Whiskeytown hikes

Crystal Creek falls seen from the foot of the falls.

Hiking was the activity we choose for our date last week. After searching the internet for ideas we found several interesting trails around the Whiskytown lake area. Information is available on the park’s website: http://www.nps.gov/whis/planyourvisit/upload/All%20Trails%20Guide8x14FINAL5.31.07.pdf.
We were not quite ready for a strenuous hike yet, so we picked one of the easier trails. The one we thought looked interesting was the Crystal Creek Water Ditch trail. It is mostly level and only about three-fourths of a mile long, one way.
Looking at a ditch does not sound all that intriguing at first until one considers where it is located. These ditches were not dug in open fields or by the roadside. Instead they were built on the sheer edge of a rocky canyon. The engineering planning and human labor that went into the construction of the ditch is easy to see.
It seems that in the 1850’s most economic activity in the north state revolved around mining and agriculture. And for both of them, water was a necessity. Charles Camden claimed water rights to Crystal Creek and Mill Creek in the mid 1800’s. He hired a crew of workers and built the Crystal Creek water ditch to supply water to his orchards and mines during the years 1855 to 1858.
Near the beginning of the trail is the cleanout house. Its purpose is to remove pine cones, leaves, sticks and other debris from the water before it goes into the pipe. It is done in a very clever way. The water turns a small turbine which is connected to an old automotive rear end. That rotates, via a chain drive, a rake wheel that removes the floating material from the water.
The trail continues along the canyon wall next to the ditch. In many places rock retaining walls had to be built to hold the ditch in place. In one area the canyon walls are nearly vertical, so a flume had to be built that is about 250 feet long.
After we got back to the car, we decided to go to Crystal Creek Falls, just up the road a ways. This also was an easy walk, but more out in the sun than the trail along the ditch. We suggest bringing a hat for this one. The falls are very nice this time of year.
Once at the falls we climbed down the rocks to the water at the base of the falls. Compared to the trail, which is in the full sun and rather warm, being right by the falls feels like sitting under an air conditioner.
We did both of these walks in less that three hours and the trails are fairly easy. This also included a stop for eating snacks and picture taking along the way.
Both of these hikes would also be ideal activities for families looking for something to do with children. These hikes are not too difficult that even smaller children should be able to finish them.