Rooted in Adventure

Local Hike Highlight: Phantom Falls at Table Mountain, Oroville

Over the past few weeks, Greg Piersol and I finally crossed this one off our list — and wow, Phantom Falls at Table Mountain did not disappoint.

Located in Oroville, this trail is around 3.8 miles out and back, with rolling hills, incredible views, and right now? A wildflower explosion. Seriously — we were surrounded by pops of purple, yellow, and orange the entire way- it felt like I was in a water color painting! It’s open and exposed, though, so bring lots of water and sun protection — there’s zero tree cover.

We’d definitely recommend hitting this one early morning or evening. The lighting is beautiful, and it’s much cooler — especially if you decide to be adventurous like us and climb down the canyon to the base of the falls (yep, that’s the rope you see in the photo!).



If you’re planning on that part, bring gloves and solid shoes — the rocks are slick and it’s a bit of a scramble, but the payoff is so worth it.

This hike is best done in the spring when the water is flowing and the fields are green. And heads up — there’s no official trail signage, so it’s smart to download the trail map ahead of time or use a GPS app like AllTrails.

Shannon Rating: 10/10 on views / open space/ lack of crowds PLUS *only out of breath one time* AND cow crossing