McCloud River Falls
McCloud (Shasta County) · near McCloud · Shasta Cascade
Swimming & Hot Springs
At a glance
- Temperature
- ~55–62°F (spring-fed, stays cold all summer)
- Cost
- FREE · Shasta-Trinity National Forest
- Season
- June–September · Best July–August when water is calmer · Spring high water makes swimming dangerous
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
- Safety
- Underwater boulders at Lower Falls — NO JUMPING from rocks. Wading and swimming only at Lower Falls. Middle and Upper Falls have cleaner pool bottoms but water is extremely cold — hypothermia possible with extended immersion. Children require close supervision.
Swimming & Hot Springs detail
- Nickname
- Three Swimming Holes, One Trail
- Type
- swimming-hole
- Temp
- cold
- Clothing optional
- No
- Directions
- From McCloud: take Hwy 89 east approximately 5 miles. Turn north on Forest Road 39N07 (signed for Fowler's Camp and McCloud River Loop Road). Follow sequentially to Lower Falls, Middle Falls, and Upper Falls parking areas. Vault toilets at each. Free.
- Pools
- Lower Falls: 15-foot cascade into largest pool · best for swimming, most popular, most accessible · Middle Falls: dramatic 40-foot curtain waterfall, deep plunge pool, most photogenic · Upper Falls: quietest pool in basalt bowl with deep shade, spring-fed and coldest of the three
- Intl tip
- The town of McCloud itself is worth a detour — a classic lumber company town from the early 20th century with a renovated historic hotel (McCloud Hotel), a good diner, and a character that Shasta County's highway corridor doesn't have. McCloud is also one of the access points for Mount Shasta ski mountaineering (covered in the backcountry skiing guide).
The guide
The McCloud River does something unusual — it delivers three completely distinct swimming experiences in a single 3-mile trail …
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to McCloud River Falls — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 41.2487, -122.0017