Hike to Kings Creek Falls

Pictured is the Kings Creek Trail sign with a work truck parked in front of the sign on Highway 89 in Lassen Park.

This week we took a day off to drive up to the Lassen National Forest. We were planning to hike to Mill Creek Falls but the trail was closed due to construction work. The entire parking lot was filled with construction equipment. We have tried to hike to the falls many times in past years but always end up going to the park too early in the season and the trail was always buried in snow. We were very disappointed that this time it was construction that was stopping us.

At the entrance booth we were told the Kings Creek Falls trail was open and that there was no construction being done at that spot. It is a 12 mile drive to the trail from the entrance. As we got to 12 miles we saw what looked like construction work to us. Work trucks were on the side of the road and workers were walking around. As we drove by we caught a glimpse of a board propped up by a sawhorse with the words Kings Creek Trail painted on it. It was behind one of the trucks parked along the road. We went up the road looking for a place to turn around when we came to a place they were stopping traffic for more road work. There was a turn out right by the person holding the stop sign so we asked them if we could pull up and turn around. They said no, that they could not allowed us to go past them, but that it would be all right for us to just turn around right on the road where we were. The road was only two lanes, one in each direction with no shoulders and we have a large crew cab, dulley pickup truck. With no other choice we gave it a try and after going back and forth many times we did turn it around!

Back by the other work crew there was just enough room for us to pull off the side of the road. We parked and asked one of the workers if it was all right to park there. They said it was fine if we were all the way off the road.

Starting off on our hike down to the falls it was steep and muddy for about 30 feet but then leveled out to a nice trail. It was about a half mile before we seen an official park sign that said the falls was about another half mile. It is really the beginning of very steep cascades that comes before the 30 foot waterfall. The trail that followed alongside the cascades was steep and rocky.

When we got to the bottom we found a place to sit down in the shade and eat our picnic lunch that we brought with us. There were many wild flowers to look at as well as butterflies dining on the flowers. We had our camera with us and took many shots of the falls, scenery, flowers and butterflies. Our total hike was about two and a half hours.

After lunch we hiked back up to the road and there was still work being done. The work truck was still blocking the trail sign. It appeared to us that the construction was first priority and that visitors were a nuisance that must be tolerated.

The next day at home we got out our trail book and found if we start at the at Kings Creek picnic area we could hike to the Mill Creek Falls by way of Cold Boiling Lake, Crumbaugh Lakes and Conard Meadows. It would be a six mile round trip that would take about six hours. We’re thinking about going back to try that route. We’ll let you know if we do.