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Friday morning we got up and took our time getting ready. It was nearly
11am by the time we left camp, driving to McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park.
It's about a 45 minute drive north along Highway 89 from Manzanita Lake. I'd
often read about how beautiful Burney Falls is, so I wanted to check it out since
we were so close.
By the time we arrived, it was nearly lunch time. Conveniently, the parking lot
for the Burney Falls trail is next to a large wooded area with at least a dozen
picnic tables. We chose one of the few shaded ones and settled down for a
short picnic. It was a hot day (around 90 degrees), so the shade was welcome.
I was surprised that there wasn't anyone else as the picnic area. Perhaps they
were all cooling off by Lake Britton, which is at the end of the park road.
We could hear the rumbling of Burney Falls, out of sight across the road,
even as we sat and ate lunch. Finally, after lunch we walked across the
road and started hiking the Burney Falls trail.
After the hike we visited the park store where we got ice cream. There are also gifts and
camping supplies for sale. While we ate our ice cream we noticed several backpackers lounging
around the outside, possibly taking a break from the Pacific Crest Trail, which passes through
the park.
After ice cream, we made the 5 minute drive along the camp road, past the campground,
to Lake Britton. It's a large lake with motorized boating allowed. The boat launch parking
area was completely filled, so we parked at the lot next to it. We found a nice shaded spot
to sit next to the lake and skip rocks while motor boats and kayakers passed us.
Lake Britton
After a brief stay at the lake, we returned to our camp at Manzanita Lake. After an early
dinner, we drove over to the empty visitor's center parking lot (empty because it was closed).
We then walked across the street and started down the Lily Pond Nature Trail. There's a
box with trail guides (50 cents each) explaining the 31 numbered posts. The posts are very close
together, however, as it's only a 1 mile loop trail. It's a nice to place to visit near
sunset, as you'll probably have it all to yourself as we did, and the lighting is great.
It's also a nice place for young children; our kids had great fun going from post to post,
counting up to post number 12 before we decided to head back before it got dark.
Lily Pond
Descending the hill above the Lily Pond
Back at camp, we marveled at the fact that it was a Friday night and still the camp was
quiet.
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