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Iconic ‘secret’ waterfall now limits access as crowds push park to breaking point
One of California’s best-kept secrets now requires advance booking, as surging crowds are forcing officials to cap access to the iconic Burney Falls.
The waterfalls are located in McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park in Shasta County, California, about 60 miles northeast of Redding.
Burney Falls is known for its year-round flow — even in drought conditions — and for water that appears to beautifully pour directly from its volcanic rock cliffs.
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The waterfalls were once called the “Eighth Wonder of the World” by Theodore Roosevelt, according to SFGate.
But that beauty has come at a price, and officials are launching a pilot program beginning May 15 to limit access and ease overcrowding.
The park is now requiring advance booking until Sept. 27, and will only allow 241 vehicles per day while the pilot program is in place.
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Burney Falls was previously shielded from overtourism “due to its rural location in northeastern California and lack of publicity,” a May 1 California State Parks statement said.
“For generations of visitors, it had the reputation of a small, family-oriented park and one of California’s best-kept secrets,” officials said.
“However, over the past decade, and especially with the growth of social media, that secret is now world-famous.”
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Annual visitor numbers have roughly doubled since 2015, which pushes the park “beyond a sustainable capacity and creat[es] a host of problems.”
Those issues include environmental damage, traffic backups, illegal parking, safety concerns and sanitation issues.
Reservations will be required on Fridays through Sundays, and visitors must book day-use reservations in advance, with limited morning, afternoon and full-day parking slots available for $10 per vehicle.
Same-day reservations will not be permitted, and all visitors, including annual pass holders, are required to reserve ahead.
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“Oversized vehicles, vehicles pulling other types of trailers, buses and recreational vehicles are not allowed in the park during the day-use reservation period,” the statement said.
“Tour buses and commercial tour groups are not allowed in the park without a pre-approved permit.”
California State Parks said the pilot program is intended to “reduce the impacts of overcrowding.”
The program’s goals “are to alleviate the strain on the park’s resources and infrastructure, and to improve visitor safety during the busiest summer days, when large crowds often overwhelm the park and the surrounding area.”
The program also aims to prevent visitors from being turned away as the park frequently reaches capacity on weekends.
Armando Quintero, state parks director, described Burney Falls as “a crown jewel of the California State Park System.”
“We want all visitors to have an enjoyable and memorable experience when visiting this one-of-a-kind destination,” he said.
“By allowing visitors to make a reservation in advance, we can help keep crowds manageable and not push the park’s resources past the breaking point.”
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Fox News Digital reached out to California State Parks for additional comment.
The world’s largest sporting event, the 2026 FIFA World Cup, is just a few weeks away, returning to North America and the United States for the first time since 1994.
FIFA announced their first ever halftime show for the World Cup Final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. In a post on X, featuring Elmo, Coldplay announced that the halftime show would be curated by lead singer Chris Martin and feature BTS, Madonna and Shakira. Shakira is set to release the official song of the World Cup, “Dai Dai,” later Thursday.
The show will also “raise funds for the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund,” dedicated to “improving access to quality education and football for children around the world.”
FOX broadcasts the entire tournament, with opening matches kicking off on June 11 in Mexico. El Tri hosts South Africa in Mexico City, while South Korea takes on Croatia in Guadalajara.
Then the next day, the other two hosts play their first group stage matches. Canada plays Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto in Group B. Then the US Men’s National Team, coming off a rocky past few months of friendlies, plays its first match against Paraguay in Los Angeles. They then head to Seattle to play Australia on June 19, before closing out the group stage against Turkey back in LA on June 25.
Unsurprisingly, given the scale and scope of the tournament, and the stage hosting in the US offers, FIFA is pulling out all the entertainment stops.
Already, soccer’s governing body has set up an extensive list of entertainment to kick off the tournament in the host countries. An opening ceremony in Los Angeles on June 12 will feature music acts like Katy Perry, Future, Anitta, LISA, Rema and Tyla.
“This opening ceremony in Los Angeles represents the extraordinary scale of what the FIFA World Cup 2026 will become,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement. “The lineup of artists reflects the cultural diversity of the United States and the vibrancy of its many diasporas, highlighting the nation’s rich influence on music, entertainment and pop culture, while showcasing the power of music to bring people together across the country.”
That ceremony will kick off 90 minutes before the start of the US match, and will complement two additional opening ceremonies in Canada and Mexico. The opening match in Toronto will feature performances by Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, Elyanna, Jessie Reyez, Michael Bublé, Nora Fatehi, Sanjoy, Vegedream and William Prince.
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In Mexico, opening ceremony headliners include Alejandro Fernández, Belinda, Danny Ocean, J Balvin, Lila Downs, Los Ángeles Azules, Maná and Tyla.
Prior performers at World Cup finals include stars like Carlos Santana and Wycleaf Jean at the 2014 tournament in Brazil. Will Smith was among those who sang at the 2018 finale in Russia, and Davido, Aisha, Ozuna were part of the 2022 closing ceremony in Qatar.
Over 100 matches. 16 cities hosting in three countries. Over a month’s worth of action, culminating in a momentous finale in New Jersey. The World Cup never fails to deliver.
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