Beautiful Waterfalls on North Yuba River in Northern California

While we were camping near the Sierra Buttes on Gold Lake Highway, we set off on an adventure to three different waterfalls on North Yuba River near Sierra City in northern California. We had so much fun discovering these new areas that we went back a second time to explore even more. And while we were exploring we found a bonus swim hole and an extra waterfall that we weren’t expecting to find!

Hot summer days are the best way to take advantage of the diversity of the beautiful cold rivers and lakes found throughout northern California! And waterfalls and swimming holes create the perfect places to make amazing summer memories. The combination of the adventure of getting there, taking in the gorgeous new scenery, the excitement of jumping off rocks of new heights, and the anticipation of making the plunge into the refreshing water all create an exhilarating experience! Just thinking about it makes me want to get out there and experience the unique euphoria of being immersed in unfamiliar beautiful places. But first, check out these awesome waterfalls on North Yuba River!

Checking Out Waterfalls on North Yuba River

Big Springs Waterfall

Directions: From Sierra City, drive three miles east on CA-49 to the large parking area on the left. At the end of the parking lot there will be a marker and you’ll see Big Springs Waterfall.

Distance: You can see it from your vehicle if you wish.

Difficulty: As easy as it gets. Big Springs Waterfall is the easiest to get to and the least impressive of the waterfalls near Sierra City. But if you’re on a trip and happen to be driving along the CA-49 it’s worth a quick stop. Stick your hand under the waterfall and feel just how cold the water coming from Big Spring is!

Loves Falls

Directions: From Sierra City, drive about 2 miles east on CA-49. There are several turn offs along the main road that you can park at. From the turn off, hike through the woods for 100 feet and you’ll reach the PCT. Follow that left/east about a quarter of a mile and from there you’ll know what to do 🙂

Distance: 1/2 mile roundtrip

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate; getting to the bridge over the waterfall is easy but the steep descent down to the river and pools is steep and requires careful footing.

Loves Falls is one of the most incredible waterfalls on North Yuba River! As you’re hiking through the woods along this short section of the PCT you can hear the water down below. This single track trail through the woods is beautiful already. But then you see it! There is a huge, beautiful blue pool at the base of the 10-15 foot waterfall. And that’s when we start thinking about how deep it is and where are the good spots to jump in from!

But first, we passed up the two steep trails down to the pool and continued to the bridge up ahead. The view from the bridge is incredible! From here, you can look up river and see a long length of the river cascading into several pools. This view in this direction of the canyon full of rock hopping and small pools to explore was beckoning us to explore it! But on this trip we didn’t find an easy way down to it. Looking straight down from the vantage point on the bridge, we could see the pool at the very top right of Loves Falls right as it plunged into the pool below. The view from the bridge was really cool and allowed us to get a lay of the land before we got a feel for the water!

bridge over loves falls in northern california

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From the bridge, we headed back the direction we came and took the first steep trail down to the river below. Once we got down, we went to check out the new view of Loves Falls and the pool. Loves Falls is about 10-15 feet flowing through the canyon above and under the bridge before dropping into this large pool. All around the pool there are large rocks and boulders that add to the scenery and the experience. There were lots of options for jumping in! If you do decide to jump into any of the waterfalls near Sierra City, be sure to scope it out first and do so at your own risk.

swimming by waterfalls on north yuba river

There are boulders scattered throughout the pool so swimming around with goggles helped us get an idea of where was best to jump from. Shane chose a large boulder to jump in off of first. The water is definitely cold but not quite brain freeze conditions. Then we climbed up a rock wall on the opposite side of the pool and jumped in from various heights, getting more comfortable the more we did it.

