I’ve lived in California my whole life and I’m still blown away by its beauty. Just when I think I’ve seen it all, i discover something new and remember there’s a reason why it’s called the golden state. My husband and I got the chance to check out phantom falls this last week and it’s hands down one of my favorite hikes I’ve ever done. It’s nestled in the Table Top Mountains in Oroville, California and it’s called Phantom because the falls only appear during certain times of the year. With the recent rain, the terrain resembles something of what I would think Iceland looks like with its never ending green rolling hills. Which is why this and the phenomenon that the waterfall falls on land instead of water is why It’s recently gained so much popularity on social media.
The trail itself was pretty muddy from all of the rain and is a bit rough and uneven in some places. Because of its growing popularity, it was pretty busy. I always love to encourage people to get out and hike but unfortunately I feel like social media lately has made some of these places more of a tourist attraction and it can ruin the whole experience of it. There were also a lot of people there that weren’t wearing the appropriate gear which can also make it unsafe. If you’re going to go, it’s always smart to research first and wear the right clothes and shoes.
It’s wildflower season and while I think we were about a week too early to see the full blooms, we did get to see the beginnings of them blanketing the hills that surrounded. The trail is also an ecological reserve and there were cows just roaming about it which I thought was pretty cool.
About halfway into it, we discovered Ravine falls, which as it’s name entails, is sandwiched in between the ravine of 2 cliffs. As you keep trekking, you meet with the bottom of them and can actually walk up to it. It was pretty busy when we got down there though so we decided we would keep going and stop on the way back.
When we arrived at Phantom Falls, we were met with these rugged cliffs surrounding the falls. It looked like someone had just shaved the top layer off. They were mesmerizing and then to witness the falls themselves on top of it was the perfect cherry on top. Getting to the end and being rewarded with the views always makes the hike worth it. It was pretty windy that day so we weren’t up there for too long before we decided to head back. You can actually walk to the bottom of the falls, but we were short on time so it might have to be something we do next time.
Im glad we had waited to go check out the bottom of the first falls because when we got there it was far less busy. We were able to take our time and take it all in. While we were there, we met Jacy and Lucas, a sweet young couple who had just gotten engaged on the trail. They asked if we could take their pictures and one thing led to another and I ended up doing an impromptu engagement shoot for them. It was so random but so fun and honestly one of my favorite parts of the hike. I always love getting to meet new people and hear a little bit about their story. I think that’s why I love photography so much. It allows me to connect in a completely different way. After we finished up their shoot and parted ways, we continued on back to the car.
The whole trail is about 4 miles and took us 2 hours to complete but we also stopped every so often. It’s definitely one I would do again and now that we know how the terrain is, maybe bring the kids next time! Have you done this hike or have been wanting too? Let me know in the comments.
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