California’s 10 Most Interesting and Unique Waterfalls
Sunday, January 22nd, 2012Time to step back and talk some more about the waterfalls in California. Today we’ll be addressing the most interesting and unique falls in the golden state. If you’re following this series, you may notice that none of these waterfalls feature a natural bridge, unlike pretty much all the other regions we’ve done these articles for. It seems the bedrock in California just isn’t conducive to that type of formation, at least at this point in time. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some damn cool waterfalls there though, so without further ado, here we go:
Le Conte Falls (dkend@pacbell.net, Flickr)
Le Conte Falls
It could legitimately be said that practically any of the waterfalls along the Tuolumne River as it descends the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne could be considered among California’s most interesting and unique waterfalls. But Le Conte Falls stands out because of one unmistakable characteristic – it’s multiple, massive waterwheels which are formed as the river strikes numerous depressions in the bedrock and jets as much as 30 feet (or more) into the air. These waterwheels were so eye-catching to early explorers that this waterfall was originally titled Waterwheel Falls, and a mapping error resulted in the title migrating to the next waterfall downstream – which does itself feature a significant waterwheel, but not nearly as prominently.
Burney Falls
Anyone making the argument that Burney Falls is the defacto most unique waterfall in California, we wouldn’t argue with the claim. Fueled by an extensive aquafir, Burney Creek first and foremost plunges 114 feet over a broad cliff in side-by-side leaps which seem to mirror each other, maintaining an incredibly consistent flow all year long. But adding to the main stream, the extensive volcanic history of the area has allowed a significant portion of the aquafir to percolate out of the cliff which forms the falls, resulting in a wall of springs gushing out behind the main falls which stretch 250 feet wide! This specific surface stream / aquafir contrast may be singularly unique in North America, as we cannot conjure another location where such an interaction takes place.
Mossbrae Falls, click to see more
Mossbrae Falls
Like Burney Falls, Mossbrae Falls is the product of the volcanism which dominates much of northern California’s landscape. In this case, eruptions from satellite vents on Mount Shasta covered a broad area west of the volcano with very porous rock. Water then percolates into the ground and runs through subterranean channels. One of the largest group of springs fed by this process is found in the vicinity of the town of Dunsmuir, where spring-fed Mossbrae Falls bubbles out of the ground and sprays about 50 feet directly into the Sacramento River. While the volume of the springs does increase during the snow melt season, the falls flow consistently all year thanks to their underground source. Even at low flow, the falls stretch over 150 feet in width and can achieve a width of nearly 250 feet during the spring.
McWay Falls
There have been discussions about how singularly unique and rare waterfalls which plunge directly into the ocean are, and while this phenomena is not nearly as uncommon an occurrence as some may thing (we’ll be addressing this topic in the future), there are certainly few such waterfalls which are easily seen. McWay Falls near Big Sur is not only easily accessible, but perhaps the most scenic of any waterfall which drops into the ocean. Though its stream is relatively small, the falls are striking as it chutes into a narrow free-fall and plunges about 80 feet over a bluff ending directly in the lapping waves of the Pacific Ocean (though technically it only drops into the ocean at high tide, the rest of the time the beach intervenes). As if this weren’t enough, the lagoon which forms the cove at the falls features some of the brightest, bluest ocean water which can be seen along the California coast. Photographers have taken note of this and flock to the falls en mass.
Horsetail Falls (Jeffrey Murray, Flickr)
Horsetail Falls
Though it only flow for about two months out of the year, Yosemite’s Horsetail Falls is among the most famous waterfalls on earth. Why? Because during a span of about 2-3 weeks in February, the 1,400 foot tall falls are backlit by the setting sun, creating perhaps the most spectacular instance of a “fire-fall” on earth. The phenomena of a fire-fall isn’t singularly unique to Horsetail Falls, but nowhere else on earth it is nearly as grandiose. The falls have become so famous among the global community of landscape photographers, thanks to a famous shot by the late Galen Rowell, that every year during February searching for Horsetail Falls on any of the major image hosting website will return a fresh crop of photos of the falls.
