Feather Falls
Photos Maps Summary: A moderate hike from a VERY popular trailhead will lead past one decent waterfall to a viewing deck of one of northern California's best waterfalls. In spring the flow is best and wildflowers line the trail, however autumn is also a good time to visit with cooler temps and some fall colors. Until recently, this waterfall was thought to be 640' high and the 6th highest in the US. However, more conclusive measurements have since been made and the claim as the 6th highest waterfall in the US is simply way off. At 410', Feather Falls is still a very impressive waterfall but this height takes it out of the top 150 for the US (maybe even out of the top 200) and far out of the top 10 for California. We recommend doing the semi-loop counterclockwise (longer way in and shorter way out) as many others recommend as well. This way the majority of the hike is downhill with some short, steep sections at either end.Distance: 8.05 miles totalElevation Gain/Loss: 1,900' totalSeason: Year-Round (spring is best for flow and wildflowers)Fees & Permits: NoneFinding the Trailhead: 39.61452 N, 121.26673 W (Feather Falls Scenic Area Trailhead). From the CA-162/Forbestown Road intersection east of Oroville, CA, follow Forbestown Road east for ~6.2 miles and turn left onto Lumpkin Road. Follow Lumpkin Road for ~11.0 miles, turn left onto Bryant Ravine Road (at the sign for Feather Falls), and park at the end of the road (~1.6 miles) in the parking area. If you don't arrive relatively early in the morning, it will probably be full in which case some additional parking can be found off the side of the road slightly south. The Hike: The trail begins off the northern end of the parking area. The beginning makes its way north and slightly downhill to the south loop junction at ~0.3 miles. Stay right (longer route) and follow the trail as it zig-zags its way down toward Frey Creek. In the spring, many different kinds of flowers line the trail. Please enjoy them only with your eyes and leave them for others to enjoy. At ~1.7 miles the trail crosses Frey Creek on a footbridge immediately below Frey Creek Falls. From here, the trail climbs up to a viewpoint of Bald Rock Dome (~2.35 miles) as it skirts the shoulder north of Frey Creek before descending again to the northeast. At ~4.2 miles the north loop junction is reached. Turn right to follow the trail uphill to the northeast then west. The trail then skirts the shoulder south of Feather Falls where there is a nice view down into the Middle Fork Feather Canyon (~4.4 miles, ~0.25 miles from the north loop junction) before it descends again to the northeast. At ~4.55 miles (~0.4 miles from the north loop junction) the trail intersects with the trail leading to the brink (straight). Stay left (west) here and continue descending toward the viewing platform. The viewing platform directly south of the waterfall is reached at ~4.6 miles from the trailhead (~0.45 miles from the north loop junction). On warm days the viewing platform will get a bit hot, so most people check out the view for a little while before retiring back into the shade. The view down into the Middle Fork Feather Canyon from the viewing platform is also good.
Follow your steps back up and down to the north loop junction (~5.1 miles total) and stay right (south) to follow the lower trail back toward the trailhead. The lower trail quickly descends to the southeast to a tributary of Frey Creek before leveling out slightly. The trail then slightly descends to the south before climbing gradually to the southwest and south. Before coming close to Frey Creek there is a view of Bald Rock Dome to the northwest. As the lower trail approaches Frey Creek it turns southeast to reach the footbridge over Frey Creek at ~1.8 miles from the north loop junction. When we were here in April, 2013 this footbridge was badly damaged (broke in half) but still offered access across the creek.After crossing the creek, the steep section of the lower trail begins (gains ~600' in ~0.8 miles). The trail switchbacks to the southeast a few times with some benches offering a rest. At ~2.5 miles from the north loop junction a side-trail leading to some Native American grinding stones is met heading to the right. The main trail continues straight before curving right and joining the grinding stones side-trail a short distance later. After this, the final climb rejoins the lower and upper trails at the south loop junction ~2.65 miles from the north loop junction. Follow the last ~0.3 miles of trail south back to the trailhead. From the south loop junction the north loop junction is either ~4.3 miles away with ~160'/760' of gain/loss (upper trail) or ~3.1 miles away with ~460'/1,010' of gain/loss (lower trail). Switch the gain/loss when going from the north loop junction to the south loop junction.