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Mill Creek Falls

Lassen Volcanic National Park / Redding / Red Bluff, California, USA

About Mill Creek Falls

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Mill Creek Falls was kind of our waterfalling excuse to visit Lassen Volcanic National Park (though it wasn’t the only one in the reserve).

This waterfall featured a gushing 75ft drop just below the confluence of East Sulphur Creek along with Bumpass Creek.

Mill_Creek_Falls_077_06212016 - Mill Creek Falls
Mill Creek Falls

Bumpass Creek originated from the Bumpass Hot Springs in the famed Bumpass Hell part of the park.

Thus, Mom and I definitely whiffed traces of that rotten egg sulphur smell around the falls given the geothermal original of its feeding creeks.

Our mid- to late June visit in 2016 just so happened when much of Lassen Volcanic National Park was still under snow and ice throughout much of the reserve.

However, Mill Creek Falls was at low enough elevation that we were still able to do this hike.

Bumpass_Hell_256_07122016 - Bumpass Hell was the origin of Bumpass Creek, which gave Mill Creek Falls some of its geothermal and sulphur-rich qualities
Bumpass Hell was the origin of Bumpass Creek, which gave Mill Creek Falls some of its geothermal and sulphur-rich qualities

In fact, our early Summer hike was full of colorful mats of wildflowers backed by the technicolor volcanic peaks that kind of made us think of Lassen Volcanic as California’s humble answer to Yellowstone National Park.

Hiking to Mill Creek Falls

Our 3.2-mile round trip hike to Mill Creek Falls was accessed from the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center near the southwest entrance of the park (see directions below).

It had a net elevation gain of 300ft, but it had a bit of a V-shaped profile so it was considered to be a moderate in difficulty.

We wound up spending about 2.5 hours to complete this out-and-back hike, but we really took our time, especially at the brink of the falls.

Mill_Creek_Falls_113_06212016 - Mom looking down over the brink of Mill Creek Falls from a footbridge over East Sulphur Creek
Mom looking down over the brink of Mill Creek Falls from a footbridge over East Sulphur Creek

So it’s conceivable that it could take a bit less time to finish this hike if you were in more of a hurry.

Mill Creek Falls Trail Description

At first we had trouble finding the trail, but a ranger at the visitor center told us that the trail started adjacent to the amphitheater and campground just outside of the building.

From there, the trail descended towards West Sulphur Creek, where we crossed a bridge then swung around a little meadow-like area with colorful mats of wildflowers.

This area was even more compelling from a photography standpoint because it was backed by colorful volcanic mountains further adding to the stunning and picturesque scene.

Mill_Creek_Falls_034_06212016 - Looking down over the field of blooming wildflowers towards some of the surrounding volcanic peaks during the initial descent on the Mill Creek Falls Trail
Looking down over the field of blooming wildflowers towards some of the surrounding volcanic peaks during the initial descent on the Mill Creek Falls Trail

Then, the trail briefly climbed a bump before sharply descending into a lightly forested area.

After undulating up and down as well as in and out of forested sections, we’d eventually reach a short unbridged creek crossing.

Immediately after this crossing, the trail really began to climb in earnest.

Fortunately, most of the climb was in the shade of tall trees flanking us, but it was in this stretch that we would gain most of the net 300ft elevation.

Mill_Creek_Falls_056_06212016 - Unbridged crossing of a creek at the bottom of the Mill Creek Falls hike where the trail climbed most of the rest of the way
Unbridged crossing of a creek at the bottom of the Mill Creek Falls hike where the trail climbed most of the rest of the way

The climb may be modest numbers-wise, but it definitely felt a lot longer than that (probably due to the elevation loss at the beginning that we had to get back and more).

In one section where the trees had parted, we were able to glimpse across a canyon to our right (cut by East Sulphur Creek) towards some minor cascades running due to the snow melt.

After roughly over an hour on the trail, we finally arrived at an overlook peering right down at the entirety of Mill Creek Falls.

It was from this vantage point that we managed to get the photo you see at the top of this page.

Mill_Creek_Falls_062_06212016 - Mom followed by a few hikers on the final long ascent up to the overlook of Mill Creek Falls
Mom followed by a few hikers on the final long ascent up to the overlook of Mill Creek Falls

The trail continued towards the footbridges spanning both East Sulphur Creek and Bumpass Creek above the falls.

That second footbridge was as far as we’d go.

In order to celebrate our little accomplishment of making it to the falls, we spoiled ourselves with a picnic lunch near its brink where we were joined by dozens of other people.

Given how we managed to see many hikers going in both directions throughout the trail, we knew that this hike was indeed a very popular one.

Mill_Creek_Falls_099_06212016 - Context of Mom checking out Mill Creek Falls from its overlook
Context of Mom checking out Mill Creek Falls from its overlook

Anyways, the scene at the top of Mill Creek Falls was such that we didn’t want to leave too quickly.

However, once we were done with our snack and water break while having our fill of the Mill Creek Falls (along with the faint sulphur smell), we then returned the way we came.

The reeturn hike was mostly downhill with a few minor uphill sections.

Then, we got to experience the wildflowers (especially in that stretch close to the bridge over West Sulphur Creek) all over again.

Mill_Creek_Falls_171_06212016 - Mom hiking back through some fields of wildflowers backed by scenic volcanic mountains on the final climb back to the Mill Creek Falls Trailhead
Mom hiking back through some fields of wildflowers backed by scenic volcanic mountains on the final climb back to the Mill Creek Falls Trailhead

The hike ended with that final ascent back up to the visitor center.

Authorities

Mill Creek Falls resides in Lassen Volcanic National Park near Red Bluff and Redding in Plumas County, California. It is administered by the National Park Service. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website.

Maps and Routing Content are for annual members. See Membership Options.
Content is for members. See Membership Options.
Tagged with: lassen, volcanic, national park, redding, red bluff, california, northern california, waterfall, plumas, sulphur works, east sulphur creek, bumpass creek, bumpass hot springs, bumpass hell, kohm yah-mah-nee, visitor center, mineral



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Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
Read More About Johnny | A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls.