The eighth wonder of the world is officially reopened for business in California. This comes after it suffered damage due to the influx of tourists to the area.
It cost quite a penny to repair the wonder. It cost $835,000 in repairs and took a year to repair. The Burney Falls closed in February 2024, and the waterfalls just recently reopened. Officials just didn't publicize the reopening for obvious reasons.
Aaron Wright, public safety chief for the State Park's system's Northern District, told SFGate: "Any kind of press brings people here. That's why we opened it without a fanfare."
Theodore Roosevelt once dubbed the Burney Falls the eighth wonder of the world. "It's beautiful. Everybody should come see it," a local named Voltura said. "I've seen Niagara Falls - Burney Falls is pretty. It's natural. There's not all the concrete. And it bubbles up from out of the ground."
Unfortunately, the 250,000 to 350,000 visitors ruined the natural wonder.
Eighth Wonder Of The World
Wright said, "The park has extreme visitation. There's a lot of complaints for Highway 89 due to traffic. The park was built 100 years ago and not meant for this volume of visitation."
With so many people trying to see the eighth wonder, it became an issue for locals. Officials also became worried about the safety of tourists as well as the damage to the falls.
"There were 30 people that had parked along the side of the road," said Voltura. "Their cars were in the ditch, and some were walking along the highway with small children. I just closed my eyes, thinking somebody was going to get hurt. It's not a safe situation."
However, local businesses have taken a hit since the falls have closed. They're hoping that people will come back now that the falls are open once again. But maybe not in such extreme numbers. Only time will tell what the future holds for the falls.
"I'm hoping this year that people come back," said LouAnn Strureman, owner of the Burney Motel. "People had planned to come up and all of a sudden they changed their plans because they couldn't do what they wanted to do."
