create a show of watery splendor. The moderate climb is a bit strenuous, but the overall distance is relatively short and the effort is easily forgotten once the dramatic scenery captivates you at the falls. Photographers will find the best light at midday.
GPS COORDINATES N40° 35.818' W122° 36.023'
DIRECTIONS Head west from Redding on CA 299 for 8 miles and then turn left (southwest) onto Kennedy Memorial Drive. The visitor center, immediately on the right, is the place to obtain current information and purchase a daily, weekly, or annual pass that is required to park at any NRA trailheads. With pass in hand, head south on Kennedy Memorial Drive toward Whiskeytown Dam, drive across the dam, and wind around above the shoreline to the Brandy Creek Beach Area. Here, immediately past a service road, turn left onto Shasta Bally Road and make a steep, winding climb on a dirt road 1.3 miles to a junction and proceed ahead toward Sheep Camp and Shasta Bally.
Continue snaking up the road, avoiding the tendency to stop at two separate pullouts signed BRANDY CREEK TRAIL, to another junction, 2.2 miles from Brandy Creek Beach Area. Turn left at the junction and drive another 0.75 mile to where large boulders block the road, passing pullouts for Salt Gulch and Rich Gulch trails along the way. A small parking area with a bearproof trashcan is nearby.
Description
Walk up the continuation of the road past the boulders a short distance to where an old roadbed veers uphill on your left next to a sign reading BRANDY CREEK FALLS 1.5. Climb along this old logging road through a shady, mixed forest of black oaks, canyon live oaks, tan oaks, bigleaf maples, ponderosa pines, Douglas-firs, and incense cedars, with the reverberating sound of Brandy Creek tumbling down the canyon below. A healthy understory includes a variety of ferns, as well as snowberry and dogwood. The grade momentarily eases at the bridged crossing of a tributary, followed shortly by an easy hop across a smaller rivulet cascading through large boulders, which were deposited here during a slide in the winter of 1997. Beyond the rivulet, the moderate climb resumes beneath forest cover until a very brief descent drops to a junction with the Rich Gulch Trail on your left.
Upper Brandy Creek Falls
A short, gently graded stretch of trail from the junction leads to a boulder hop of a thin stream, after which the trail climbs again through a narrower section of the canyon. Soon you reach a viewpoint of Lower Brandy Creek Falls, with a park bench nearby from which to rest and enjoy the view. As a sign indicates that the upper falls is still 0.25 mile away, you continue upstream through the slender canyon, passing directly alongside the lower falls and the cascading creek above, aided at times by the presence of some iron handrails. Cross the creek on a twin-plank bridge and then climb along the north bank past another cascade and an inviting pool before crossing back over the creek and scrambling up to a dramatic, cathedral-like view of the upper falls.
BOULDER CREEK FALLS TRAILHEAD
TRIP 3 Boulder Creek Falls
A short, gentle trail leads to a beautiful 81-foot-high waterfall in a cool grotto.
Trip Type:
Day hike
Distance & Configuration:
2.4-mile out-and-back
Elevation Change:
400' (average 334'/mile)
Difficulty:
Easy
Season:
Year-round; best April–early June and late September–November
Map:
USGS French Gulch
Management:
Whiskeytown NRA, 530-242-3400, nps.gov/whis
Nearest Campground:
Oak Bottom
Two different trails lead to scenic Boulder Creek Falls, a dramatic 81-foot-high waterfall tucked into a narrow and shady canyon. The 2.75-mile-long trail featured by the National Park Service follows the creek most of the way from a conveniently accessed trailhead just off South Shore Drive. However, following this route necessitates crossing the creek three times, and during spring, when the falls are at peak glory, you’re almost guaranteed to come away with wet footwear. The alternate trail described below is considerably shorter and avoids all three fords, but does require a slightly longer drive to reach the trailhead.
GPS COORDINATES N40° 38.2298' W122° 38.193'
DIRECTIONS Head west from Redding on CA 299 for 8 miles and then turn left (southwest) onto Kennedy Memorial Drive. The visitor center immediately on the right is the place to obtain current information and purchase a daily, weekly, or annual pass that is required to park at any NRA trailhead. With pass in hand, return to CA 299, turn left, and continue westbound 7 miles along the north shore of Whiskeytown Lake to a left-hand turn onto Carr Powerhouse Road. Cross a bridge over Clear Creek and proceed 0.5 mile to a junction with Mill Creek Road. Turn right and follow the dirt surface of Mill Creek Road 0.4 mile to a junction and bear right. Proceed for another 1.4 miles, where the road splits again and steel chains block further vehicular progress. Park your car as space allows along the shoulder. The upper road is your route, signed BOULDER CREEK FALLS.
Boulder Creek Falls
Description
From the gate, follow the continuation of the road on a steep and exposed climb through manzanita and widely scattered pines and oaks. Fortunately, both the steep ascent and exposure to the sun are short-lived, as the grade soon eases and a dense forest of incense cedars, ponderosa pines, Douglas-firs, canyon live oaks, black oaks, and tan oaks provides some welcome shade. Springtime promises the added bonus of flowering dogwoods. Poison oak is quite prevalent along the way, but the width of the old roadbed is plenty wide enough to avoid any potential contact. Gently descending tread leads farther into the forest and across a couple of seasonal tributaries of Boulder Creek.
As you begin to hear the roar of the creek ahead, the trail curves around toward Boulder Creek, where you will soon notice an appreciable drop in the temperature in the cool and moist environment of the canyon. Cross the creek on a wood-plank bridge and immediately turn upstream, forsaking the old road for a narrow, singletrack trail. Ascend steeply up the canyon, aided by wood-beam steps, and soon spy the falls through the trees. Continue climbing to the base of the falls, with a trail register and park bench nearby.
