Burney Falls is a

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

on Burney Creek, within McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, in

Shasta County, California Shasta County (), officially the County of Shasta, is a County (United States), county in the Northern California, northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its population is 182,155 as of the 2020 census, up from 177,223 from the 2010 c ...

. The water comes from underground springs above and at the falls, which are 129 feet high, and provides an almost constant flow rate of 379 million litres per day, even during the dry summer months. Burney Creek is a tributary of the

Pit River The Pit River is a major river draining from northeastern California into the state's Central Valley. The Pit, the Klamath and the Columbia are the only three rivers in the U.S. that cross the Cascade Range. The longest tributary of the Sacr ...

which has its mouth on the

Lake Britton Lake Britton is a reservoir located in Shasta County, California. It is known for its wide variety of bass and trout. Its main body is situated to the west of State Route 89, and is mostly surrounded by PG&E Land, Forest Service Land, and McArt ...

reservoir to the north. The falls are an example of

river drainage A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

regulated by stratigraphically-controlled springs, and of a waterfall formed by

undercutting Price-based selling is a specific selling technique in which a business exclusively reduces their price in attempt to close the sales cycle. Price-based selling clearly exists in businesses such as: commodity sales, auto sales, hospitality, and eve ...

of horizontal

strata In geology and related fields, a stratum ( : strata) is a layer of rock or sediment characterized by certain lithologic properties or attributes that distinguish it from adjacent layers from which it is separated by visible surfaces known as ei ...

. Called "the Eighth Wonder of the World" by President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

, the falls are "at their most intense ... during the spring, from early April through October, when snowmelt is at its peak". The falls were declared a

National Natural Landmark The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best ...

in December 1954. In March 2021, a

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

article declared the site to be one of "northern California’s most spectacular waterfalls". The water temperature rarely gets higher than 42 degrees but the pool below the falls is a popular location for catch-and-release fly-fishing. The Redding tourism website states that the falls "can be enjoyed from above at lookout point", and preferably, from the pool at base of the falls, accessed via a trail. Some of the waterfalls scenes for ''Willow'' (1988) were shot at the falls, although

Powerscourt Waterfall Powerscourt Waterfall ( ga, Eas Chonaill) is the second highest waterfall in Republic of Ireland, Ireland at high, it is located at the base of the Glensoulan Valley on the River Dargle near Enniskerry, Enniskerry, County Wicklow. Powerscourt ...

in Ireland was also used for filming. Other movies with scenes filmed at Burney Falls include ''Stand by Me'' (1986), ''

The Parson and the Outlaw ''The Parson and the Outlaw'' is a 1957 American Western (genre), Western film directed by Oliver Drake (filmmaker), Oliver Drake for Charles "Buddy" Rogers Productions and distributed by Columbia Pictures. Written by Drake and John Mantley, the ...

'' (1957) and ''

Tarzan's Fight for Life ''Tarzan's Fight for Life'' is a 1958 Metrocolor action adventure film featuring Edgar Rice Burroughs' famous jungle hero Tarzan and starring Gordon Scott, Eve Brent, Rickie Sorensen, Jil Jarmyn, and Cheeta the chimpanzee. The film was directed b ...

'' (1958).As It Was: The Big Screen Features Burney Falls
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References

External links

* {{authority control Waterfalls of California Landforms of Shasta County, California National Natural Landmarks in California Pit River Protected areas of Shasta County, California Tourist attractions in Shasta County, California