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Burney Falls
Spring-fed falls in California’s volcanic northeast, flowing even in drought
Most waterfalls in California fade by late summer. Burney Falls does not, because its water comes from underground. Rain and snowmelt soak into the porous volcanic rock around Burney Creek and emerge as springs above and in the face of the falls, sending about 100 million gallons (379 million liters) a day over the 129-foot (39 m) drop. Water streams out of the cliff itself as well as over the top, creating a wide, lacy curtain about 250 feet (76 m) across. The water rarely rises above 42°F (6°C), even in summer.
The falls lie in McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, between Mount Shasta and Lassen Peak. The park is the second oldest in the California State Parks system. Descendants of the McArthur family, early settlers in the valley, bought the land and gave it to the state in the 1920s to keep it from development. The falls take their name from Samuel Burney, a settler who lived in the area in the 1850s. Burney Creek runs a short way past the falls into Lake Britton on the Pit River. The site was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1954.