Burney Falls
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Burney Falls is a waterfall in California, at a modelled elevation of 862 m. Burney Mountain stands 2,395 m to the south, 14 miles off. The nearest named place is Burney Spring Mountain, a peak 1.3 miles away.
The story
Burney Falls is a waterfall on Burney Creek, within McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, in Shasta County, California. The water comes from underground springs above and at the falls, which are 129 feet (39 m) high, and provides an almost constant flow rate of 379,000,000 liters (83,000,000 imp gal; 100,000,000 U.S. gal) per day, even during the dry summer months. Burney Creek is a tributary of the Pit River which has its mouth on the Lake Britton reservoir to the north. The falls are an example of river drainage regulated by stratigraphically-controlled springs, and of a waterfall formed by undercutting of horizontal strata. Called "the Eighth Wonder of the World" by President Theodore Roosevelt, the falls are "at their most intense ... during the spring, from early April through October, when snowmelt is at its peak". The falls were declared a National Natural Landmark in December 1954. In March 2021, a National Geographic article declared the site to be one of "northern California's most spectacular waterfalls". The water temperature rarely gets higher than 42 °F (6 °C) but the pool below the falls is a popular location for catch-and-release fly-fishing. The Redding tourism website states that the falls "can be enjoyed from above at lookout point", and preferably from the pool at the base of the falls, accessed via a trail. Some of the waterfalls scenes for Willow (1988) were shot at the falls, although Powerscourt Waterfall in Ireland was also used for filming. Other movies with scenes filmed at Burney Falls include Stand by Me (1986), The Parson and the Outlaw (1957) and Tarzan's Fight for Life (1958).
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q4999705, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Height
- 35 m
- Width
- 76 m
How to reach it
Named places within 25 miles
- Burney Spring Mountain: 1.3 mi
- Jamo Point: 1.6 mi
- Long Valley Mountain: 2.2 mi
- Lookout Mountain: 4.2 mi
- Fort Mountain: 4.9 mi
- Clark Creek Falls: 2.0 mi
- Rock Creek Falls: 3.3 mi
- Pit River Falls: 9.5 mi
- Kinner Falls: 12.1 mi
- Lion Wash Falls: 15.6 mi
- The Rim: 17.1 mi
- Hat Creek Rim: 18.4 mi
- Beaver Creek Rim: 18.8 mi
- Butte Creek Rim: 19.1 mi
- Red Cliff: 22.1 mi
- Hat Creek Park: 5.5 mi
- Burney Civic Park: 9.1 mi
- Washburn Blue Park: 9.4 mi
- Fall River Lions Community Park: 10.9 mi
- Lockhart Ferry: 10.9 mi
- Site of the First School in Fall River Valley: 16.9 mi
- Smithy: 24.2 mi
- Ladies cabin: 24.2 mi
- Bigalow Bridge Day Use Area: 23.6 mi
- Lakin Dam: 24.0 mi
- Upper Falls Day Use Area: 24.3 mi
- Lower Falls Day Use Area: 24.9 mi
- "Stand by Me" Bridge: 1.7 mi
- Hat Creek Radio Observatory: 16.5 mi
- Deer Springs: 16.7 mi
- Dad Lofton Spring: 19.4 mi
- Fort Crook Museum: 10.8 mi
- Hillcrest Rest Area: 16.3 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 20.0 miles of Burney Falls. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burney Mountain | S 175° | 2,395 m | 14.2 mi |
| Freaner Peak | SSE 167° | 2,250 m | 19.4 mi |
| Snow Mountain | SSW 204° | 2,076 m | 18.8 mi |
| Mushroom Rock | NW 317° | 1,897 m | 15.3 mi |
| Grizzly Peak | WNW 298° | 1,892 m | 19.3 mi |
| Dan Hunt Mountain | SSW 197° | 1,892 m | 19.8 mi |
| Green Mountain | SSW 199° | 1,843 m | 16.9 mi |
| Chalk Mountain | W 262° | 1,786 m | 8.3 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:11 | 18:43 | 19:19 |
| June solstice | 05:35 | 20:01 | 20:43 |
| September equinox | 06:55 | 18:29 | 19:05 |
| December solstice | 07:29 | 15:58 | 16:42 |
Local time (America/Los_Angeles).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 35 | 38 | 43 | 48 | 56 | 63 | 69 | 67 | 61 | 51 | 41 | 34 |
| Precip in | 3.0 | 2.6 | 2.7 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 3.0 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — HAT Creek, 8 mi away.
Months at or above the year’s average flow: Jan–Apr — fullest in Feb, leanest in Jul.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean cfs | 743 | 1,617 | 1,595 | 1,197 | 536 | 437 | 346 | 346 | 402 | 515 | 589 | 502 |
USGS monthly mean discharge at gauge Pit R BL LK Britton Dam NR Burney CA, 1 mi away — the nearest gauge, which can sit on a different stream.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/4689397114
Day trips start here
- Shasta County · 27 mi
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