I visited two new places today: MacArthur-Burney Falls State Park and Crater Lake National Park. So yes, technically this Northern California road trip has now made it into Southern Oregon! This is the farthest point from home I got on the trip.

Anyway, I’m so excited to have finally seen Burney Falls. I found out about this place last year while Pinteresting for things to do near Lake Tahoe but long story short: I couldn’t make the trip then so I knew I had to see it eventually. Today was the day!

Fast facts:

  • Entrance fee is 8$
  • Paved walkway down to the base of the falls
  • Busy/popular place (I can’t imagine how many pictures I must’ve accidentally photobombed)

My experience:

My initial reaction was that this waterfall is way bigger than it looks in pictures. I thought that it was maybe twenty feet tall, but it’s actually 129 feet tall! Crazy. Plus, it’s so intricate (not to get all hippie on you) but seriously how does nature do this?

I set up my hammock, and it was the.perfect.hang! Instant peace when I sat down. But then the crowd started taking intentional photos of me and I felt weird. So another long story short: I took it down pretty quick.

History highlight of Crater Lake:

The visitor’s map says, “a massive volcanic eruption 7,700 years ago left a deep basin in the place where a mountain peak once stood. Centuries of rain and snow filled the basin, forming a deep blue lake whose waters are of unmatched color and clarity. It’s the deepest lake in the United States.”

My experience:

I drove into Oregon for the first time! It’s so pretty, and there are so many trees! I went to Crater Lake National Park, specifically Rim Village. When I got to the edge of the crater it gave me a weird dizzying sensation to look down. The water color wasn’t as vibrant as normal because of all the fires in the area nearby which made the sky gray.

Where I’m camping tonight:

Then I drove to Steward State Park, which was by far my favorite camping spot on the trip! It had a lake view, a trail down to the perfect hammock spot, and free showers. It was life.

Have you been to Burney Falls or Crater Lake? What was your experience like? Share with me in the comments below!