Nice boutique hotel in downtown Dunsmuir. Room 6 faced the backyard which could use some help. Nice linens but the matress was a little firm. Coffee in room was good with plates, cups, cuttelry and glassware. Big bathroom had great twin sinks. Ate at Cafe Maddalena after a nice walkabout downtown

When I was there in May 2020 at the beginning at Shasta Retreat an officer was there saying that it was against the law now to walk to the Falls by way of the railroad tracks until they find q safer way to get there. Hedge Creek Falls too were blocked with yellow caution tape. No one has gotten hit by a train that i have heard of. it is a risky walk and people have been doing it for years and now you can't. It breaks my heart.

It was a beautiful walk next to the railroad tracks. Be aware of the possibilities for rail trains to pass within mere inches of you. Don't recommend taking a dog. The trail is comprised of cut granite chunks, much to dangerous not to mention uncomfortable for your pets. If you go in the summer, go early morning, afternoons would make the walk much less enjoyable. When you make it to the falls, be ready for a most amazing sight! Peaceful area, the sound, the ferns, breath deep and enjoy the tranquility! The falls are AMAZING!

Currently it is illegal to go there as it requires violating posted no trespassing signs. People got hurt by trains while walking on the tracks so Union Pacific finally had enough and now you will get a ticket. Other access is across a religious sect's private property. They have cameras and on duty guards. The City of Dunsmuir and Union Pacific are working on creating a legal access to the falls but these things move slowly, though there is definitely progress.

This waterfall is very unusual it seems to be mostly a spring seeping out of a cliff wall just above a clear river. Very wide but not that high, the waterflow is modest but invariant across the year. There are lots of green plants along the cliff wall being constantly watered by the falls. Photos seem not to do it justice. The water is probably too cold for swimming but it is so clean and clear. Would be a great spot for a picnic. To get there: Exit I-5 at Dunsmuir Avenue (the most northern of the Dunsmuir exits. Proceed to Dunsmuir Ave and turn left (south). Proceed to Scarlett Ave and turn right (almost a u-turn) and drive under the Shasta Retreat Arch. Proceed until you pass the river on a small one lane bridge. The RR tracks are here. Go back to Dunsmuir Ave and park somewhere. Walk back to the RR tracks and follow the tracks right (upstream, North). Walk along the tracks (maybe 1.5 miles) until you reach a RR bridge, there are several paths leading down to the river just before the bridge. Follow one and you will arrive at the falls. Watch out for trains coming from both directions. Don't park by the tracks or anywhere in Shasta Retreat, there is a high probability of a ticket. Message me if you want the GPS coordinates.

This is an absolute hidden gem. Breathtakingly beautiful. First the disclaimer: since the path to the falls goes through an active railroad and accidents have happened, the railroad company and town discourages hiking to this place. But if you are careful and use common sense, you can go there and it's worth it. To get there: park outside the shasta resort, walk down the resort path, past the small bridge on the river and turn right and just follow the railroad tracks. Since we went mid summer, the walk was hot and not easy on the feet either (wear good shoes). You have to walk on the gravel or on the tracks, it gets narrow at times and live trians do go this way, so please be careful (more so with kids) and kept an ear out (no headphones :)). Once you walk for about a mile, you will get to a metal old overbridge, just before that turn right and walk down into the woods (you wont see the falls from above). Few steps in and voila - soak in the sights! The falls look heavenly with the moss background. They don't crash but just pour. You can swim in the water - which was great after the hot walk, the water tends to be very cold even in summer. But swimmable - very refreshing. The rocks by the shore are slippery. Overall, worth the effort to get there!

If you put "Shasta Retreat" on your GPS it will lead you into the neighborhood, where you do not want to park. As we were turning around, a very friendly local flagged us down and asked "Let me guess , you're looking for Mossbrae Falls?" All GPS systems lead to where we were, so he guessed correctly. He explained to us: Go back to the highway, look for the guardrail that is next to Scarlett St. Park the car next to the guardrail and walk down Scarlett to the bridge. Cross the bridge, turn right and walk along the railroad tracks for about a mile. BEFORE the train trestle (train bridge) you will see a path to the right that leads down to the water. There you will see the falls and be amazed!! We had mentioned that we were had just come from Hedge Creek Falls and the train had just gone by. He said that was good, as we had about an hour before the next one. So another piece of advice would be to wait for the train to go by before you set out on the tracks. It's about a 20-25 minute walk along the track to get to Mossbrae Falls. Stay at the Falls until the next train goes by and you should have plenty of time to walk back.. If by chance a train should come by, you have space to get out of the way. Even though you can be perfectly safe doing this walk, I would not recommend doing this with small children. And wear sturdy shoes, no sandals or flip flops. You'll be miserable. My only hope with giving this advice would be that this hike does not become inundated with people. Technically, this hike is still "illegal". Be respectful of the Shasta Retreat neighborhood, do not trash the Falls. Just enjoy this wonder of nature, then leave.

