McArthur-Burney Falls State Park - A view of the gorgeous 129-feet Burney Falls. The hiking trail takes one to the base of the falls, then runs along the Burney Creek and forms a loop around the falls. A continuum of the trail also leads one all the way to Lake Britton.
View McArthur-Burney Falls State Park - February 2013 in a larger map
What
- Burney Falls
- Hiking
- Burney Creek
- Lake Britton
More Info
- $8/car admission fee (Bring exact change); Credit cards are not accepted
- Restrooms next to Visitor Center
During
our visit to Lake Shasta during the President’s Day weekend in February 2013,
we decided to take a long drive from Redding to McArthur Burney Falls. It took
us a little over an hour to drive to the Burney Falls and the drive was
absolutely fantastic. From snow-clad mountains to rolling greens to vast
agricultural farms on either sides of the road, we enjoyed every bit of the
drive.
 |
| View of the vast landscape from a vista point en route to Burney Falls |
While
driving through the agricultural farms where we saw sheep, cows, hens, horses
etc, it reminded me of the drive through Pinnacles
National Monument to see the Bear Gulch caves. The snow clad mountains with
small creeks running nearby reminded of Leavenworth,
a beautiful German town in Washington State. The vastness of landscapes was
reminiscent of our drive to Denali
National Forest in Alaska. Alas, I did not have my travel blog in place
when we went to Alaska two years ago or when I used to travel to Washington
State every month.
During
our drive to the Burney Falls, we stopped at a few vista points on the way to
capture good shots. Soon, we reached the McArthur Burney State Park. The
entrance booth was unmanned, one has to drop $8 cash in an envelope and tear
off a part of the envelope to display it on the car dashboard.
 |
| View of Burney Falls from an observation deck near the parking lot |
After
parking the car in the parking lot, we took the Falls trail that starts from
the parking lot. Even from the parking lot, we could hear the roaring sound of
the waterfalls. As soon as we took the trail, the observation deck there
offered an incredible view of the gorgeous 129 feet falls.
 |
| Walk through the ice laden trail to the base of the falls |
The
trail leads one to the base of the falls and obviously we wanted to continue
walking on the trail. But, the path was covered with ice and snow. Our first
thought was “What a downer!” However, we noticed a few people using the
handrails and holding on to them tightly to walk or slide on the ice. We were
not sure whether it was worth taking the risk because the last thing one wants
to do is, end up with broken bones.
 |
| Burney Falls, as seen from the trail |
Looking
at little kids using the handrails to walk on the ice, we were just too tempted
to follow suit. Carefully, we walked down the icy trail and the steeper parts
of the trail were challenging. Finally, we reached the base of the waterfalls.
The falls are so close that the cold water sprayed on us. So refreshing!
 |
| Burney Falls, taken from the base of the falls |
Our
plan was to take the 3.5 mile trail that leads one to Lake Britton and returns
to the parking lot by forming a loop around the falls. This trail continues
from the base of the falls and being winter season, it was completely covered
with ice. The trail looked very inviting because it passes along the beautiful
Burney Creek. This gives us a reason to visit the place again in spring or
summer.
 |
| Falls Loop Trail covered with ice and snow |
Tips
- Bring exact change of $8 for car parking fee
- I don’t recommend coming here during winter because most of the trails are closed and covered with ice and snow
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thhis is professional work. Amazing talent both of you. (Photograhy + write up)
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Hey Pradeep, thank you very much :-)
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