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DAY TRIPPIN' Day Trippin': A picnic lunch at a McCloud River waterfall Comment By David Smigelski Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By David Smigelski Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 9, 2015 at 2:00 AM Updated Mar 10, 2015 at 6:37 PM By David Smigelski Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 9, 2015 at 2:00 AM Updated Mar 10, 2015 at 6:37 PM --> You can be a travel writer Do you have a favorite destination or scenic drive that’s within a couple hours of the Rogue Valley? If so, email... » Read more X You can be a travel writer Do you have a favorite destination or scenic drive that’s within a couple hours of the Rogue Valley? If so, email us a 300- to 500-word story about it that includes directions, and send pictures if you have them, to Mail Tribune features editor David Smigelski at [email protected] . » Social News Editor's Note: Day Trippin' is a regular Monday feature that gives readers a chance to play tour guide and tell us about a nearby getaway. The sparkling water of the upper McCloud River spills like diamonds over Middle Falls as my wife, Nancy, and I lean back against a sun-warmed boulder and savor the flavor of a picnic we drove 100 miles to enjoy. Although we sometimes camp along this river in Northern California's Shasta-Trinity National Forest, it's close enough for a day trip when the hankering for waterfalls strikes, which happens more often than you'd think. We consider ourselves respectable hikers, willing and able to strap on packs and cover a dozen or more miles at a stretch, swithbacks be damned. But easy is nice too, and this is about as easy as hiking gets. The upper McCloud River Trail runs for roughly 12 miles through the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. The path dips in and out of woods full of pines, dogwood, alder, maple, cottonwood and willow, passing three picturesque waterfalls — Lower, Middle and Upper falls — and an old mill dam. But today we're not hiking 12 miles. We're strolling for about three miles, with a picnic break in the middle. We parked at Lower Falls, strapped on our daypacks and sauntered down the trail, which is mostly wide, mostly soft and about as flat as a riverside trail can be in mountain country. Lizards, ground squirrels and chipmunks scamper across the trail with regularity, and the air is alive with kingfishers, sparrows, towhees, tanagers, redwing blackbirds and warblers. Osprey and bald eagles are common overhead. The air in these woods is sweet enough to eat, scrubbed clean by the waterfalls and scented by pitch-filled conifers. About a mile or so from Lower Falls, we can hear the rumble of Middle Falls, and as many times as we've been here, the first glimpse of the 50-foot-tall cascade through the trees is always a thrill. At the base of Middle Falls, the trail takes a sharp turn left and switchbacks up the canyon wall to the Middle Falls overlook. If you go that way, views of Mount Shasta and the Castle Crags appear as you crest the trail, and in another mile or so, you'll come across Upper Falls. But we're not climbing that hillside today. We're stopping right here at the base of Middle Falls and spreading our feast on a table of riverside stone. Maybe a little catnap in the sun. On the way home, we're going to putter our way through a few shops in the cute little town of Mount Shasta, which we passed on the way here. Not a bad way to spend a day. To reach Lower Falls, take Interstate 5 south for about 87 miles to the third Mount Shasta City exit, which puts you on California State Route 89. Drive 5.5 miles past the town of McCloud and turn right at the sign for Fowler's Camp, then drive 1.2 miles to the Lower Falls parking area. Reach Mail Tribune features editor David Smigelski at [email protected] or 541-776-8784. By David Smigelski Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By David Smigelski Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 9, 2015 at 2:00 AM Updated Mar 10, 2015 at 6:37 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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