A late arrival to winter is taking hold, and every creek, river and waterfall is acquiring its own personality.

Some, like Silver Falls in the remote Santa Cruz Mountains, are roaring, having been jump-started by 7 inches of rain in the past week.

Others, like Carson Falls in the Marin Watershed, have been brought to life in recent days, including 5.7 inches of rain a week ago Monday, with more on the way Thursday, Friday and early next week.

Yosemite Falls, Feather Falls, Burney Falls and Middle Falls of the McCloud are among the crown jewels of Northern California outdoor recreation. On my recent visits, I’ve found that most of the people traveling to see the spectacles are from the Bay Area, no matter how far or how long they have to travel.

One of my missions in life is to see every major waterfall in California, and I’m pretty close to achieving that. Here are the best 40 or so within range of those in the Bay Area and Sacramento, and a capsule description of their personalities:

Greater Bay Area

Overview: It takes about 3 inches of rain to saturate the soil; additional rain will get aquifers pumping to feed the creeks and waterfalls. In Marin and the Santa Cruz mountains this weekend, waterfalls are on the verge of spectacular. In the East Bay hills, it will take more sustained rains to trigger the effect.

Santa Cruz County: Berry Creek Falls, 70-foot free fall, framed by a redwood canopy, with new viewing deck at plunge pool; Silver Falls, 50-foot free fall where stairs are etched in rock alongside; Golden Cascade, Aztec Falls pours into series of slides, whitewater over golden sandstone and feeds into brink of Silver Falls, all in same canyon, Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Boulder Creek. Note: Trail closures from last year’s storm damage require a 13.5-mile round trip. Sempervirens Falls, short, narrow chute into pool, Big Basin Redwoods State Park; Castle Rock Falls, 50-foot free fall with viewing platform for side view (not a full frontal), Castle Rock State Park, Skyline (above Los Gatos).

Marin County: Carson Falls, pool-and-drop waterfalls with four decks in a Marin Watershed gorge; Cataract Falls, a series of cascades in a lush ravine, Marin Watershed; Alamere Falls, 40-foot freefall over a cliff to a wilderness beach, Point Reyes National Seashore; Dawn Falls, 25-foot fountain, gorgeous in morning light, Baltimore Canyon Open Space Preserve, Kentfield; Cascade Falls, 20-foot chute in rock basin into a plunge pool, Cascade Canyon Open Space Preserve, Fairfax. Note: Bill’s Trail to Stairstep Falls, Samuel P. Taylor State Park, is closed for renovation, and work has been delayed.

San Mateo County: Tiptoe Falls, short cascade, silver flows over black rock, edged by sword ferns, Portola Redwoods State Park, La Honda; Brooks Falls, three wisps (as many as five after heavy rain), in a long, narrow gorge, San Pedro Valley County Park, Pacifica.

Alameda County: Little Yosemite Falls, pool-and-drop through a boulder field, Sunol Regional Wilderness; Murrieta Falls, 100-foot gorge with cascades and chutes, Ohlone Regional Wilderness out of Del Valle Regional Park.

Contra Costa County: Donner Falls, a series of small waterfalls in a canyon, crowned by a 20-foot cascade, Mount Diablo State Park (out of Clayton); Abrigo Falls, 15-foot stream, Briones Regional Park.

Sonoma: Canyon Creek Falls, a 25-foot cascade pours into pool, Sugarloaf Ridge State Park.

Santa Clara County: No access: Black Rock Falls, Basin Falls, Triple Falls, Upper Falls, Granuja Falls, Uvas Canyon County Park, Coyote. The park’s access road, Croy Road, is still closed by damage from last winter’s storms.

Yosemite waterfalls

Overview: If you drive into Yosemite on Highway 140, as you descend toward Yosemite Valley, you will get the classic view of Bridalveil Fall. Rain and warm temperatures for most of the winter have the waterfalls at mid-flow already. As of this week, the high-elevation snow levels have meant the Mist Trail to Vernal and Nevada falls is still open.