Darwin Falls
Waterfalls and deserts are two features which typically do not mix well. At all. So finding Darwin Falls tucked back in a canyon right smack in the middle of Death Valley, the hottest and driest location in North America, had to have been a discovery of incomprehensible serendipity. While the falls are nothing at all to write home about – merely a trickle of water which bubbles out of a spring not too far upstream and drops about 25 feet into a pool, consider that the average temperature in Death Valley from May to October is over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (and summer temperatures regularly eclipse 115 degrees). Also consider that the annual rainfall totals in Death Valley is around 2.3 inches. For a whole year. Yet Darwin Falls flows continuously.
Dry Meadow Creek Falls (chowjusky, Flickr)
Dry Meadow Creek Falls
As the Sierra Nevada Mountains are composed almost entirely out of granitic bedrock, the waterfalls found therein tend to feature very sinuous curves and numerous potholes worn into the rock. This is perhaps most perfectly exemplified in Dry Meadow Creek Falls near the southern terminus of the mountain range. As the stream flows towards the Kern River Canyon, it twists down a series of cascades which drop about 225 feet in all, but it makes this drop in no less than a dozen distinct leaps. What makes this so special is the perfect chaining of the pothole pools between each fall. Each drop has carved a large, deep pool in the bedrock, from which the next fall spills directly out of. The whole string of falls has become affectionately known as The Seven Teacups to whitewater kayakers who found the waterfalls too good an opportunity to pass up. The first 7 or 8 drops are all fairly small, no more than 15 feet each, but the final 4-5 tiers are considerably larger, falling up to 50 feet. Unfortunately the whole waterfall can’t be seen from one spot, but the upper half alone should be worth a visit in its own right.
Tueeulala Falls
Visitors to Yosemite National Park’s Hetch Hetchy Reservoir can witness two of the best waterfalls in California without getting out of their car, at least if you visit at the right time of year. Wapama Falls can be seen booming down the north wall of Hetch Hetchy valley, exploding onto huge rocks and creating quite a sight all year long. But if you visit between March and roughly the end of June, Tueeulala Falls can also be seen, plunging a sheer 800 feet in a parallel course to Wapama Falls. At first glance the falls may not appear special, but the mechanics of how the falls come into existence are quite unique. Falls Creek, which fuels Wapama Falls, balloons to such immense volume during the melt season that where it runs into a relatively flat area about a quarter mile upstream from Wapama Falls, a substantial portion of the stream escapes its channel and wanders to the edge of the valley in a different course. This results in two parallel waterfalls, both technically situated along Falls Creek, which are formed by the same precipice but bear distinctly different names. Making this further interesting, Tueeulala Falls’ lifespan is markedly different than other seasonal waterfalls in Yosemite. Because the falls only exist when Falls Creek is running high, once the snow melt subsides, the falls can shrink from a booming plunge to just a trickle in a matter of days, as if someone just turned the stream off with a switch.
Staircase Falls, click to see more
Staircase Falls
Though quite easily seen, Staircase Falls is one of the most frequently ignored waterfalls in Yosemite National Park, but this is more due to its very small volume than its stature or character. Were it left to physical appearance to determine the best waterfalls in Yosemite, Staircase would no doubt be towards the top of the list. As tiny Gossamer Creek drains from a narrow crevice below Glacier Point, it seems to have skipped out of its natural course to take a caddywompus path to the valley floor by way of a series of diagonally fractured shelves of granite. Because of how these shelves are sloped, the creek plunges, then effectively slides sideways, then plunges again, and repeats this pattern several times. The result is the 1,300 foot tall falls actually shift laterally for a greater distance than they fall – that is the top of the falls is almost 1,500 feet west of the bottom of the falls.
Golden Cascade
Golden Cascade is a waterfall of rather small proportion. It could be considered quaint, even, and it’s not really a location that we would suggest going out of your way to see (though there are two or three other waterfalls in the immediate area). What makes Golden Cascade stand out is the tiny mineral-rich stream feeding the falls has stained the bedrock so distinctly that the water appears to be sheeting over shiny deposits of gold. Actually copper would probably be a more apt description, because the color is much more orange than yellow, but either way, it’s saturated to the point where it is far and away the most distinct characteristic of the falls.