Destinations, Fall Color Report, Shasta Cascade

On Track To Great Fall Color

Dunsmuir (11/2/18) Phillip Reedy

Along the Upper Sacramento River between Dunsmuir and the city of Mt. Shasta (I-5), you can hike beside railroad tracks laid by the pioneer Central Pacific RR to waterfalls, fabulous fly fishing and peak fall color.

Phillip Reedy and a fishing buddy hiked to fish the river on Friday, but “Not wanting to have our camera gear take a bath, we decided not to wade across the river and instead hiked along the railroad tracks from Shasta Way in Dunsmuir to Mossbrae falls,” discovering “great fall color and views of Mt. Shasta along the tracks, although we had to clear off of the tracks at one point to let a long freight train pass by.”

Phil estimates this is likely the last opportunity to see peak color between Dunsmuir and the city of Mt. Shasta. “The trees still look great near Dunsmuir but are dropping leaves rapidly. Closer to Mt. Shasta at Cantera Loop the trees are mostly bare.”

South of Dunsmuir, north of the I-5 fire area, the mountainsides are still very colorful with scrub oak. Though, overall fall color in the mountains of northern California is “dwindling rapidly, so it’s time to look to lower elevations”

He said the hike to Mossbrae Falls (near the bedroom community of Shasta Springs) and the falls themselves are beautiful and worth the effort. A shorter hike from a parking area in Dunsmuir leads to Hedge Creek Falls, nearing the end of their peak.

Dunsmuir is a town that loves trees and trains.

Dogwood Daze, held annually in late May, is a friendly, homespun event with pancake breakfast, pie social, doggie parade, soapbox derby, homemade crafts and a well-timed realtor’s open house. No doubt a number of out-of-towners were enticed to buy a second home in Dunsmuir after experiencing the small-town, innocent fun of Dogwood Daze.

The Dunsmuir Botanical Gardens in the town park is full of native white dogwood (Pacific Dogwood, Cornus nuttallii) which, though now past peak, carried heavy loads of red and rose-colored leaves this past month. Locals remain proud of a 1924 visit by major leaguers Babe Ruth and Bob Meusel who played an exhibition game in the park during a barnstorming tour by rail that stopped in Dunsmuir.

This railroad town is used to welcoming visitors. Amtrak’s Coast Starlight stops there, daily. Visitors can dine in an opulent dining car at the Dunsmuir Railroad Park Resort, or stay overnight in one of several cabooses (much warmer and inviting than described in the previous post).