Mossbrae Falls
Hike Review
The trail to Mossbrae Falls is a single-track gravel path next to active train tracks.
There was shade on much of the trail (in the late afternoon).
There was parking on the side of the road on Dunsmuir Ave, but I only saw two spots where this road intersected Scarlet Way. If those spots are taken one might have to park further away.
There were no facilities available, such as bathrooms or potable water.
Despite the parking situation, there were plenty of people at the falls.
The waterfall was gorgeous. It streamed out of the wall through moss and vegetation. It was also wide, with the falls at least 100ft wide.
What I Learned
It was my first time hiking next to a passing train. We heard the train first, so we got to a part of the trail where it gave a wide berth away from the train. As the train passed, we started hiking and found the experience not wholly unpleasant—it was loud, though.
What Happened?
3.2 miles, 1 hr 31 mins, 197 ft of ascent
On a road trip north, we decided to take a short hiking break by stopping by Mossbrae Falls, a place I’ve wanted to visit for two years. We parked on Dunsmuir Ave and hiked down.
Scarlet Way twists through a small neighborhood that seems to be a mix of old residences and rental units. We walked across the bridge and turned right onto the train tracks.
The hike was pretty uneventful with us walking along a gravel pathway and with about a dozen people passing us coming back from the waterfall. We asked an Asian dad who looked like Glenn from The Walking Dead (Cassie did not think he looked like Glenn) how the waterfall was and he stated that it was super worth it.
In no time, we were at the waterfall and Glenn (I swear he looked like his stunt double) was right. Especially with the sunlight hitting the waterfall, it was breathtaking. We took in the sights and for some reason, everyone who was there left, and Cassie and I had the whole waterfall to ourselves. We took pictures, meditated, and just tried to appreciate our good fortunes.
We had to be elsewhere though, so we packed up and headed back to Ramona. On the way back, we got passed by a train, but other than that it was drama-free. We found Ramona exactly as we left her and we drove off to the city of Mount Shasta to find dinner.