The valley: Yosemite Falls, 2,425 feet in three tiers, is running strong again this week, with the classic view being from Leidig Meadow; Bridalveil Fall, 620 feet, the dramatic freefall, helps makes the photo come to life from Tunnel View; Sentinel Falls, 2,000 feet, giant stepped Cascade near Sentinel Rock; Ribbon Fall, 1,612 feet, near El Capitan, comes and goes with rain; Royal Arch Cascade, 1,250 feet, on the north wall near the Ahwahnee (now called Majestic Yosemite Lodge); Horsetail Fall, 1,000 feet, east side of El Capitan, often a wisp; Vernal Fall, 317 feet, gorgeous curtain; Nevada Fall, 594 feet, crowning sight, below Liberty Cap, from Mist Trail (for loop hike, note that John Muir Trail is closed from Clark Point to brink of Nevada Fall, trail damage); Silver Strand Falls, 574 feet, wispy cascade on western end of Yosemite Valley.

Hetch Hetchy: Wapama Falls, 1,400 feet, in long gorge flowing into Hetch Hetchy, with hiker’s bridge near lower cascade; you can see entire flow only from the air.

Central Sierra

Overview: On Friday, snow is forecast to fall at lake level in the Lake Tahoe Basin, and down to 4,000 feet in the front country of the Sierra Nevada. A more significant weather system is expected early next week. After a slow start to winter, things are picking up.

Eagle Falls, El Dorado County: At Lake Tahoe, paddle out in a kayak in Emerald Bay, and then turn and gaze up at Eagle Falls pouring down in a mix of silvers at the foot of the bay, with Mount Tallac on the mountain rim above.

Bridal Veil Falls, El Dorado County: A famous spot along Highway 50 (18.5 miles east of Placerville), an 80-foot silver stream over black rock, where many stretch their legs on the drive South Lake Tahoe. Awesome in snow.

Hidden Falls, Placer County: An easy hike in Hidden Falls Regional Park, west of Auburn, leads to viewing deck to two-tiered waterfall, trek can be extended to 5-mile loop. Parking lot fills on weekends.

North Sierra

Feather Falls, Butte County: Payoffs include a viewing deck built on an extended outcrop for full frontal of 410-foot falls, with side trip to brink of falls (fenced for safety). Ten-mile round trip hike. Sensational.

Mendocino

Russian Gulch Falls: A 35-foot waterfall tucked in lush forest, crowns 7-mile loop hike at Russian Gulch State Park.

Shasta Cascade

Burney Falls, Shasta County: 129-foot curtain meshes with flows that emerge from lava tubes at mid-wall, 100 million gallons (and more) per day. McArthur-Burney Falls State Park.

Whiskeytown Falls, Shasta County: The defining waterfall at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, where steps are carved in rock alongside 220-foot falls to your right as it bends its way down canyon in series of levels and cascades, with lookouts position alongside. 3.4-mile round trip.

Potem Falls, Shasta County: Surprise 70-foot chute tucked on a tributary of the Pit River off Fenders Ferry Road in Shasta-Trinity National Forest, 30 miles east of Redding.

Hedge Creek Falls, Siskiyou County: Rock overhang means you can walk right under the surprise chute-like falls, located near I-5 at exit for north Dunsmuir.

Tom Stienstra’s Outdoor Report can be heard at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 12:35 p.m. Saturdays on KCBS (740 and 106.9). Email: tstienstra@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @StienstraTom

Waterfall contacts

California State Parks: Parks headquarters, (916) 653-6996, www.parks.ca.gov

Yosemite National Park: Park headquarters (209) 372-0200, www.nps.gov/yose

U.S. Forest Service: Region headquarters, Vallejo, (707), 562-8737, www.fs.usda.gov/r5

Marin Watershed: Marin Municipal Water District, (415) 945-1195; Sky Oaks Ranger Station, (415) 945-1181www.marinwater.org

East Bay Regional Park District: Parks headquarters, (888) 327-2757, www.ebayparks.org

Santa Clara County Parks: Parks headquarters, (408) 355-2200 (general information), https://www.sccgov.org/sites/parks