This short, easy and unique trail starts off great with easy access right off Interstate 5. A great stop if you are passing through the area and want to stretch your legs. This waterfall flows year round but is more powerful in the Spring and Summer. As you walk the trail you pass BEHIND the waterfall in a cool cave. This is the same cave where Black Bart would hide after robbing stagecoaches. Continue on the trail to an overlook of the Sacramento River. Descend the trail further and it ends right on the side of the river.
Trail Highlights
| Trailhead location | Siskiyou Ave Exit, 1 mile north on I-5 from central Dunsmuir |
| Length | 1 mile (round trip) |
| Elevation gain / max | 160′ / 2,600′ |
| Difficulty | Easy – narrow uneven trail in spots |
| When to go | Year-round, Watch for ice in winter |
This short, easy and unique trail starts off great with easy access right off Interstate 5. A great stop if you are passing through the area and want to stretch your legs. This waterfall flows year round but is more powerful in the Spring and Summer. As you walk the trail you pass BEHIND the waterfall in a cool cave. This is the same cave where Black Bart would hide after robbing stagecoaches. Continue on the trail to an overlook of the Sacramento River. Descend the trail further and it ends right on the side of the river. You may see other visitors crossing the Sacramento River at the bottom of the trail but this leads to an illegal trail next to the railroad tracks and you could be injured or cited.
Hedge Creek Falls is located on the southernmost tip of a pre-Pleistocene lava flow from Mount Shasta. Thousands of years of erosion, mostly from the freezing and thawing of water trapped in cracks on the basaltic face, has resulted in the sheared appearance at the face of the falls. The cave behind the falls is a normal occurrence in thick lava flows and not the result of splashing water. The water in Hedge Creek Falls comes from the massive aquifer resultant of several volcanic occurrences and not from the glaciers found on Mt. Shasta. Although small, Hedge Creek Falls is full of beauty and awe. It’s single crest, or lip, is reminiscent of its larger sister, Bridalveil Fall, in Yosemite.[4] from Wikipedia
Head in to town to the Dunsmuir Chamber of Commerce at 5915 Dunsmuir Ave for more local trail info.
Hike Mt Shasta has a nice guide, with map: https://hikemtshasta.com/sacramento-river-trails/hedge-creek-falls-trail/
Land Agency: City of Dunsmuir