I previously wrote about our weekend trip to Lassen, but that was not the first trip where we stayed in Redding; the first was our waterfalls in northern California trip. We now refer to this trip as our “Weekend Waterfall Trip” and it was our first (planned) weekend trip from San Jose!
Chasing Waterfalls in Northern California: Weekend Trip to Redding
Our First Weekend Trip in California Together
Our car broke in Sequoia a few years ago, forcing us to stay a night – so technically that was our first weekend trip. It wasn’t until nearly a year and a half after returning that we would go on another. So why did it take so long?
Reasons It Took Us So Long
- It took us a little while to get used to driving such long distances again. When we were living in CA/the U.S. before, we were used to driving long distances to go places. After spending over a year abroad, though, we became accustomed to walking everywhere or taking trains, buses, taxis, etc. After getting back, we didn’t even want to drive as far for hikes as we did before.
- My schedule. I typically only would take one 2-day weekend a month. We actually wanted to go on this trip on my weekend in April but then someone else needed that weekend off so I got no weekends that month and so we took my weekend in May instead. Also, I was also pretty exhausted all of the time so rarely felt up to a trip. Fortunately, Kyle always got weekends off.
- For the most part, accommodation in California is more expensive than pretty much anywhere else we’ve been. I didn’t realize that Redding was a more affordable option because other places I looked at were always so much. Gas was not super cheap either.
- It was hard to decide where to go. I had recently discovered that the trail we really want to do (Bumpass Hell) in Lassen was going to be closed for the rest of 2018. We were planning on going there this summer and had been putting off other great things to do up there because we already knew we’d be heading up that way. With this off the table, we thought, why not head up there now? Of course, later in the year, we did end up going to Lassen anyway!
Inspiration: Why Did We Choose Redding?
My inspiration for the trip actually came from a failed impromptu trip plan to Hawaii. A great deal to Hawaii came up in early 2018 and we booked it. As we looked into Hawaii more and saw how expensive it would be, we decided to cancel in the time to get our refund.
Still, I had gotten excited about the beautiful nature there and I decided to seek out a trip in California that would feature some Hawaii-like stuff we could see which would be easier and cheaper. Hiking, nature, waterfalls, beaches, and volcanoes were the focus. We satisfied our beach/coastal craving (sort of) with a day trip back to the Big Sur area. I looked around online and on GoogleMaps, debating some different options, but after rediscovering Burney Falls online and realized there were more waterfalls in the vicinity, I thought going to see some waterfalls in northern California would be a fun trip.
We were also restless because by the time we went our last trip was six months prior (to Europe and Morocco). So it was a plan!
Planning the Weekend Trip to Redding
Waterfalls in Northern California: Our Itinerary
Probably the biggest attraction I was interested in up there was Burney Falls. The fact that I could find an Airbnb near enough (in Redding) for an acceptable price ($33/night) was another selling point. While Redding was still another hour from the falls, it was a close enough starting point and in good proximity of a number of things. Thus we opted to stay there. It would also be an okay location to explore parts of Lassen from so we thought it might be good to get an idea of it.
I had looked at other areas like Fort Bragg and Tahoe and it would have been around triple the cost to stay in those areas at that time (May, with little notice).
I experimented with a few different itineraries and asked Kyle for input. It worked out so we were both able to do partial workdays on Friday which we were happy about. We decided on a relaxing first evening seeing a little of the town of Redding and trying out a restaurant. On the first full day, we were going to cover 3-7 waterfalls (we ended up going to 4) and on our final day, we would go to Whiskeytown.
For the Whiskeytown day, we planned 1-2 waterfalls/hikes and some time at the beach before heading home. In reality, after we finished with day one we actually switched gears for day two and went off plan. Instead of Whiskeytown, we went to Castle Crags State Park. That is what Kyle wanted to do. Note that this was prior to Whiskeytown getting hit hard by the wildfires but I think the area has since recovered and it would still be a good day two option.
Hitting the Road
We hit some traffic in the East Bay on our way up, but otherwise, it went fairly smoothly. The delay did make us a little hungry though. Despite eating prior, so we started snacking on some of our packed food meant for the next day (oops!). I also came to the realization at this time that Kyle wasn’t familiar with the TLC song Waterfalls. I sang it over and over again waiting for it to ring a bell but even after playing the real thing on my phone, he claimed ignorance. Please comment if you think this is ridiculous (that he didn’t know it, not that I sang it). He even made me put this link in because he thinks other people wouldn’t know it either.
