Huge crowds at California waterfall caused so much damage it has to close - Burney, CA - News Article Locations on Waymarking.com

"Burney Falls, the 129-foot waterfall whose splendor attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to its location deep in the forest of Shasta County every year, is slated to close to the public starting in April. The main trail leading down to Burney Falls is in need of reconstruction, necessitating the closure of McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park’s waterfall and swimming hole area through the spring and summer of 2024, California State Parks announced.

According to Aaron Wright, public safety chief for the parks system’s Northern District, the trail leading down to Burney Falls and the area surrounding it have been eroded by the throngs of visitors that come to see the waterfalls each year.

“It’s erosion issues most likely caused by people using the trails not as they were intended,” Wright told SFGATE. “People walk off the path and cause erosion damage, and then through just rain and environment, it’s eroded. We’re having damage to the trail itself and into the surrounding hillsides.”

About 250,000 people visit the falls each year, Wright said. He estimates that during the pandemic’s peak years, that number surpassed 350,000. But he added that this wasn’t always the case: Traffic to the falls increased exponentially after an article highlighting the park was published in Sunset Magazine in the early 2010s, he said. Before that, Wright said, visitor numbers were only about 110,000 to 120,000 each year, which is the number of visitors the park is designed to accommodate.

“That got the word out about the falls, and then visitation has been increasing,” Wright said. “And it definitely did have an impact with all the news outlets advertising Burney Falls during the pandemic. When people were trying to find spots to go, they would go there. Even when the park was closed, they’d make their own way into the park, causing damage to other spots of the park as well.”

While the park’s waterfall area is closed, the Burney Falls Loop Trail will be repaved and a retaining wall will be added, Wright said. An ADA guardrail is also planned along the trail.

During this time, Caltrans will also be conducting major work to Highway 89, which leads to the park’s entrance. Any cars parked along the highway will be subjected to citation or towing, according to the park system’s website.

The waterfall and areas surrounding it are an important location for the Pit River Tribe, Wright said. The Ilmawi, the tribal band that lived closest to the falls, consider the waterfall and the pool at its base a sacred place. Today, the Pit River Tribe still conducts ceremonies and traditional activities at the falls.

Wright said rehabilitation work at the park is expected to be finished by the end of summer, although it’s too soon to know when the area will be able to reopen.

“It’s a state facility,” Wright said. “It’s for the public, to accommodate as many people as we can, as long as we keep everybody safe.”"https://www.sfgate.com/california-parks/article/california-waterfall-burney-falls-closing-18669910.php

Type of publication: Internet Only When was the article reported?: 02/15/2024 Publication: SFGate Article Url: [Web Link] Is Registration Required?: no How widespread was the article reported?: regional News Category: Society/People

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