Wandering Lizard

A Hike to Feather Falls - Very Late Spring

I was traveling through the Sacramento Valley in late spring and on the spur of the moment decided to visit Feather Falls up in the Plumas National Forest east of Lake Oroville. It was a last minute decision and I did not get to the trailhead until 4 p.m. Fortunately the days are long at that time of year as my round trip was to be about nine miles. The trail is signed and well maintained and the grades are reasonable. If I didn't waste any time I would be back to the car before dark.

This part of Butte County was the home of the Maidu Indians long before the European-Americans reached this part of California. At the time of the arrival of the early settlers the Maidu group that lived in this forest were known as the "Foothill Konkow." The Feather Falls trail passes a Native American grinding rock at one point early on. The round depressions in the rock that served as mortars for grinding acorns and other nuts are easy to make out. (Acorns contain a bitter tanic acid and have to be ground up and leached with water before they can be eaten.)

Further along on the trail one gets several views across the valley to Bald Rock Dome rising up out of the canyon several thousand feet above the Middle Fork of the Wild and Scenic Feather River. (The Feather was one of the original eight rivers to be so designated in 1968.) At 3,509 feet above sea level Bald Rock dome is not as high as the more famous monoliths in Yosemite and Kings' Canyon but it is a similar formation that traces its origins back to molten rock in middle earth 140 million years ago.

I reached the overlook at about six o'clock but the sun was still high enough to light the falls - a truly spectacular sight. Feather Falls plunges from a granite bench into a granite bowl 640 feet below. Fine white spray billows out in descending feathers giving rise to its name. The overlook is located on a jut of rock that permits fantastic views down the Feather River Canyon. Even though I was running out of day light I remained at the falls a long time. (My strong recommendation is to start this hike early enough that you do not have to rush away. The views are magnificent and it would make one heck of a picnic spot.)

Eventuially I reluctantly headed back to the trailhead and turned up the pace a bit pausing only long enough to admire wild flowers, listen to the birds, admire the views and think about how lucky I was to be in this wonderous place. I made it back to the trailhead just as afternoon was turning into evening. Next time I will make a day trip out of the hike and carry a lunch comensurate with the delicious surroundings.

Abecedarius 7/04