Feather Falls
Plumas National Forest (Oroville) · near Oroville · Gold Country & Central Valley
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- strenuous
- Route type
- loop
- Distance
- 9 miles
- Elevation gain
- 1,400 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- March–June (peak flow spring; hot in summer)
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- No permit or fee. One of the tallest waterfalls in California; the loop trail leads to an overlook platform. A California Campfire Permit is needed for a stove.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 1 of 5
What is here
- Features
- One of California's tallest falls (~410 ft) · Overlook platform · Feather River canyon · Spring wildflowers
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- No
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- Go in spring (roughly March through early June) for peak water flow — that's when the falls are truly jaw-dropping. The loop can be hiked in either direction; the shorter, steeper side gets the falls out of the way first. Summer is hot and the flow drops; carry plenty of water and start early.
The guide
Feather Falls plunges some 410 feet into the Fall River canyon, ranking among the tallest waterfalls in California and anchorin…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Feather Falls — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 39.651, -121.274