Burney Falls

Burney Falls is one of the largest waterfalls in McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, Shasta County, California by sheer scale, but more prominently it is one of the most unique waterfalls in the whole state. Burney Creek drains from volcanic highlands northwest of Mount Lassen, much of it featuring porous bedrock where precipitation can easily sink into the ground. While plenty of water remains in surface- level Burney Creek, a significant aquafier exists beneath the surface. Burney Falls and Creek were named for Samuel Burney, who homesteaded nearby in the 1850s. His descendants, along with the MacArthur family, purchased the land to prevent it from being commercially developed and donated it to the State Parks in the 1920s.

Burney Falls is one of the most spectacular waterfalls in northern California and is very pretty. The best part about this waterfall, however, is that it flows year-round, one of the very few waterfalls in California that has good flow throughout the year. That is because the source of Burney Creek is from underground springs, located about a half mile or so above the falls. Indeed, if you look closely, you will see that much of the falls comes right out of the middle of the face of the cliff.

Burney Falls is one of those places where a smaller in the relative sense waterfall is absolutely worth visiting for several reasons. Photographers will love this one for its multifaceted personality, kids will love it for the great swimming hole and waterfall hunters will be wowed by its power.