Bay Area Friends and Visitors! People are always asking me where is the ultimate northern California weekend getaway from the Bay. The list of places can go on and on and on…California is just so massive! Well given the time of year, fall, I thought I would share a season favorite so you can catch waterfalls and falling leaves! Get in your car and head north…towards Oregon, but no worries you won’t actually go that far. read below if you’re chasing waterfalls and looking for natural hot springs 😉
***Depending how much time you have on your trip and what your plans are, take a day to stop and spend the night in Guerneville and check out my post Guerneville – The Perfect Bay Area Weekend Getaway before your trip!
Exploring McCloud Trail/Falls
The McCloud river feeding into the McCloud waterfalls. Indigenous tribes still come to this area for spiritual purposes.
Your ultimate northern California weekend getaway is incomplete without a stop at McCloud falls. Bonus, you get three waterfalls on this one! So, following our beautiful hike along Point Reyes coastline, we chose to hike the McCloud Trail to check out the three waterfalls that make up the McCloud Waterfalls. By far some of the best views I have ever seen. My favorite, the one pictured below, is Middle Falls. There was a great opening along with big boulders/rocks for sitting and enjoying some fresh air with a snack (Always Bring Snacks!)
The view of Middle Falls. We sat on some of the big rocks and just enjoyed breathing in the fresh air.
There is a driving route that you can take, for those who do not want to actually hike but check out the scenery. The downside to doing the drive is that you cannot get as close to the waterfalls and have more or less an eagle eye view of the falls and McCloud River. The actual hike through McCloud is nice with lots of shade and cover from the sun. You’re also going along the river for majority of it so you get a nice cool breeze from that as well.
Can’t forget to snap your Buddha poses while here!
Burney Falls
Before ending your ultimate northern California weekend getaway check out the legendary Burney Falls. We had heard and seen some great pictures of Burney Falls and the hike to it was supposed to be super short and easy (no lie to that). The hike to get to the base of the falls is only 0.3 miles from the parking lot and you can choose to do the Burney Falls loop to walk along the river for an additional 1.2 miles. We went in the latter end of October for our trip and it was EXTREMELY cold at Burney Falls. When I say extremely I mean it was legitly 32-35F according to multiple thermometer sources including my car. My friend and I were both prepared to be cold given that we were heading north (close to Oregon), but neither of us thought it would be in the thirties so go prepared if you go during this time of year!
Mrs. Burney was gushing something serious! But seriously it was pretty remarkable how much water was flowing from the waterfall given that it was October. I really want to go back in the spring to compare.
Hunts’ Hot SpringsÂ
After freezing our tails off at Burney Falls we decided it was time to warm up at Hunts’ Hot Springs. One of my previous coworkers told me about this spot and said that it was a local treat if you are ever up there. I can’t think of a better way to spend my weekend than in a natural hot spring…now that is an the ultimate northern California weekend getaway adventure!
Note*** The directions we found online were pretty sketch and we were unsure if we would even be able to find it. My coworker also mentioned that it can be a little difficult to find especially the first time so we were a little hesitant but don’t worry, copy/paste the gps coordinates below and preview the route in satellite imagery.
Anyways, Hunts’ Hot Springs is a natural hot spring located along the Pitt River which offers beautiful scenery during your soak. There are several pools in the area. When you first approach the opening you will see two small tubs, the one located higher up is definitely a lot hotter and flows to the next tub which offers slightly cooler water. This is also the tub we were told that some people get possessive over. If you continue to go along the path and across the rocky area (need good shoes, no flip flops here) there are three other nice sized tubs whose temperatures are around 101-105 (perfect). The Pitt River is also steps away from the tub and is great to go for a quick soak to cool down before getting back in.
Hunts’ Hot Springs is located right along the Pitt River. The feel of soaking in the natural hot tub along the cool river in the fresh breeze was AMAZEBALLS!
This is the main area of the hot tubs located along the Pitt River. However, there are several other tubs if you keep going up the hill. We went early (morning time) so all of the lower tubs were open so we didn’t feel the need to go up the dirt hill, but it is nice to know that there’s extra space for those crowded days. Also we heard that this is a great spot to check out during the winter at night as the snow falls! If you are in that area around the cold winter months.
How To Get To Hunts’ Hotsprings
GPS Coordinates for parking: 41.0399, -121.9293 at Montgomery Creek, CA 96065
Park your car around or alongside the T intersection (coordinates). There should be a small trail opening right in the front of the cement bridge which is the entrance for your <1 mile hike to the springs. I would recommend putting the GPS coordinates into your phone/mapping device and looking at the area in satellite imagery so you have an idea of where you are and will be going. There is little to no service in the area so you want to be prepared as much as possible for getting a little ‘off track’. Literally once you find the opening just walk straight for about 7-10 minutes, the trail is flat and pretty wide the entire time so you shouldn’t get “lost” here. You will get to an opening with a rocks and a slow moving river (that’s the Pitt River) meaning you have arrived!
TIP** Almost everyone that we saw there were going nude, just an FYI so you’re not surprised.
NOTE** It is a place for locals in the area so definitely be mindful and respectful of that at all times. We didn’t encounter anybody that was rude or unkind but definitely heard from other locals and read online that some people can be very territorial with the hot tubs and can be confrontational.
Other Activities in Northern California
While in the super north we also checked out the Lake Shasta Caverns which are estimated to be 250 million years old ( http://lakeshastacaverns.com/) located on one of the islands at Shasta Lake. I definitely would recommend the tour if you’re in the area because you get to take a nice little boat ride across Lake Shasta and check out some natural cave formations.
Also we went to check out the famous Sun Dial Bridge at Redding. We went to check it out both during the day and at night. At night they add purple lights and there are a lot of people just hanging out with their friends and family. We also went back during the day to get a better idea of what the bridge actually looked like.
View of the Sundial Bridge in the morning.
Hope you enjoyed the post! I can’t wait to go back in the spring, hopefully, to compare the volume of the waterfalls and compare the changing scenery. Let me know in the comments if you’ve been and anything I missed!
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