42. McCloud River's Three Waterfalls

Length:	3.2 miles round trip
Hiking time:	2 hours
High point:	3,600 feet
Total elevation gain:	200 feet
Difficulty:	easy
Season:	all; bigger falls in the spring
Water:	available from Fowlers Camp Campground faucets or McCloud River (purify first)
Maps:	USGS 7.5' Lake McCloud
Information:	McCloud Ranger District, Shasta-Trinity National Forest

Get in tune with a wild river that sports back-to-back-to-back fantastic waterfalls. You'll also enjoy the scenic stroll's secluded forests.

From I-5 south of Mount Shasta, take Highway 89 east 10 miles to McCloud, then continue 5 more miles. Turn right onto the paved road signed for river access and Fowlers Camp Campground. Go 0.6 mile, stay straight at a road fork, bear right 50 yards farther, then continue 0.6 mile to the trailhead at the Lower Falls of the McCloud River picnic area.

Up to 40 feet wide in late spring, Lower Falls of the McCloud River (the hike's starting point) spill 15 feet into a foamy avalanche of white froth, then into a 25-yard-long pool. Picnickers and fishers relax along the rock slab overlooking the scene. Daredevilish youngsters sometimes leap from the rocky edge 15 feet into the swirl.

A wide asphalt path follows the river upstream past serviceberry, snowberry, thimbleberry, and ferns roofed mainly by Douglas fir and the occasional incense cedar, white fir, and ponderosa pine. Manzanita and ceanothus shrubs highlight the sunnier sections.

Fowlers Camp Campground borders the river's clear and cold water starting at 0.2 mile. Long ago, the Wintu Indians camped here seasonally to fish and hunt. Black oak, hazelnut, and dogwood join the forest as the trail converts to a wide dirt path at 0.4 mile. Soon after you note an eroded and steep cliff face on the other shore at 0.8 mile, look for a 20-foot tall, rare Pacific yew conifer (redwood-like needles) at trailside.

Set in a steep and rocky canyon dotted with majestic Douglas firs, rectangular Middle Falls of the McCloud River (1 mile) are some 30 yards wide, with a spectacular dropoff.

The trail then snakes up and away, reaches a prime vista down on the falls, ascends some long, wooden steps, and tops out on a rocky rim covered with manzanita and interspersed with squaw carpet. From a nearby rocky perch beneath a cluster of ponderosa pines, check out a clear view of the falls setting.

Look back for pleasing views of Mount Shasta and the Trinity Divide Mountains along this stretch. More inspirational looks down into the river continue for another 0.25 mile or so. At 1.5 miles you reach a shady section featuring a steep wall of lichen-coated gray rock on the left side of the trail. The first sighting of Upper Falls of the McCloud River ensues just past this 20-foot-high corridor.

Upper Falls aren't as photogenic as Middle Falls, but are perhaps the most unique looking, and certainly carry the most water force. Hemmed in on both sides by steep cliffs, these falls are an extremely powerful chute of pure white water in spring. By looking down on it, it's easy to imagine a bursting dam. Make your way down the spur trail to the edge of a large, round, swirling pool. Retrace your steps and wander over to the fall's lip, where a 100-yard-long, all-white cascade plunges over the edge. The trail continues for several more miles. If you're interested in backpacking this stretch, contact the McCloud Ranger District.