Paul, Victoria, Sugar and I undertook this trek. Feather Falls deserves its reputation as the best waterfall outside of Yosemite (and since I haven't been to Yosemite - the best I've ever seen in California). Pretty amazing considering the low lake level of Lake Oroville. That was a moonscape. (Yikes! Think drought.)
The shorter trail is lots steeper and we're split on the best hike. Paul thinks it may be better to do both legs with the short trail. The steep parts are much harder on my leg muscles both ways, so I think I'd actually prefer the extra distance and the longer trail both directions since it is so much more gradual. Of course, that adds 1.2 miles to the trip. But the steep trail up was intense. We went only 100 feet in some spots before needing to stop and rest. Of course, this was at the very end of our trip.
There were 31 other hikers that we saw along with 7 other dogs. Sugar was off-leash most of the time and got to play in several streams. The trail was damp, so soft and covered with a blanket leaves - some of them were amazingly HUGE. This was one of the best times we've had with perfect weather. The trail was shady almost the entire way and though the temperature was chilly (we could see our breath at times), and a bit warm at other times; those moments were but a fraction of the total hike. Mostly the temperature was perfect, a bit breezy and pleasant for short sleeves.
And the viewing platform for the falls was AMAZING. There we were, suspended over the canyon and completely enchanted by the roar of the waterfall while cooled by a gentle breeze. It felt so high that Sugar was a bit afraid, but the platform was large enough so that standing in the center helped one to forget the dizzy view over the edge. The platform had a full railing all the way around and felt very safe. The falls were just a bit of the panoramic beauty surrounding us. There were many trees changing colors, a perfect blue sky, a "bald face dome" rock formation, and the water trickling through the canyon far below. The dribble was the only negative since the river level was almost non-existent compared to what it should be.
I would highly recommend taking this hike during the fall or spring and encourage everyone to see Feather Falls for themselves.
Here's a website with more information about Feather Falls and the hike.
www.waterfallswest.com/ca_feather.html
However, the distance posted on the website is a bit misleading. There's an extra trail with the viewing platform to the falls an additional .5 mi after making it to (what we thought as) the end of the trail. Mentally add that extra .5 mi every time you see a trail marker to ease the mental strain.
The round trip is posted as 7.8 miles. With the extra .5 each way that's 8.8 miles. Then there's probably another quarter mile from the parking lot to the trailhead. Both ways, that's another .5 mi. So, we probably did a 9.3 mile hike today. That's right, we want credit for every tenth of a mile, AND IT WAS GLORIOUS!
