Dunsmuir City Park

Mt Shasta Region


As you follow winding Dunsmuir Ave north over the freeway, look for this park with its local native botanical gardens and a vintage steam engine in front. A forest path from the riverside gardens leads to a small waterfall, but Mossbrae Falls are the larger and more spectacular of Dunsmuir’s waterfalls.

It's actually illegal to walk to the falls since the trail is partially on the railroad tracks and a woman was hit by a train here in 2011. Still, plenty of people go. Be extremely careful of trains as you walk by the tracks – the river’s sound can make it impossible to hear them coming and to escape a train you'll have to run for it or jump in the river. Park by the railroad tracks (there’s no sign), then walk north along the right-hand side of the tracks for a half-hour until you reach a railroad bridge built in 1901. Backtracking slightly from the bridge, you’ll find a little path going down through the trees to the river and the falls. The community is discussing making a safer trail, so ask around.


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