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MILL CREEK TRAILHEAD

TRIP 4 Whiskeytown Falls

A rediscovered gem has become the waterfall to see at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area.

Trip Type:

Day hike

Distance & Configuration:

3.4-mile out-and-back

Elevation Change:

1,040' (average 612'/mile)

Difficulty:

Moderate–strenuous

Season:

Year-round; best April–early June and late September–November

Maps:

USGS French Gulch and Shasta Bally

Management:

Whiskeytown NRA, 530-242-3400, nps.gov/whis

Nearest Campground:

Oak Bottom

In this day and age, forgetting about a significant waterfall is hard to imagine, but that’s exactly what occurred with Whiskeytown Falls. In 2004, park biologist Russ Weatherbee rediscovered the falls, not as he stumbled across the dramatic cascade in the field but as he was examining some aerial photos in his office. Subsequently, Weatherbee and a fellow National Park Service geologist, Brian Rasmussen, hiked to the falls and confirmed what had been seen on the photos.

Although the distance is fairly short at 1.7 miles, after the short stretch down to the crossing of the west fork of Crystal Creek, the well-used James K. Carr Trail to Whiskeytown Falls climbs quite steeply. The stiff climb passes through a forest that was selectively logged in the 1950s, succeeded by a mixed, second-growth forest of oaks and evergreens. During weekends in spring, when the waterfall puts on a most dramatic display, you may notice a high number of tourists lumbering up the trail or catching their breath on one of the many park benches sporadically placed along the way. Nearing the falls, the trail enters a narrow canyon and climbs closely along the creek for the final quarter mile. The labor of the stiff ascent is well rewarded once you reach the base of the falls, where you’ll be treated to a fine view of Whiskeytown Fall’s watery splendor. A stone stairway lined with handrails leads alongside the falls for an even closer view.