Getting to the Airbnb
When we arrived, we felt this was not the nicest area and perhaps this accounted for the cost somewhat. Ultimately most of Redding seemed like this, though. We passed a couple of areas with homeless people and as we drove up to park our car a couple of young boys (age 10-12) were walking by smoking cigarettes. We did not feel this was a good sign.
Not a huge deal, though! Anyway, we were very pleased that we had self-check-in at this place. We always enjoy that. We simply typed in the code the host gave us via message and went inside. The house is rented to many guests at once and the bedrooms were labeled. We found the label for our bedroom, typed in our code and went in there.
For the most part, we didn’t interact with the other guests, though once a European couple thought Kyle was their son and were yelling at him from inside (when we were out in the dark).
Exploring Redding
The Sundial Bridge
One of the most popular sites in Redding is the Sundial Bridge, which crosses the Sacramento River. It was pretty close to our Airbnb so I thought it might be worth checking out if we got in at a decent hour. It was still light when we arrived so we headed over after we dropped off our things.
If you’re wondering about the name, the Sundial Bridge, designed by world-renowned architect Santiago Calatrava is indeed a working sundial. It doesn’t work very well during the winter (due to the higher latitude of Redding) and will mainly only show you when it is between 11 am and 3 pm. The bridge has no underwater supports, which avoids disturbing salmon habitat. The walkway is made of glass so you can see to the river below, and it even lights up at night.
Not far from the bridge is the Turtle Bay Exploration Park and Museum which sounds neat but I think we were a little late for that. The bridge and area around it did turn out to be a nice place to wander for a little while. There were lots of families there, including many on bicycles.
Dinner time: The Lighthouse
After the bridge, we headed to dinner. We decided we were going to try one restaurant while there. I had researched various options earlier, and after showing Kyle some, we decided on The Lighthouse. Kyle really wanted the fish and chips, something he doesn’t get very often and there were plenty of options for me as well. It also looked like a good price.
Upon arrival, we were surprised to find that it was more like a fast-food place, rather than a typical sit-down restaurant, with a counter to order at and music from the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s playing. It set the vibe that I was back in my childhood, but it also seemed really familiar to me too. My family had done some exploring in Northern California I lived in Vacaville, and the Lighthouse opened in 2002, so I guess it’s actually possible I had been there.
What We Ate
Kyle ordered fish and chips (of course) which also came with a side of coleslaw. I think he even got an extra fish which was great for him. I had some of his “chips” (fries) and we also ordered fried zucchini and fried cheese bread for me to eat and Kyle to try. It came out to $20.77 and it was all really good! And filling. We weren’t able to finish so we brought the rest back to our Airbnb after we were done and put it in the fridge. This meant dinner for tomorrow which was great since we had already eaten a good portion of the next day’s food. Note I had already been eating mine when this photo was taken.
On your way out of the restaurant, you are supposed to ring a bell if you are satisfied. We weren’t sure what the bell ringing was about (I later read about it online) when we were there but we deduced something like that and did ring it. Here is the website which also contains a menu with prices. The address is 1109 Hartnell Avenue.
After that, it was time to get ready for a day of waterfall-exploring.
Dessert time: Taste & See Ice Creamery
We got back to the Airbnb and then it was actually Kyle who demanded we get dessert. We had gotten all settled in and I was ready for bed but he thought it was ice cream time. So off we went. We saw there was a place called Taste & See in Redding which was supposed to be good so we opted to try it. Upon arriving it did seem to be quite popular, especially with young people.
They have some pretty interesting flavors (see here). The employees allowed us to try some flavors and we did try a few. We originally were just going to share a single scoop but this made us feel obligated to get two scoops. I believe we got Thai Tea (which I don’t see on their menu online) and maybe it was something like honey lavender for the other one. I remember the flavors really did taste pretty true to the descriptions and were good.
Now it was really time for bed.
Waterfall Day: Some Waterfalls in Northern California
Coffee and Going the Wrong Way
We started our morning with some coffee, a good opportunity to use a Starbuck’s gift card we had.
