Take a Hike During Whiskeytown's 4th Annual Waterfall Week Event

Date: April 7, 2010
Contact: Clinton Kane, [phone]
Contact: Jeremiah Hockett, [phone]

A Spring Day at Whiskeytown Falls

NPS Photo

As part of the larger National Parks Week celebration, the  4^th annual Waterfall Week celebration begins on April 17 at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, and will continue through April 25.  Waterfall Week is timed to encourage visits to the park’s three major waterfalls during their peak flows when snowmelt off of Shasta Bally Mountain provides the most water for spectacular displays of rushing whitewater.  “In addition to spring being the best time of year to view the falls, the park’s trails are teeming with wildflowers in full bloom and various species of wildlife,” stated Superintendent Jim Milestone.  April 17 through April 25 has also been designated as a fee-free week  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.

In collaboration with the Healthy Shasta and the White House’s Let’s Move initiatives, both of which recognize daily exercise as an essential component of a healthy lifestyle, Whiskeytown will be offering special  ranger-guided hikes to Brandy Creek Falls and Whiskeytown Falls during Waterfall Week.  Waterfall Week encourages families, friends and children to get outside, enjoy nature’s beauty, and get some beneficial exercise in the process. “We hope to have 1,000 children hike to one of the park’s waterfalls this spring and enjoy the magnificence of their cascading waters,” concluded Milestone.  Reservations are required for the hikes and can be made by calling the Visitor Center at [phone] during the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. daily.  Space is limited and reservations are taken on a first-come-first-served basis.

In keeping with a Waterfall Week tradition, children and adults alike can obtain a free waterfall stamp card at the Visitor Center before going on a hike to the waterfall of their choice. After signing the trail register at the waterfall registration boxes located at the base of each waterfall, visitors can use the stamp card to make a rubbing off a bronze plaque that is unique to each waterfall.  Visitors can then return the completed stamp card with rubbings from Brandy Creek, Boulder Creek, and Whiskeytown Falls to the Visitor Center and receive a special gift!

Rangers will be available at Whiskeytown Falls on Sunday April 18, and April 25 to provide art activities for children and their families.  Visitors are encouraged to spend a short time creating an artistic expression of the falls.  If visitors would like to donate their artwork to the park on a temporary basis, selections from Waterfall Week will be displayed on the exhibit wall at the Visitor Center for a few weeks following the event.

For more information on Waterfall Week or Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, please call the Visitor Center at [phone], or stop in during the hours of 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  You can also visit the park’s website at https://www.nps.gov/whis  To find out about National Park Week events in other parks please visit the website at https://www.nps.gov/npweek/

For more information on small changes that lead to a 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

-NPS-