The Brand-New Trailhead to Mossbrae Falls is Coming Closer to Reality

Flickr/CheWei Chang

Anyone that’s ever had the pleasure of visiting Northern California’s most unique waterfall, Mossbrae Falls, knows its well worth the efforts to build a safe, legal trail to the waterfall. And now, as the bureaucratic wheels begins to churn faster, it seems there may finally be a light to the end of the Mossbrae Falls Trailhead tunnel.

Siskiyou County Sheriff Jon Lopey recently joined the efforts of the City of Dunsmuir and the Mount Shasta Trail Association to bring a trail to the popular waterfall by sending a letter to officials at Union Pacific Railroad, owner of the land needed to complete the trail. The letter, sent on October 30th, urged officials to join the movement in order to “reduce the likelihood of injuries, deaths, emergency incidents, and liability.”

Photo by Leigh Maneri

In the past, Union Pacific showed general support for the project but has never given any formal consent to use the land. But following Lopey’s letter, Union Pacific Corporate Relations officer Tim McMahan indicated the company would like to bring together the trail’s organizers to begin movement on the plan. The Mount Shasta Trail Association hopes that meeting will take place in January, with tentative plans of gaining the necessary permits by March. Under that timeline, the trail could be ready by summer of 2020.

The plan for the trail, which has made significant progress over the past 2 years, would place a brand-new trail at the end of the Hedge Creek Falls trailhead and continue to a newly-constructed pedestrian suspension bridge across the Sacramento River. It would then continue north through a forested area below the train tracks and along the river, ending at Mossbrae Falls.

The final trail would encompass both Hedge Creek Falls and Mossbrae Falls within about a half mile hike.

Active NorCal

Telling the Stories of Northern California

2 Comments

  1. Boy is this exciting news! I’m planning a visit in mid-July. Is there a website I can check regularly for up-to-date announcements about this new trail to Mossbrae falls?

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