As part of the larger National Park Week celebration, the 5th annual Waterfall Week celebration begins on April 16 at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area and continues through April 24. This special event is also designated as a fee-free period throughout the National Park Service to encourage visitors to experience and discover our national treasures. Visitors to Whiskeytown do not need to display a parking pass on their vehicles during this period.
This year’s National Park Week focuses on Healthy Parks, Healthy People, and highlights the connection between human and environmental health, and the vital role America’s national parks play in both. “Meeting the Whiskeytown Waterfall Challenge fits very nicely with this theme by encouraging everyone, especially children, to enjoy a physical outdoor activity in a healthy environment by visiting all four spectacular waterfalls in Whiskeytown,” stated Superintendent Jim Milestone. “We hope to have 1,000 children hike to the park’s waterfalls this spring and enjoy the magnificence of their cascading waters,” concluded Milestone. Interpretive rangers will be available at Whiskeytown Falls on both weekends during Waterfall Week to provide art supplies for children and their families so they can create a personal and artistic expression of the falls.
Scheduled hikes to Whiskeytown Falls and other areas will also be offered starting Waterfall Week and continuing through the spring season. Space is limited and reservations for these hikes are required. Call the Visitor Center at (530) 246-1225 during the hours of 10:00a.m. and 4p.m. daily, to reserve a spot for these special hikes.
As part of the Whiskeytown Waterfall Challenge and in collaboration with the Healthy Shasta Initiative and First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Campaign, Whiskeytown will also offer school/youth group hikes to Whiskeytown Falls through the end of May 2011. “Building the foundation for healthy lifestyles in today’s youth is a community effort, and we are happy to be able to offer this free activity to ensure that present and future generations are able to enjoy the quality of life that all children deserve,” stated Superintendent Jim Milestone. “Although the hike can be challenging, rangers will take opportunities along the way to rest and hydrate, appreciate the sounds and sights of the forest, and to make the acquaintance of the abundant plant and animal life that share the trail and surrounding riparian habitats,” concluded Milestone. Three hours are needed for the 3.4-mile roundtrip hike to Whiskeytown Falls and reservations for this special group hike can be made by calling Clinton Kane at 242-3451.
The park is inviting children and adults alike to take the Whiskeytown Waterfall Challenge by first obtaining a free Waterfall Passport at the Visitor Center before going on a hike to one of park’s waterfalls. After signing the trail register at the waterfall registration box, located at the base of each waterfall, visitors can use the Waterfall Passport to make a rubbing off a bronze plaque unique to each waterfall. Visitors can then return the completed passport with rubbings from Brandy Creek, Boulder Creek, Crystal Creek and Whiskeytown Falls to the Visitor Center to receive a special reward, while supplies last!
Please call the Visitor Center at (530) 246-1225, or stop in during the hours of 10:00a.m.and 4:00p.m. daily for more information on Waterfall Week or Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. You can also visit the park’s website at https://www.nps.gov/whis.
For more information on small changes that lead to healthy life, please visit:
Healthy Shasta at http://www.healthyshasta.org
First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Campaign at http://www.letsmove.gov
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Visitors enjoying the beautiful sights and sounds of Boulder Creek Falls
