McCloud River Falls

McCloud Falls flows over smooth granite in the Shasta-Trinity wilderness

McCloud Falls represents a different type of Northern California waterfall, where the McCloud River flows over smooth granite formations in a series of cascades and pools that demonstrate the power of water to polish even the hardest rock. Located in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, these falls showcase how different geological substrates create distinctive waterfall characteristics—the granite's resistance to erosion creates broad, smooth slides rather than the vertical drops typical of volcanic terrain.