# Phantom Falls

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Phantom_Falls
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Phantom_Falls.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantom_Falls
> Source revision: 1340574191
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2026}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2026}}
{{Referenced|date=May 2019}}
{{Infobox waterfall
| image = Phantom Falls.jpg
| caption=Phantom Falls after spring rain, 2017
| location = North [Table Mountain (Butte County, California)](/source/Table_Mountain_(Butte_County%2C_California))
| map            = USA California |relief=1
| coordinates = {{coord|39.61041|N|121.56063|W|type:waterbody_region:US-CA_scale:50000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| height = {{convert|130|ft|abbr=on}}
| type = Plunge
}}

'''Phantom Falls''' or '''Coal Canyon Falls''' is a waterfall at [Coal Canyon](/source/Coal_Canyon) near [Oroville, California](/source/Oroville%2C_California), within the [North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve](/source/North_Table_Mountain_Ecological_Reserve). The waterfall is {{convert|166|ft}} high<ref name=West>http://www.waterfallswest.com/waterfall.php?id=205 Phantom Falls entry on ''Waterfalls West''</ref> and runs off the edge of Coal Canyon, in front of a [grotto](/source/grotto).{{Citation needed|reason=No information given on grotto on either external link|date=May 2019}} A small pool at the bottom is home to a [California newt](/source/California_newt) subspecies, the [Coastal Range newt](/source/Coastal_Range_newt).{{Citation needed|reason=|date=May 2019}} As a seasonal waterfall, Phantom Falls runs only during the rainy months, late autumn to early spring. It is named Phantom Falls because it disappears during the dry season.<ref name=West></ref>

There is no trail to the waterfall, although a parking lot on Cherokee Road provides access for hikers.<ref name=Chico>http://www.chicohiking.org/ValleyFoothill/Phantom-Falls.htm Phantom Falls entry on ''Chico Hiking'', includes a map of the area</ref> It is about {{convert|2|mi}} from the parking lot to the waterfall, which is visible from the rim of Coal Canyon.<ref name=Chico></ref> A strenuous downhill hike then ends at the bottom of the waterfall. The falls can also be reached from Coal Canyon Road at the bottom of Coal Canyon, a hike of about the same distance but longer and more strenuous, over rocky terrain.

The shaft of an abandoned gold mine in the grotto behind the falls dates to the [California Gold Rush](/source/California_Gold_Rush).<ref name=Chico></ref> Today, there is no [gold](/source/gold) there, but research still takes place in the mineshaft.{{Citation needed|reason=|date=May 2019}} Entering the mineshaft is difficult but not prohibited.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hiking |title=Phantom Falls {{!}} Explore Experience |url=https://www.exploreexperience.com/phantom-falls/ |access-date=2022-08-22 |language=en-US}}</ref>

==See also==
* [List of waterfalls](/source/List_of_waterfalls)
* [List of waterfalls in California](/source/List_of_waterfalls_in_California)

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

Category:Landforms of Butte County, California
Category:Waterfalls of California

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Phantom Falls](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantom_Falls) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantom_Falls?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.