The Big Kimshew
Big Kimshew Falls has been on my list for quite a few years now. It is a 89 ft. beautiful triple decker falls, located out in the middle of nowhere. Literally. It is actually very easy to get down to see, but the problem is that the drive takes forever. Literally. It is located out past Stirling City, which is quite a long drive in itself. But once at Stirling City, you need to drive an additional 15 miles on a very bumpy and slow going dirt road. It takes about an hour just to drive these 15 miles.
I figured it was about time, though, that I made the long trek out to see it. I needed to be in Chico for lunch, anyway, since we were celebrating my brother-in-law’s birthday at the Sierra Nevada Brewery restaurant (one of my favorite restaurants, and definitely my favorite American brand of beer). So I decided to just get up very early (4AM) and try to get out to Big Kimshew Falls first. It was a rainy day, but I did not encounter any rain while I was at the falls trying to photograph it (fortunately), but I did certainly encounter rain whilst driving. I was hoping the rain would have increased the flow in the creek a bit more, but it was still a very lovely flowing waterfall. The low flow allowed me to get right in the middle of the creek to take my shots. In the spring, this creek is raging, and there would be no possible way to stand where I was standing. The kayakers like to go over this triple falls at high flows, but with the two logs that are there now, I don’t think they would be doing that anymore. Bummer. The logs also make the waterfall appear not as aesthetically pleasing as it would be otherwise (though it still looks pretty darn nice).
So is it worth the very long drive out to see Big Kimshew Falls? Yes, most certainly. It would be better in the spring when the creek is much higher, but the window in the spring to see this falls is very short because you have to wait until the road is open and completely free of snow. Still, I am sure that I will be returning here sometime in the spring.
May 9th, 2015 at 5:46 pm
Very nice. I live just 10 miles from Sterling City, moved here about 1.5 years ago. I have been exploring the area and just learned of these falls from a local friend. i have been in the general area and will be heading to the falls for the first time next week.