: "Leaves of three, rub them on me" Right off the 5, there's a small picnic table, gazebo, drinking fountain (functional spring to fall) at the head of the trail that descends 160-200 feet down, crossing a small stream, past the highest concentration of poison oal in the area. Remember: "leaves of three, yum yummy" You'll hear the waterfall by the time you hit the switchback. The waterfall has a 30-35 foot plunge into a icy pool shallow enough to play in before it joins the Sacramento River. Because it's not huge or dangerous, you can actually pose next to it, dip your head into it, and hang out in the dark, shady, slippery rock cave behind the waterfall. I recommend going back up, especially if this was a pit stop on a road trip, but you can continue the hike, following Hedge Creek along the poison oak. Remember: "Leaves of three: make a tea" Allegedly there are more waterfalls if you pass the main waterfall and an observation deck looking down on the Sac River. Looking down, as in vantage point; not looking down on it for its historical elevated levels of mercury and arsenic from gold mining operations. If you want to get crazy, there's a rough and unofficial trail to the top of the falls. Option A: walk north from the parking lot about 75 yards and then cut through the trees to an obvious path. Option B: Climb about 35 feet up from the first switchback to get to that same path. From I-5 N exit Siskiyou and turn left. From I-5S., turn left. In both cases, turn right on Mott Rod and look for parking on the right. And remember, "Leaves of Three: Snack with Glee"

Mount Shasta is an incredibly beautiful mountain and volcano. If your driving between Seattle and…read moreLos Angeles you can't miss it from the highway. There are probably a couple different cities that you can enjoy Mount Shasta from but my favorite city is Weed. They have hotels and gift shops and is a cute little town with everything you need. There are two exits for Weed off the highway. One exit is the 'old town' part that is more cute and the other exit is the newer part. I think staying a night here is a perfect thing to do as the scenery is so pleasant. It really is a destination. So often to see natural beauty like this you have to sacrifice comforts of city living. Not with Mount Shasta - its a town that has it all and is just steps away from a little nature walk with an incredible backdrop. It is a real sight to see when you have this regular old Shell Gas station or even Grocery Outlet where the backdrop is the volcano. I don't think you can ever get tired of the harmony here of man made combined with nature.

Incredible volcano and mountain…read more Really recommend spending some time around the nature in this area, even if you won't be committing a summit climb. I went up this past weekend with the attempt to summit Shasta and had a really nice time. The town of Mt. Shasta has a few restaurants and some decent accomodations for sleeping (slept in Loge with our group which was great)... As for the hike, we went up and started at Bunny Flats and camped at Helen Lake for the night and then going for the summit via the Avalanche Gulch route. It was a beautiful and trying hike...definitely be familiar with the risks and have the proper skills to manage them if attempting. All in all; Mount Shasta is majestic and magical. Spend some time here!

The falls are absolutely gorgeous and a must see!!…read more We arrived around 1000 on a Friday where we had to park in overflow, so I suggest to go early. They have a gift shop that sells softserve icecream so we grabbed one of those and talked to the store clerk who also runs the marina where he explained the boating and kayaking options, fishing, etc. Afterwards we hiked the paved path down to the falls. The path has an incline and is wet in some areas so exercise caution as we saw someone fall and bust her knee open. The falls are so beautiful from every angle, and very worth the trip! After taking a ton of photos we walked on another path that took us to a cool bridge crossing the river. Then headed over to the marina area and rented a kayak for 4 hours for $85, which is great price honestly. The guy at the boat rental area was very nice and accomodating. The sun was out in full force so take your sunscreen! We fished and caught a few small mouth bass but nothing we could keep. After we turned in our kayaks we found a picnic area and grilled up some food. Overall we really enjoyed our day at this park and highly recommend!!

This is my second trip to McArthur Burney Falls. Easy access and available parking today, 09.17.25…read moredue to it being the end of season/fall. $10 entrance fee, accept cash or credit cards. I actually received a $1 back as in a senior. I dislike that dog access is limited to parking lot, and observation area. Not allowed on stairs leading down to base of falls, on trails, posted properly. I understand people don't clean up after their pets plus you never know how dogs will interact. Their park, their rules. I love the rule that doesn't allow you to leave your dog(s) in the car, kudos. I think these dog rules apply to all California State Parks. Beautiful falls, great fall weather, friendly rangers.

Peaceful; wear hiking shoes; bring hiking sticks just in case; there was a very narrow steep path-…read morebe careful; you will feel the vortex or maybe even hear strange rock or thump sound... be careful; it is pretty secluded

This is NOT for beginners or folks with anxiety or afraid of heights. First you want to be gentle…read moreon your car on the drive down to the trail. It was about 1.5 miles of extremely bumpy/rocky road. The regular part of the hike wasn't too bad. Very inclined and tough for folks with asthma...make sure you have your inhaler and some water. Very Rocky as well. Saw a few folks with non-hiking shoes on. Wear tennis shoes or boots. No sandals or flip flops or Birkenstocks. There are NO markers, so that's fun. You have to follow your phone map. When you get to the divide, one hill up to Ney river (right) or down to the falls (left), this is where it gets so sticky! And folks with fear of heights or anxiety, DO NOT GO! The path gets super narrow, sandy, and anything to hold onto like trees and rocks disappear (didn't get a photo as I was having a panic attack). It was truly awful for someone with fear of heights and anxiety. Not worth it for me. The waterfall was beautiful, just not necessary!