This is a beautiful place, and even though you're technically not allowed to get here (along Union Pacific tracks), no one will bother you. You just have to make sure to park far enough away to not get a parking ticket. Finding good directions to get here is tough. Head north on Dunsmuir Avenue from town, and then a little bit north of the Botanical Gardens, there will be a road on the west/left (on GPS it's Scarlet Way, in real life there's a sign for "Shasta Retreat"). You want to drive past and park north of here on the street. There's a trail on the east/right side of Dunsmuir Ave that you can walk safely on until you have to cross. Walk down Scarlet Way, and you'll be in a private community (this is why you can't park closer). You'll walk down a bit of an incline and make sure to bear right and avoid Cave Ave. Keep walking until a bridge and then right after the bridge are the tracks. Turn right onto the tracks and walk for a bit longer than a mile. Then there will be another bridge. Right before this bridge there is a hidden trail that will lead down to the falls.

Pretty much most of what you read about these falls on the internet is true. You need to jump through some hoops to get to the falls - finding parking, trespassing, train dodging, etc. To me, the falls were totally worth it. But it's not for everyone and there is an element of danger. The city of Dunsmuir would like to make getting to the waterfalls easier, but the folks from the Saint Germain Foundation (not Union Pacific) are supposedly holding up public access. THE TRACKS: It's true that most of the time, the river side of the tracks offered more room to avoid getting hit by the train, but there were some spots where there was actually more space on the other side. We stayed on the river side but kept our eyes open for the areas with more space to avoid an oncoming train. The ballast (i.e. rocks) are not easy to walk on - you need shoes with sturdy soles such as hiking shoes. So, it's better to stay on the railroad ties as much as possible. THE TRAIN: On our trek, the train came by once. There was enough warning for us to get out of the way, and thankfully we were in a spot where we could step aside. But I have to say, the sound of the oncoming train wasn't very loud and I would've preferred having much more advanced notice. If the train was coming around a bend, it might've been even a closer call. If we were in a narrow area, we would've literally had to slide down the steep river embankment. It is not a fast moving train, however. It was long and took forever to pass us. If you come in a group, make sure someone is keeping his/her ears pricked instead of being engrossed in conversation. THE TRAIL: The trail itself is pretty level. The only challenge is staying on the ties - I started getting dizzy. But it's definitely easier than walking on the rocks. The rocks are sharp and loose. Before the bridge, there is a large rock with arrows that will point you to the start of a well-defined dirt path (who created it?) that gently slopes down toward the falls. THE FALLS: AMAZING. This is the 5th waterfall we saw on our trip and we saved the best for last. It's something out of a fairytale with numerous ribbons of water flowing over a green, mossy wall. And we were the only ones there, which is a remarkable thing in this day and age. The falls are also very wide, you'd need to use the pano feature on your camera to take it all in. Someone put a bench there if you wanted to just sit and take it all in. Our excursion took about an hour and a half roundtrip. We would've spent more time at the falls if it wasn't raining. VERDICT: So, yes, I'm glad we made the effort, but I wouldn't recommend this for everyone. Not for those with young kids. Not for those who aren't very agile (in case you have to quickly scramble to get out of the way). Be smart and discreet. It's still technically illegal to go here. TIPS: Besides wearing sturdy shoes, bring water. If it's sunny, wear a hat as there's no shade along the railroad tracks. This would be a good time to use your camera tripod and do long exposure if feasible. But your camera phones will also do the trick. Be respectful - don't be a jerk and leave trash or graffiti, lest the railroad people get really stringent about preventing access. It's a magical place but it may not stay that way for long.

Yes, these falls are beautifiul... BUT, they are on private property! The many signs posted everywhere in the tiny neighborhood of Shasta Retreat say, "NO ACCESS to Mossbrae Falls," yet the public continues to ignore them, parking illegally in Shasta Retreat, leaving trash behind and wandering in large groups down the middle of this quiet community's streets in search of this illusive falls. The most helpful thing visitors could do is to respect the Private Property signs and instead donate funds (of any amount) to the town of Dunsmuir (with its limited resources) so it can finally construct the public trail (sitting on a planning table) that will legally and safely lead all visitors to the falls.