Hike to Phantom Falls

Diana Melnik

Hike to Phantom Falls

09/27/20

Would recommend coming in the spring time after the first few showers, the flowers cover the hills and it’s beautiful!

5.0

Guanbao Ruan

Hike to Phantom Falls

05/07/18

I should have went on March or April.The waterfalls was almost drained.

2.0

Amy Rafter

Hike to Phantom Falls

04/15/18

Way crowded on weekends. Pretty.

4.0

Alix Chase

Hike to Phantom Falls

12/20/17

This hike is great all year-round; definitely try going when it's rainy. I've been a handful of times and the time it was raining was by far the BEST!

5.0

Taylor Hinchcliff

Hike to Phantom Falls

04/12/17

Love this hike, especially in early Spring. The wildflowers are INSANE right now with all the water that California has gotten. Super easy to get to the falls, but even if you don't there are so many spots where you can find a moment of bliss up there. There's a spot near the bottom of Ravine Falls where there is a ton of trees, and it is PERFECT if you enjoy setting up a hammock and relaxing.

5.0

Carli Baker

Hike to Phantom Falls

04/03/17

I went here for a day trip on April 2, 2017. I was a bit concerned at first because I had heard that the flowers weren't blooming yet, but there were flowers EVERYWHERE. They weren't the same kind of blooms that you get down in Southern California, but they were magnificent all the same. When we arrived there were some nice volunteers with a map and plenty of advice for getting to Phantom Falls. There were a lot of people around, but as we continued further from the trailhead, most of the families and larger groups stayed on the plateau. The plateau was beautiful, only a few of the vernal pools still had water in them, but those that had dried up for the year were filled with goldfields, white-tipped clover, miniature lupine, blue dicks, California poppies, frying pan poppies, and more! As we continued towards the falls(through the mentioned drainage ditches and walking NW towards a nicely placed snow-capped peak), we continued to see amazing flowers, saw newts and frogs in the creeks, and finally had a bit of time to ourselves. We made it to Fern Falls and as we rounded Fern Falls, we got to the "trespassing" section, basically an area where you have to go around a private property fence line so that you don't fall into the canyon, but you pass through that pretty quickly. Although there isn't a "trail" we saw a pretty well-used dirt path that we used to minimize our disturbance. Finally, we reached Coal Canyon and Phantom falls and WOW, it was amazing from all angles. We stopped and took pictures, walked over to it the edge where it went off into the canyon, and eventually went down a narrow path(with the help of a rope left by a kind traveler) and reached the base of the falls. Since this was the first truly nice Spring day for the region, we took a dip in the Falls, which was absolutely breathtaking. Overall, the trip was magical, and I'd recommend it to anyone, especially during the Spring. One quick safety note though. While we were swimming in the falls we heard a helicopter circling above us. After a leisurely walk back to the trail head, there were about 4-5 Cal Fire engines, an ambulance and an engine from the nearby town of Paradise. Although I haven't been able to find any news about it, apparently someone fell from the canyon and had to be rescued. Please pay attention near canyons. The wind gets strong, and its so easy to make a mistake that could be life-threatening, so take care. We had absolutely no safety concerns, but it's always a good reminder nonetheless. Easily a 10/10 day hike.

5.0