Feather Falls

Feather Falls is among the most well known of California's waterfalls and is perhaps the most impressive fall in the state north of Yosemite National Park. The Fall River hurtles 410 feet in explosive fashion into a branch of Bald Rock Canyon along the Middle Fork of the Feather River, first beginning as a narrow chute of water which then bursts outwards upon impacting a small lip of rock. Until recently Feather Falls had been almost always cited as dropping 640 feet and was (and still is) often referenced as being the 4th or 6th tallest waterfall in the United States by some metric or another (whatever the delimiter, the claim is incorrect). We began to question the validity of the suggested height which stirred California waterfall hunter Leon Turnbull to visit the falls with the intent of measuring it. His results showed the actual height to be well over 200 feet shy of what had been assumed for years. While the Fall River is a perennial stream and Feather Falls does flow all year long, the drainage isn't huge and the volume of water present will be significantly diminished from the end of July through October. From January trough June however the river is usually booming to the point of producing a cloud of mist which can be seen from Oroville Lake where the Fall River empties into the Feather.