Hedge Creek Falls Trail - Dunsmuir, CA
N 41° 14.197 W 122° 16.186
10T E 561193 N 4565281
A very short but extremely scenic trail leading to an attractive waterfall and a great view of Mount Shasta and the Sacramento River, located in Dunsmuir, CA.
Waymark Code: WMK1PX
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 01/30/2014
Views: 4
The following
website sums up greatly the natural beauty that awaits the trail enthusiast:
The path to Hedge Creek Falls begins at a small picnic area that is situated just across the road from the parking area. There is a table, gazebo, water fountain (only operational from late spring to fall) and some displays about the area. The whole area is perched right on the edge of the canyon above Hedge Creek. The trail departs the picnic area and descends at a very moderate grade. It immediately crosses over a small stream that has been rerouted under the trail through a culvert. The creek may or may not be flowing. The one drawback to the trip to Hedge Creek Falls is the presence of poison oak and this area has the highest concentration of the obnoxious plant. As the trail proceeds, it traverses the increasingly steep slope of Hedge Creek’s canyon. Soon the path reaches a switchback and the falls and its creek become audible. The trail continues downhill for only a few dozen yards before reaching another switchback. The grade levels off as the trail soon arrives at the waterfall.
Ah yes, the waterfall. One of prettiest waterfalls I've encountered and it allows the hiker along the trail to walk behind it as the rushing water falls from the cliff above, splashing onto rocks near your feet. The website continues regarding the trail:
Once on the far side of the falls the trail continues down the canyon. Unlike the first part of the hike, the trail now parallels closely alongside Hedge Creek. There are numerous small waterfalls and some interesting waterslides formed from the creek flowing over large smooth rocks. There are some particularly attractive falls near the end of the trail, which continues only a few hundred yards after passing the waterfall. After covering the short distance from the falls the trail finally arrives at an observation deck hung over the Sacramento River. Just to the left of the observation deck, there is an unofficial but well established use trail that drops down to the confluence of Hedge Creek and the Sacramento River. Here there is a good swimming hole followed by a shallow area with some easy rapids. It is a nice area to play in.
Though it is packed with a lot of scenery, if the Hedge Creek Falls Trail has a drawback, it is that the trail is short. For those looking to extend their time at the falls a bit, there is a very rough and very unofficial route to the top of the falls. It can be reached two ways. The first is to walk north along the road from the parking lot about 70 or 80 yards and then cut briefly through the trees down to an obvious path. Unfortunately there are no definitive markers indicating where to do this some route finding is necessary. The other option is to hike the trail to the first switchback and the climb up the slope 30 or 40 feet to where one crosses the unofficial path. Follow this until it fades out, which is above the falls. From here it is easy to climb down toward the creek. USE CAUTION here because the ground can get slippery depending on the weather. Above the falls the creek has formed a nice little slot through the basalt. There is a smaller waterfall above Hedge Creek Falls when the creek first enters the slot.