We find that jumping in a new swim spot from a new height is always an exhilarating experience no matter how many lakes and rivers you’ve jumped in. And the rush we get from that experience always makes the memory of that adventure stand out that much more. We love it. After jumping in a few times, we decided to fight the current and swim over to Loves Falls. I made it over there and got under it, letting the water fall onto my head. Not sure what that accomplished but I was glad I did it haha.

exploring waterfalls on north yuba river

Bonus Waterfall on Our Waterfalls on North Yuba River Adventure

From Loves Falls, we rock hopped down river a bit and climbed up the boulders on the side of the river. And that’s when we spotted another waterfall. This one was also large and very beautiful as it tumbled down into the steep canyon. There are a few things that I really liked about this waterfall. For one, I wasn’t expecting it so it felt like a treat when we discovered it. Secondly, the color of the boulders at this waterfall was unique and the canyon setting was gorgeous. And finally, I liked that there weren’t bridges, pipes, cement, signs and other manmade stuff all around it like there was near Loves Falls.

Haypress Falls

Directions: From Sierra City follow CA-49 S for about half a mile. Turn right onto Wild Plum Road and continue 1.4 miles. Haypress Trail is on the left right before you cross the bridge to Wild Plum Campground.

Distance: About one mile roundtrip

Difficulty: Easy

Haypress Falls in another amazing waterfall near Sierra City! To get to the waterfall, we hiked a short ways along Haypress Trail. The trail was very pretty through lush green vegetation and some big, tall conifers. As we were hiking, on our left we noticed several buildings. It appeared to be some sort of camp area but it was closed when we were here. Eventually, Haypress Trail nears the river up ahead. And that’s when we left the trail and walked over to the river.

walking through the woods to reach haypress falls

Immediately, the scenery was beautiful! And already there was a small pool deep enough to cool down in. From here, we rock hopped up the river through a gorgeous mix of rocks, boulders and plants. Along the way we passed several deep spots that looked like great places to hang out on a hot day. Then we made it to a small beach area with a nice sandy easement and a chill pool area. But up ahead, we noticed some tall canyon walls.

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And as we kept climbing to get closer, that’s when we realized that Hapress Falls was the force behind these amazing, narrow canyon walls! At the back of the stone canyon was the tall, powerful and stunning Haypress Falls. We had no idea what to expect from this waterfall but we were ecstatic about what we found.

The water was really cold as we started making our way into the canyon towards the waterfall. Having the rock walls on the sides to grab onto and climb up gave us a chance to take a break from the cold before continuing further in. And we were also to climb up the walls a bit to turn around and jump back in from.

Finally, we all jumped in and fought the current as we swam towards the tall, thundering waterfall up ahead. We made it to and partially under the falls and it was… an exhilarating experience to try to put it into words. Cold muscles, adrenaline, pure ecstasy and so much joy in that moment it felt like my heart was smiling. Adventures like this define happiness for me and make me feel truly alive. After the swim of adrenaline through the canyon to the falls and jumping in off the canyon walls a few times we got out and took in the gorgeous scenery. Then we headed out in search of another!

playing in the waterfall near Sierra City

A Bonus Swim Hole Near Sierra City

On the map, I saw the name of another waterfall on North Yuba River called Hackman Falls. All I knew about it was that it was on the Hackman Ravine branch off of the Yuba. So we headed into Sierra City and didn’t find any marked trails or parking areas. So we stopped at the Sierra City Park and hung out a bit. Then we searched around, made our way towards the river and found a defined trail down through the woods.

Once we made it down to the river, we were greeted by an unbelievable swim hole. It was perfect and just picturesque. The water was a gorgeous color, nice and deep in some spots with rocks to climb up to jump in off of. It was unexpected and beautiful. We continued on our search for Hackman Ravine. On the way we found another unbelievably perfect swim hole. It was getting later in the day and this second swim hole was in the shade but the other one was still in the sun which is how we decided which one to swim in.

As for Hackman Falls, we never made it… We did find the Hackman Ravine but it didn’t appear to be flowing fiercely and the swim hole was calling our name. So instead of bushwhacking our way up the ravine we ended up going back to the swim hole and swimming around. It was the perfect ending to an amazing day full of beauty and adventure.

Thanks for Reading About Waterfalls on North Yuba River!

We had an incredible day full of joy and adventure as we got to know the area and the waterfalls on North Yuba River near Sierra City. We had no idea that we were going to experience such beauty when we headed out that morning. But I can definitely say we were impressed and looking forward to next time!

If you would like to see more gorgeous hiking adventures, check out the articles below:

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