Feather Falls

Waterleaf

Six of us headed back down to the Oroville Reservoir area to hike to Feather Falls.  The drive from Grass Valley takes a bit more than an hour and a half and was stunningly beautiful, if a little confusing in it's twists and turns.  The scenery was farm country with a graceful barns and olive orchards. 

It was our first long hike of the season and we felt it.  Depending on whose measuring device being used, the mileage varied but was somewhere upwards of 9 miles with about a 2000 ft. plus elevation gain. There were interpretive signs along the trail explaining both the geology and the riparian (river) ecosystems we were hiking through.  The trail required a small amount of climbing over downed trees but was mostly engineered without too steep a grade.  There had been an attempt at stemming erosion by cementing in parts of the upper reaches of the trail.  Sturdy fences at viewing platforms as well as along the upper part of the trail made the experience even more accessible.  Large rock outcroppings as well as a smooth dome and tall granite cliffs were remindful of Yosemite. 

The falls themselves were dramatic and beautiful.  We had heard that they are the fourth largest in California, but researching that, it is hard to make that judgment.  Some contenders are extremely tall but seasonal.  T

here are free-falling falls and cascading falls, falls within falls.  The tallest is Yosemite at 2425 feet, then one at Hetch Hetchy at 1300 feet.  Next is Bridalveil at 620 and Nevada at 480.  Then comes Feather Falls at 410.  But there is Stevenson at 1200 into the San Joaquin River but it is seasonal.  Whatever, this one was quite spectacular.  We hiked the loop counterclockwise in order to save the steepest climb for the uphill returning portion.



Adiantum

Quite a few plants were flowering at this time of year.  Western of CA Waterleaf, Starflower, Sedum, Hartweg's Ginger, Wallflower, Indian Pink, Paintbrush, Cats Ears, Delphinium, Iris, Lupine, as well as a beautiful unidentified bush, Monkey Flower bush, and dogwoods.  The woods at some very large trees as well as delicate ferns, specifically Adiantum.

dome

falls



unidentified bush