A renewed Burney Falls

Tiny planet view of Burney Falls

Well, not a renewal of the falls itself, instead the trail down to the falls has been massively redesigned and improved. But first, here’s the famous falls in action:

Sure, you’ve seen that view before. This year, it’s really flowing strongly due to our recent fairly normal wet winter. Well, heavy winter rainfall used to be normal. No matter what, the water you see here flows from an underground aquifer. Not far upstream from the falls, the creek bed is nearly dry.
Here’s your first glimpse of the beauty as you approach:


A couple more shots:

Burney falls in the mistTiny planet view of Burney Falls

The new trail work is amazing. It looks really authentic, and is in keeping with the forestry style. It’s like something from Yosemite or Yellowstone. It also looks like it’s always been there. If you’ve been there in the recent past, you may recall when the trail was more of a “suggestion.” Cutting corners and scrambling over loose rocks invited the adventurous and foolish city folk to injury. Not great for a park with as many tourists as this one attracted. Yes, the trail is cleaned up and well defined (with handrails!). More civilized, but, still in keeping with the woodsy ethos. I say it’s a big improvement.

Newly refurbished trail at Burney FallsNewly refurbished trail to Burney Falls again.

There are still more rustic trails:

Misty trail into the park at Burney Falls

We camped in the Rim Trail campground. It was lovely, quiet and serene.

Motorhome at campground in Burney Falls Park

No hook-ups. No electricity. No wi-fi. No cell service. At first it was bit of withdrawal for me, I’m sad to admit. Then, it became a sublime respite. An unexpected break with a positive impact. Highly recommended. But good luck to you getting here. We are told the campground is fully booked for the summer of 2025, and they start reservations 6 months in advance. But there we are. Just like Yosemite, etc. park popularity comes with a downside.

A few more images:

Burney Falls image

Burney Falls State Park is located about an hour’s drive east of Redding on highway 299E. In so many ways, it’s ReallyRedding.

Approaching Mt Lassen

The often snow covered vista of Lassen Peak graces our eastern horizon from Redding California. I can see the mountain from my bedroom window in north Redding. Here is a brief aerial view captured in the spring of 2025 approaching the park from the west.

Mt Lassen in spring 2025 with Manzanita Lake in the foreground.

Morning mist in Redding CA

Sun seen through mist in Redding CA
Morning mist rising up from the pool signals the approaching Autumnal end of our swim season, which in turn sets my mind’s eye soaring up into the dreamy sky overhead and back. Music excerpt “Mystical Fantasies” by Craig Padilla.

Late summer sunset, where the river runs through Redding

Here’s a soothing flight overlooking the Sacramento River as it passes through Redding California on its way to the sea. The devastating Park Fire rages into the fragile and crucial Mill Creek drainage of the norther Sierra. One of the few remaining un-dammed Salmon runs for protected spring run fish. Truly awful events taking place to the east provide a a golden and smoky light to Redding. Pretty, but deadly.

Video capture and editing by Skip Murphy. Soundtrack by me and Craig Padilla.

Sunset view 8-7-2024 of the Sacramento River as it flows through Redding CA
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A brief timelapse of Castle Crags

A very brief timelapse I captured in late Spring of 2024 featuring the famous Castle Crags of southern Siskiyou County. More a learning exercise than anything. I hope to do more and longer timelapse videos.

Snow dusted Xastle Crags from Spring of 2024

Timelapse sunrise over Redding CA 4/12/2024 – 5 seconds long.

sunrise 4-12-2024

Did this TL yesterday. Turned out nice.

sunrise 4-12-2024Skip Murphy

While 5 seconds may be my attention span lately, bear in mind that this took a lot longer to shoot and edit. I shot a frame every 10 seconds and you see it here at 24 frames per second. So, roughly 128 shots taken over 20 minutes or so. Took about an hour to edit it to what you see here. Makes you appreciate those really long timelapses you see some artists do.

 

New Courthouse in Redding is about to open

I see the new courthouse in Redding  is finally set to open. I captured this aerial footage of it under construction in the fall of 2022. The scene starts across the street at the old courthouse, dressed in beautiful fall colors, and then (takes too long) to circle the new structure. Worth a view, if you haven’t seen it elsewhere on social media.

River looking east in the fall