McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park

The falls take their name from Samuel Burney, a pioneer settler who lived in this country in the 1850s. The McArthur family, pioneers who arrived later in the 1800s, came to treasure the falls, and in the 1920s their descendants bought the waterfall and the land around it and gave it to the state so it could never be dammed or developed. The park's full name honors both families.

The falls are often said to have been called the Eighth Wonder of the World by Theodore Roosevelt. The line is repeated on signs and in brochures, though it is hard to document firmly, so it is best treated as local tradition rather than settled fact. What is certain is that the state recognized the falls as a National Natural Landmark in 1984 as a textbook example of a spring-fed waterfall.

This is volcanic country, layered over long ago by black basalt lava flows. The basalt here is porous and cracked, so rain and snowmelt sink into it rather than running off, filling a huge underground reservoir inside the rock.

Where the ground has been cut away at the falls, that stored water finds daylight. Some of it pours over the top in the usual way, but much of it seeps and jets straight out of the cliff face along the porous layers, which is why the whole wall appears to be flowing. The falls slowly undercut the softer rock beneath a harder cap, the same process that shapes many of the West's great waterfalls, only here it plays out in slow motion in volcanic stone.

Long before it was a park, this was and remains a place of deep meaning for the Pit River people, whose homeland covers this part of northeastern California. For the Pit River Tribe, Burney Falls is a sacred site, a power place where the rushing water marks a boundary between worlds.

Visitors are asked to treat the falls with that respect in mind, staying on the trails and taking nothing. The living presence of the Pit River people in this landscape is part of what the falls mean, not a chapter that ended with the pioneers.

The basin around the falls is a cool, wet pocket in an otherwise dry volcanic plateau, so it draws life. Black swifts, a shy and uncommon bird, nest in the spray zone behind and beside the falling water, one of the few places in California you can reliably look for them.

The surrounding forest of ponderosa pine, incense cedar, and black oak shelters black-tailed deer, and the cold waters of Burney Creek and nearby Lake Britton hold trout. Ospreys and bald eagles fish the lake, and in the mossy, fern-hung world right at the base of the falls, everything stays green even when the plateau above is baked brown.

Because the falls never dry up, every season has its reward. Summer is warm, busy, and the easiest time to hike and camp. Fall brings color to the oaks and thinner crowds. Winter can bring snow to this elevation, turning the falls into a frozen-edged spectacle, though roads and trails may be icy.

Beyond the falls loop, the park stretches to Lake Britton with its swimming and boating, and the Pacific Crest Trail runs right through, so through-hikers walk past the falls on their way from Mexico to Canada. Give yourself time to do the full loop and to simply sit by the pool and watch the wall pour.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is a place we chose through independent editorial review, never a paid placement.

McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, in the Shasta Cascade region of Northern California near Burney, is home to the spectacular Burney Falls, a stunning 129-foot waterfall famously described by Theodore Roosevelt as the eighth wonder of the world. Fed by underground springs, the falls flow abundantly year-round, cascading over a mossy cliff in a beautiful curtain of water, with additional streams emerging from the rock face. Surrounded by forest and offering trails, a lake, camping, and swimming, the park showcases one of California's most beautiful and reliable waterfalls in a lovely natural setting.

Burney Falls flow abundantly year-round because they are fed largely by underground springs rather than depending solely on surface runoff, so even in dry late summer when many waterfalls dwindle, Burney Falls keeps pouring over the cliff at a remarkably steady rate, with water emerging both over the top and directly from the porous rock face. This spring-fed source gives the falls their consistent, impressive flow and lush, mossy beauty in every season. That reliability, along with their striking appearance, is a big part of what makes Burney Falls so special and beloved.

You can view the spectacular Burney Falls from an easy overlook near the parking area, hike the loop trail that descends to the base and around for different perspectives, walk additional forest trails, swim, fish, and boat at the nearby lake, camp at the campground, and enjoy the beautiful natural surroundings. The falls overlook is accessible to most, while the loop trail offers a closer, more active experience. With its stunning year-round waterfall, trails, and lake recreation, the park offers a rewarding and scenic outdoor destination in Northern California's Shasta Cascade.

The falls are spectacular year-round thanks to their spring-fed flow, but late spring through fall offers the most pleasant weather for hiking, swimming, and camping, with summer popular and warm, so arriving early helps with parking and crowds. Fall brings lovely color, and winter can be cold with snow, though the falls remain beautiful. For the best combination of the impressive falls, comfortable weather, and full recreation, late spring through early fall is ideal, while the reliable falls reward a visit in any season the park is accessible.

The park is near Burney in Northern California's Shasta Cascade region, within reach of Lassen Volcanic National Park to the south, the town and mountain of Mount Shasta to the northwest, and Redding with its Sundial Bridge, along with the region's lakes, forests, and waterfalls. That makes McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park a spectacular natural stop to combine with Lassen Volcanic National Park, Mount Shasta, and the attractions of Northern California's Shasta Cascade region on a visit to the area.