We headed towards the falls and Kyle turned off 299 too early. I told him this was the wrong way as we weren’t even in the park yet but he insisted. So we went down this bumpy dirt road with no one else on it for quite some time. At least it was scenic.
Eventually, we turned around, got back on track and got into the park. Note that there is an $8 Entrance Fee to McArthur Burney Falls State Park but I believe it has since gone up a little.
Waterfalls in Northern California: McArthur Burney Falls — Wow
The Falls
The falls are not far from the parking lot. As I started down the trail and got around the corner enough to see them, I was stunned. I didn’t feel the pictures I’d seen online had done the falls justice. At least at the time, I felt like it was one of the most beautiful places I’d seen and the best waterfall I had seen. Now, I haven’t seen any of the big, beautiful, well-known waterfalls in the world like Victoria, Niagra, Iguazu, etc. Nor have I seen the waterfalls in Iceland or Hawaii (unless I saw some as a small child), or even Bali (we got lost on our way to one). We did see Yosemite Falls which is grand and way larger, though. Burney is around 130 feet tall.
While it definitely wasn’t the only thing, perhaps some of the charm came from the lack of people. We spent probably a good 45 min to an hour just sitting, looking at the falls and taking photos. In that time, a few people passed through but mostly we had it to ourselves. I’m not sure if that is normal.
The water was on the cold side and the current was strong so swimming wasn’t really an option, but it was warm enough to don a swimsuit for a little while. Remember, I was still trying to channel that Hawaii trip we didn’t take.
Hiking Around
After taking in the falls we hiked the 1.2-mile Waterfall Loop Trail. The hike was also beautiful, offering different views of the waterfall. This area really energized me. After we were done with the little loop we sat down at some picnic tables and had the lunch we had packed.
Spring through fall is supposed to be the more popular time for the park, but it wasn’t crowded when we went which was Mother’s Day weekend in May. We did see some people here and there, though.
Waterfalls in Northern California: Onto McCloud Falls
The next waterfall on our agenda was McCloud Falls. There are actually three McCloud Falls: McCloud Lower Falls, McCloud Middle Falls, and McCloud Upper Falls and each one is unique. We only saw Middle McCloud Falls but I believe if you do all three the total hiking is around 4 miles. Here is a more detailed post of the three McCloud Falls from someone else.
Middle McCloud Falls
The linked post mentions that Middle McCloud Falls is the highlight of the falls trail. We can’t verify this because it is the only one we saw but we did think it was beautiful. In general, all the falls were grander than we expected. This is the only of the three we did but we did give it a fair amount of time. After about a half a mile walking toward the falls, we came to an overlook. So beautiful! It wasn’t as big a Burney Falls but I guess we just expected all of the falls to be smaller than they were. When looking to the left we could see many trees and the river leading into the falls.
After looking from there, we headed down the trail to get closer. I read somewhere that just doing this one is about 1.5 miles (in total probably).
There were a number of people here, mostly there to watch some people who were jumping off the rocks, or rather standing there, debating jumping off the rocks near the top.
We watched for a while and did get to see a couple of people jump (including one from when we were up at the overlook) but there was one person who just stood at the top something like 30 minutes before deciding it wasn’t for them. I debated swimming and even toyed with the idea of jumping myself, but the water was quite cold and the jumping seemed a little scary.
It was a nice place to just hang out for a little while.
Upper and Lower McCloud Falls
We only decided for sure that we weren’t doing these two after doing Middle McCloud Falls. We spent more time there than we anticipated but are glad we took the time to enjoy that waterfall. The reason we skipped them was partly that we were getting shorter on time and we wanted to get to Mossbrae and then not be driving back in the dark as we were doing this waterfall loop and McCloud was at the farther end of the loop. If we ever make it back, we’ll have to do the whole thing.
There are supposed to be picnic areas near both of these falls and you are supposed to be able to wade in the lower falls.
Waterfalls in Northern California: Mossbrae Falls
Figuring Out How to Get to Mossbrae Falls
Next, it was time for Mossbrae Falls. First, we drove around looking for where to go so we would know where to park. We ended up parking in an area alongside a road (where we could park) quite a ways away from it. We had to walk down a hill and take a turn right (I think) from where we parked in order to get to the railroad.
