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Hike to Phantom Falls

Oroville, California

4.6/5
based on 9 reviews

Details

Distance

4.2 miles

Elevation Gain

850 ft

Route Type

Out-and-Back

Description

Added by Xavier Salgado

Phantom falls aka Coal Canyon falls is a small hidden spot of startling beauty located on North Table Mountain in Oroville, California.

Dropping off a 135 ft cliff is a very well hidden waterfall with no trails leading to it. But if you do find it, it is an epic natural wonder.It is best to come here in the winter months, after a lot of rain. But it is also well worth coming in the spring when the wildflowers on Table Mountain are flourishing.

When you arrive at the trailhead, you will see that there is indeed no trail at all. You need to traverse cross country in a north-west direction to reach Phantom Falls. A GPS or compass is highly recommended for this hike. If you do not have one, it will be very difficult to find your way cross-country without any landmarks. Essentially, you want to follow an old fence line on the right until you reach the top of Ravine and Ravine Twin Falls, cross those creeks, around the end of another old fence, follow that fence line for awhile, until you finally cut over to the Phantom Falls viewpoint. You won't be able to see the waterfall from a distance as there are a lot of rolling hills throughout the entire hike.

There are plenty of other waterfalls on North and South Table Mountain as well. You will pass three of them en route to Phantom Falls. All of these waterfalls on Table Mountain have very small drainage, so they will be flowing well only after quite a lot of rain. If you want to see any waterfalls during the summer months, unfortunately you may be disappointed.

Expect to see a lot of grazing cattle, they are generally safe but you'll definitely want to give the occasional bull some space.

Note: Parts of this hike may be on private property. Please do hike on private property without permission from the owner. 

Directions: From Oroville on Hwy 70, take exit 48 (Grand Ave.). Follow Grand Ave. east for 1.0 miles to Table Mountain Blvd. Turn left for 0.2 miles, then right on Cherokee Rd. Drive 6.3 miles on Cherokee Rd. to the unmarked parking area on the left (you'll see a green cattle gate).  

Coordinates:

  • Parking Lot: 39.595923, -121.541736
  • Phantom Falls: 39.61041, -121.56063
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Features

Chillin
Photography
Hiking
Dog Friendly
Easy Parking
Groups
Scenic
Waterfall
Wildflowers
Wildlife

Hike to Phantom Falls Reviews

Would recommend coming in the spring time after the first few showers, the flowers cover the hills and it’s beautiful!

I should have went on March or April.The waterfalls was almost drained.

Way crowded on weekends. Pretty.

This hike is great all year-round; definitely try going when it's rainy. I've been a handful of times and the time it was raining was by far the BEST!

Love this hike, especially in early Spring. The wildflowers are INSANE right now with all the water that California has gotten. Super easy to get to the falls, but even if you don't there are so many spots where you can find a moment of bliss up there. There's a spot near the bottom of Ravine Falls where there is a ton of trees, and it is PERFECT if you enjoy setting up a hammock and relaxing.

I went here for a day trip on April 2, 2017. I was a bit concerned at first because I had heard that the flowers weren't blooming yet, but there were flowers EVERYWHERE. They weren't the same kind of blooms that you get down in Southern California, but they were magnificent all the same. When we arrived there were some nice volunteers with a map and plenty of advice for getting to Phantom Falls. There were a lot of people around, but as we continued further from the trailhead, most of the families and larger groups stayed on the plateau. The plateau was beautiful, only a few of the vernal pools still had water in them, but those that had dried up for the year were filled with goldfields, white-tipped clover, miniature lupine, blue dicks, California poppies, frying pan poppies, and more! As we continued towards the falls(through the mentioned drainage ditches and walking NW towards a nicely placed snow-capped peak), we continued to see amazing flowers, saw newts and frogs in the creeks, and finally had a bit of time to ourselves. We made it to Fern Falls and as we rounded Fern Falls, we got to the "trespassing" section, basically an area where you have to go around a private property fence line so that you don't fall into the canyon, but you pass through that pretty quickly. Although there isn't a "trail" we saw a pretty well-used dirt path that we used to minimize our disturbance. Finally, we reached Coal Canyon and Phantom falls and WOW, it was amazing from all angles. We stopped and took pictures, walked over to it the edge where it went off into the canyon, and eventually went down a narrow path(with the help of a rope left by a kind traveler) and reached the base of the falls. Since this was the first truly nice Spring day for the region, we took a dip in the Falls, which was absolutely breathtaking. Overall, the trip was magical, and I'd recommend it to anyone, especially during the Spring. One quick safety note though. While we were swimming in the falls we heard a helicopter circling above us. After a leisurely walk back to the trail head, there were about 4-5 Cal Fire engines, an ambulance and an engine from the nearby town of Paradise. Although I haven't been able to find any news about it, apparently someone fell from the canyon and had to be rescued. Please pay attention near canyons. The wind gets strong, and its so easy to make a mistake that could be life-threatening, so take care. We had absolutely no safety concerns, but it's always a good reminder nonetheless. Easily a 10/10 day hike.

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

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