Top 10 of the most beautiful waterfalls of California

California is a land rich in waterfalls. Weakened after the summer drought, in winter and spring they gain unprecedented power and appear in all their natural beauty. The most famous of Californian waterfalls is in Yosemite Park. It is one of the highest waterfalls in the world. ForumDaily prepared for you the route to the ten most beautiful waterfalls in California.

Photo: Shutterstock

McWay Falls

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park in Monterey is home to one of California's most unique waterfalls. He earned this title not because of his size or power, but because he never gets dry. The height of the stream is 24 meters. Not only is the waterfall itself eternally alive, but it is also located in a place that remains green all year round. The secret is that both the waters of Makuey and the trees in the area are fed by a large underground river.

Makuey falls from a cliff into a beautiful bay with sandy beaches, but, alas, tourists are not allowed on them - it’s dangerous. The rocks are constantly eroding, and a walk along the beach can end in disaster. All that remains is to admire from the observation deck both the paradise beach and the once residential and luxurious “House by the Waterfall”. It was built in 1870, and in the 40s of the last century the house was bought by Helen Hooper Brown, the wife of Congressman Lathrop Brown. The owners got to their romantic home by cable car. When the building began to deteriorate, Helen was unable to find buyers and simply left the House at the Falls, putting a large lock on the door. Now all that remains of the house are stone ruins and a terrace.

Parking: $10

Address: Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

Crystal Creek Falls

This waterfall has its own secret, but only those who are very familiar with the history of the local surroundings of Lake Shasta can unravel it. Noisy and seething Crystal Creek is the work of man.

There are several waterfalls around Lake Shasta, some are even gathered in ensembles, but it is difficult and only an experienced tourist to get to them. You can walk to Crystal Creek Falls without sports training. Perhaps it was precisely because people had a hand in it.

When in the 20s of the last century it was necessary to divert water from the Trinity River, several large reservoirs were created on Lake Shasta. One of them, according to the engineers, must be constantly devastated. Then came the idea to build an 17-mile tunnel through which water will merge. That's the whole secret of Crystal Creek.

Parking: $10

Address: Whiskeytown Lake, Shasta

Horstale Falls

Someone compares it to the northern lights in the southern style, someone calls water lava, and someone is ready to argue that the whole thing is about the LEDs that the cunning rangers of Yosemite Park have built somewhere under the water.

The yellow, orange, and red colors in which the Horstail water stream is painted are a visual illusion of nature, a phenomenon associated with the refraction of light. The water becomes fiery and it seems as if the El Capitan mountain range is engulfed in flames.

The phenomenal glow of Horsetail can be observed in the second half of February, during sunset. But even at other times of the year, the waterfall is beautiful in its own way, and the landscapes are simply mesmerizing. Professionals say that the best place for shooting is the northern road that leads to Yosemite Valley from El Capitan Mountain.

Parking: $20

Address: Yosemite National Park, California

Yosemite Falls

Photo: Shutterstock

Yosemite is a cascade of waterfalls on Yosemite Creek. Their total height is 739 meters. Yosemite is the tallest waterfall in North America and the 20th tallest in the world. Yosemite Falls falls from the sheer cliff of Mount El Capitan. If you come to these parts in the summer, you will simply see bare rock without a hint of a stormy and powerful stream. But from December to April, Yosemite amazes with its scale and incredible speed. The sound of the waterfall can be heard tens of kilometers away. Perhaps it was precisely because of this roar of water that the American naturalist and philosopher, one of the founders of the system of nature reserves in the USA, John Muir called Yosemite Falls the most melodious water in the world.

Parking: $20

Address: Yosemite Village, CA 95389

Waterfall nevada

Nevada Falls is sometimes mistakenly excluded from the list of California beauties, but this almost 200-meter waterfall is located right here in Yosemite National Park. Mount Liberty Cap, whose height is more than 2150 meters, rises above the waterfall. It is this proximity - white foam of water and a cloud of spray against the backdrop of a huge mountain - that makes Nevada Falls especially beautiful.

Tourists who come to admire the waterfall are told the following legend. The Ahwaneechee tribe, who once lived in Yosemite Valley, called this waterfall Cholok, meaning “full of spirits.” And these spirits are women and children who went to fetch water from a powerful stream and disappeared without a trace. Who knows whether there is at least some truth in this legend, but just in case, tourists are strictly prohibited from swimming in this and other waterfalls in Yosemite Park.

Parking: $20

Address: Yosemite Village, CA 95389

Bridevale Falls

The name of this waterfall in Yosemite Park translates as "Bride's Veil". There are several versions of why it was called that way. The most common suggests that the spray of a turbulent waterfall draws a train in the air that resembles a veil. Another version convinces that the waterfall was called “the veil of the bride” because its flow is too variable. When a strong wind rises, it deviates to the side.

Indeed, in windy weather, and you can witness the breathtaking scenery: the waterfall begins to "walk" on the mountain. By the way, the inconstancy of Bridevale is also manifested in size. In winter and spring, its height is 180 meters, and in summer, the waterfall dries up and does not even reach the ground.

Parking: $20

Address: Yosemite Village, Bridalveil Fall, CA 95389

Ribbon Falls

Photo: Shutterstock

Ribbon is called a waterfall for the lazy. This is the only mountain stream that you can admire without leaving your car. Its height is 491 meters.

Ribbon Falls are sometimes confused with Yosemite Falls, because outwardly these wonders of nature are very similar. Only to Yosemite you need to walk, and at Ribbon you can watch right from the highway.

And Ribbon is the most “predatory” of all the waterfalls in the park. While most water streams coexist peacefully with the rock from which they fall, the Ribbon eats about half a meter of rock every year and moves deeper into the park.

Parking: Free on the highway or $ 20 entry to the park

Address: Yosemite Village, CA 95389

Phantom waterfalls

What makes Phantom Falls unique is not its size or flow power. The fact is that these cascades appear only in the spring, when the snow begins to melt on the high mountain slopes of the Cordillera. A real stormy river suddenly bursts from the mountains, and a few weeks later it just as unexpectedly disappears. The height of the waterfalls is just over 50 meters.

Parking: Free options

Address: Phantom Falls, Butte

Alamere Falls

Alamere Waterfall is a miracle of nature, which has not even a dozen brothers. A waterfall that falls directly into the ocean is a unique phenomenon. Therefore, it is not surprising that Alamere is the only waterfall in California at the foot of which fur seals have built a rookery. Alamere's most active season is from December to May. At this time, the stream is really stormy, and the rock turns emerald due to the characteristics of the water. The height of the waterfall is 12 meters.

Parking: Free options

Address: Coast Trail, Bolinas

Heart Rock Falls

These regions - the vicinity of Lake Gregory - are called Californian Switzerland.

It's labeled Seeley Creek on the map, but hikers call it Heart Rock Falls. There are no romantic stories or heartbreaking legends at the heart of this name. But the niche in the rock, which the water pierced, has a real heart shape. The waterfall itself is low - about 8 meters. But the fact that the water has carved an almost perfect pattern in the stone makes this small mountain stream worthy of our top spot. By the way, his heart opens only to those who conquer the mountain - climb over the boulders to the very top, from where the water flows.

Parking: Free options

Address: CA-138, Crestline

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