This is considered by some to be a dangerous hike as you have to walk alongside the railroad tracks in order to get there. As long as you stay on the right side (going there; left on the way back), you should have plenty of room on the side, though. The trains are also quite loud generally so you hear them coming. Our expectations were that only one, if any trains, would pass while we made our way there. In reality, there were many. So keep this in mind.
It was hot and the rocks alongside the track weren’t comfortable for our feet. The walk there felt long though it is only about 1.5 miles each way, or 3 miles altogether (more if you count the amount we walked from where we parked, though).
For reference, the trail to get down is just off in the forest to the right. We started going past it until we saw someone either coming or going from there and realized that’s where you go. It was just before this bridge thing.
At Mossbrae Falls
We went down the path (quite short at this point) and came to the falls. Another gorgeous waterfall! One nice thing about these falls was that we could actually walk up to them without freezing from the water or worrying about being carried downstream. We also loved the moss and it was still larger than most waterfalls we’d seen.
We even saw rainbows a couple of times.
There were not many people there, just a couple of families having picnics and one other couple. We knew we were relatively close to the next two potential falls so we felt we were able to relax more until it was time to go though we did still have the walk back.
A Couple Things to Know When Visiting Mossbrae Falls
Check out this site for some things you may want to know about visiting this waterfall, such as the legality. The Mount Shasta Trail Associate has been working for 20 years to make this path more accessible and they have made some progress but you will have to check for updates to see if it comes to fruition. Another option: Active Norcal suggests getting there by kayak which actually does seem nice!
Waterfalls in Northern California: Hedge Creek Falls
Our last stop for the day was Hedge Creek Falls. There is parking for this place which is slightly more convenient.
*Weird advice*: drink from the water fountain there. We think it is some of the best water we have ever tasted. We saw there used to be a water bottle supplier there but I think it doesn’t exist anymore. Actually both times (the second time being our Lassen trip) we came back down to San Jose from this region we found our water to suddenly be so gross in comparison!
The trail is only about a half a mile before you reach the waterfall. Allegedly you can somehow connect the trail here to get to Mossbrae Falls but you’re going to have to ask someone else about that.
There is a small cave located behind the waterfall, allowing visitors to walk behind the cascading water.
This one is quite short but that was good because we were tired from the rest of the day. Total Length: 0.7 miles / Elevation Gain: 200 feet
We actually planned one more waterfall: Sweet Briar Waterfalls but had trouble finding it. We were okay with this as we felt we had a full day of waterfalls and ended up driving around a small town which was interesting.
Day Two: Hiking at Castle Crags
As I mentioned earlier, we planned Whiskeytown for Day Two but instead hiked to Castle Dome at Castle Crags. Kyle wrote about our experience a while back here if you would like to read about it.
Chasing Waterfalls in Northern California Summary
This ended up being a beautiful early summer trip. There are quite a few great waterfalls in northern California. Each waterfall we visited was very different and unique. We loved all the nature and also enjoyed our time in Redding. Let us know if you have any questions!
Plan For Your Trip
One of the biggest mistakes you can make when heading out is to assume that you don’t need to prepare. Even though most everything here is easy to access, it only takes one mishap or accident for things to turn really bad. Be sure to properly prepare so that you enjoy every minute you’re chasing waterfalls.
*Note that we are members of the Amazon Affiliate program and that we receive tiny compensation at no cost to you for all valid purchases made through our site.
- Water Bottles – Collapsible Water Bottles – These are some of our favorite items to bring with us. They’re really light-weight and you can also roll them up so you can store them away easily. If there is one item that is most important to bring with you, it is water.
- Hiking Clothes – It can be really tempting to just throw on your regular day clothes when you hit the trail, but you should make your clothes are functional. For him | For her
- Hiking Shoes – It is really tempting to just wear tennis shoes or cross-trainers, but this can be really dangerous – though admittedly these trails weren’t too difficult. Wearing the right footwear will make sure that you have sure footing, no matter where you step. For Him | For Her
- First-aid Kit – You really need to be prepared for anything when hiking, which means you need to be prepared for injury. We don’t often get hurt, but we have. You never know what could happen so you should always carry a basic first aid kit to be able to patch up whatever may happen. First-Aid Kit
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