Take the Waterfall Challenge during Whiskeytowns Waterfall Week

Date: March 26, 2014
Contact: Bill Watkins , [phone]

The National Park Service invites visitors to "Go Wild for Waterfalls" and take the Whiskeytown Waterfall Challenge during National Park Week Saturday, April 19 through Sunday, April 27. This year the National Park Service has selected the theme "National Park Week: Go Wild," and the Whiskeytown Waterfall Challenge is one of the many wild adventures you can have at national park sites across the country. A great way to begin the Waterfall Challenge is to join a park ranger for a free ranger-led hike to one of the park's four major waterfalls. During Waterfall Week, hikes will be offered daily to Whiskeytown, Brandy Creek or Boulder Creek Falls at 9:00 a.m. and daily at 2 p.m. to Crystal Creek Falls which was recently redesigned to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Standards. For the complete schedule and to make the required reservations, call the visitor center at [phone].In celebration of "National Park Week: Go Wild!" Saturday, April 19 and Sunday, April 20, will be a fee-free period for Whiskeytown and the 400 other national parks. From diverse wildlife and iconic landscapes to vibrant culture and rich history, our National Park system has something for everyone.

Visitors can complete the Whiskeytown Waterfall Challenge on their own by obtaining a free Waterfall Challenge Passport at the visitor center. With the passport, visitors can hike to Brandy Creek, Boulder Creek, Crystal Creek and Whiskeytown Falls and stop at the trail register located at the base of each waterfall. Each register has a unique bronze plaque for visitors to create a colored rubbing within their passport. Once all four waterfalls are complete, visitors can return the passport to the visitor center to receive their completion stamp and a special gift (while supplies last). The challenge can be completed during multiple visits, or finish them all in one day for bragging rights.

On Saturday April 26, Whiskeytown is celebrating National Junior Ranger Day. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will take place at Brandy Creek Beach Lot B. There will be fun interactive ways to learn how to preserve and protect national parks and become a Whiskeytown Junior Ranger. Visitors of all ages are welcome to participate, and those who complete the program will earn a Whiskeytown Junior Ranger badge.

For additional information about the activities at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, please contact Jeffrey Gerbic at [phone]. More about Whiskeytown National Recreation Area is available on the park's website at www.nps.gov/whis. For more information about National Park Week, please visit:www.nps.gov/npweek or www.nationalparkweek.org.