There are many excellent state parks in the sunny state of California, with McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park being one of the most popular and stunning. In fact, it’s so beautiful that former American President Theodore Roosevelt referred to Burney Falls as the world’s eighth wonder.
You’ll be able to find this fantastic piece of land on Highway 89 in California, about 5 miles from where it meets Highway 299.
(Photo credit: alanvernon)
The entire park is gorgeous, but the main attraction is the spectacular Burney Falls, which is about 130 feet in height. There’s a main waterfall as well as some smaller ones in the layers of rock next to it. These add to the site’s overall beauty. It’s estimated that about 100 million gallons of water flow over the waterfalls each and every day. The mist the water produces is quite attractive and refreshing, but you need to be careful since it can make the nearby trails and rocks a little slippery.
The most popular of the parks hikes is the Falls Loop Trail. This begins at the overlook at Burney Falls and loops alongside Burney Creek. There are bridges below and above the waterfalls which offer some excellent views of the surrounding area. The trail’s close to 1.5 miles in length and there are some noticeable elevation changes on it. It’s not too hard to navigate and some of it is paved.
McArthur-Burney Falls State Park also offers some great spots for camping. This includes campsites for RVs, trailers, and tents. There are also some cabins for rent if you’d rather sleep indoors. These one-roomed, 18-foot buildings were opened in 2010 and come with set of bunk beds. There are also 24-foot models available which have two rooms as well as two sets of beds.
Regular campsites at the park can fit camp trailers and RVs up to a length of 32 feet. You can also pitch up to 3 tents on them pretty easily. All of the campsites and cabins are within short walking distance of showers and restrooms. There’s a general store on the road that leads to the campgrounds which sells all sorts of camping necessities along with wine, beer, ice, and ice cream. You can also receive a Wi-Fi signal in the store and there are electrical outlets available if you’d like to use your electronic devices or charge up their batteries.
If there’s something you need and can’t find it at the general store you can head into the charming town of Burney, which is about 10 miles away from the park’s campgrounds. There are several gas stations there as well as a sporting-goods and grocery store. There’s a road that runs through the campground that leads to a swimming beach and Lake Britton Marina. There’s a boat ramp at the marina along with boat and slip rentals and floating docks. You can rent kayaks, canoes, and motor boats here to take out on magnificent Lake Britton.
The beach may not be the biggest around, but it’s protected well and as an ideal location for taking a dip and cooling down. The water’s usually a bit on the cool side since the lake is fed by melting snow. Restrooms and showers can also be found close to the beach and marina. The park is a wonderful location for camping, hiking, swimming, boating, and other types of outdoor activities since it features just over 900 acres of forested land as well as Burney Falls, Britton Lake and about 5 miles of shoreline.
