Burney Falls, CA

mt.shasta photography

Burney Mountain and Burney Falls

Called "The Eigth Wonder of the world" by President Theodore Roosevelt,
Burney Falls was named after pioneer settler Samuel Burney
who lived in the area in the 1850s. The McArthurs were pioneer
settlers who arrived in the late 1800s. Descendants were responsible
for saving the waterfall and nearby land from development.
They bought the property and gave it to the state as a gift in the 1920s.

It is a magnificent waterfall in which is now the McArthur-Burney Falls
Memorial Park, Shasta County, California

There are five miles of hiking trails winding through the park's evergreen
forests. The Pacific Crest Trail passes through the park

resource: Ca parks and recreation

The park is within the Cascade Range and
Modoc Plateau natural region, with forest
and five miles of streamside and lake shoreline,
including a portion of Lake Britton.

The park's centerpiece is the 129-foot Burney Falls,
which is not the highest or largest waterfall in the state,
but possibly the most beautiful. Additional water comes
from springs, joining to create a mist-filled basin. Burney
Creek originates from the park's underground springs
and flows to Lake Britton, getting larger along the way t
o the majestic falls.

The park's landscape was created by volcanic activity
as well as erosion from weather and streams.
This volcanic region is surrounded by mountain peaks and
is covered by black volcanic rock, or basalt. Created over
a million years ago, the layered, porous basalt retains rainwater
and snow melt, which forms a large underground reservoir.

Within the park, the water emerges as springs at and above
Burney Falls, where it flows at 100 million gallons every day.

Burney Falls and Burney Mountain