San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Getting to Mossbrae Falls puts hikers at risk
Nestled in a canyon in Northern California is Mossbrae Falls, a pristine, curtain-like cascade that has become a forbidden paradise in a landmark showdown over access.
It is one of the most unique and prettiest waterfalls anywhere. A wide swath of silver streams, about 50 feet high and 75 yards wide, emerge from a lush canyon wall and then plunge into the river below. It is located in the Upper Sacramento River Canyon with access from the small town of Dunsmuir, north of Redding.
In the most famous visit to Mossbrae Falls, former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger took President George H.W. Bush to see the phenomenon during his time in office.
The trek to Mossbrae is somewhat treacherous. Visitors pass “No Trespassing” signs and hike north from Dunsmuir along railroad tracks in the river canyon. In the past five years, two hikers have been struck by trains but survived.
To solve the safety issue, a new trail to Mossbrae Falls was proposed and now extends to within 1,800 feet of the viewing site. A large consortium of local interests, which include nonprofit organizations, city and county government entities and foundations, support it.
The final piece of the new route would include a bridge over the river and a short trail along the riverbank, owned by Union Pacific, to the viewing site. A private funder has donated $340,000 for the project, said Tom Hesseldenz, a landscape architect who designed the trail for the Mount Shasta Trail Association. A foundation is waiting in the wings for railroad approval to likely cover the rest of the cost.
Negotiations have dragged for years, and now many involved in the project say Union Pacific is ignoring attempts for permission to complete the final missing link to create a safe, legal public trail to the falls. Union Pacific did not immediately return phone calls from The Chronicle.
“We’re just shaking our heads,” Hesseldenz said. “There’s a huge safety issue here, and the trail would solve it.”
In the past, Union Pacific has affirmed its private property rights in a universal statement: “Walking on or near railroad tracks is not only dangerous but is trespassing. We ask that people stay away from trains and other railroad property, including track, trestles, yards and equipment.”
The city of Dunsmuir, Siskiyou County Sheriff Jon Lopey and state Sen. Brian Dahle support building the final leg of the new trail for legal access and public safety.
Waterfall like no other
For many who have seen it, visiting Mossbrae Falls can feel like you are being allowed entry into one of nature’s shrines. The curtain effect of the falls is a phenomenon, and you might sit on a rock along the river and try to take it all in. Many stand at river’s edge opposite the falls and let its cool mist wash over them.
The source of the water is a series of volcanic springs located high above the river. From the springs, the water cascades down a steep hillside before spilling over a canyon wall above the river.
Locals have long walked the railroad tracks to the site, 1.2 miles one way. If a train shows up, there’s little room to get out of the way. It can be dangerous, most agree.
In recent years, photos of Mossbrae Falls have appeared on book covers, calendars and social media sites. That has spiked visitor traffic. The Trail Association verified that hundreds of visitors on some days last year hiked along on the railroad tracks to the falls, said John Harch of the Trail Association.
To solve it, Hesseldenz designed a new trail to be extended from an existing trail to nearby Hedge Creek Falls in north Dunsmuir. The trailhead is easy to reach from Interstate 5, with a large parking area just off the Mott Road exit.
From here, it’s a short walk downhill to Hedge Creek Falls, a chute-like falls with a rocky brink, where the trail is routed behind the falls. At high water, this too is a oneof-a-kind experience. From Hedge Creek Falls, a new trail was completed in early winter that extends down the canyon to the proposed site of a hiker’s bridge and the Upper Sacramento River.
From here, pending approval by Union Pacific, the bridge will cross over the river and the final 1,800-foot leg completed to provide a full frontal of Mossbrae Falls.
Showdown
Lopey, the Siskiyou County sheriff, said he was concerned about the safety of people hiking on the railroad tracks and, last fall, wrote to Union Pacific asking the railroad to get on board with the new trail. In the letter, Lopey said the new trail would “reduce the likelihood of injuries, deaths, emergency incidents, and liability.”
Earlier this winter, Francisco Castillo of Union Pacific responded to the letter and said that Union Pacific was “committed to finding a mutually agreeable solution that addresses the concerns of all parties.”
Since then, Union Pacific has been unresponsive, Hesseldenz said. In the same vein this past week, my calls to Castillo were not returned. I finally left a message asking if the railroad supported or opposed the final leg of the project, again without an answer.
“The solution is so painfully obvious,” Hesseldenz said. “They’re dragging their feet. We could have done this a year ago, before the most recent injury.”
Mossbrae Falls is located a short distance downstream from Cantara Loop, the site of the railroad’s 1991 derailment and spill, the worst inland spill in California history.
It’s ironic that Dunsmuir is known as a “railroad town,” that it still supports the Dunsmuir Railroad Days festival, sponsors a railroad museum and supports a depot in town, and that many who live here will say they have “railroading in their blood.”
“We could still have the bridge and trail extension completed this summer if Union Pacific would just give us the go-ahead,” Hesseldenz said.