Hedge Creek Falls Trail: Easy Hike Beside I-5

The Hedge Creek Falls Trail is easy and convenient: just pop off I-5 in Dunsmuir and quickly descend to the sweet little waterfall. You’ll also get views of Mount Shasta and visit an inviting swimming hole on the Sacramento River.

Hedge Creek Falls drops twenty-plus feet to a shallow pool. The trail goes just behind the waterfall.

And even though the trail begins next to a freeway exit, the sound of rushing water drowns out the traffic noise.

Hedge Creek Falls Trail Key Data

Distance: .6 mile roundtrip
Difficulty: Easy
Type: Day hike
Elevation gain: 150 feet
High point: 2630 feet
Season: year- round; water flow highest in winter and spring; occasional winter snow
Contact: Dunsmuir Recreation and Parks District
Maps: USGS Dunsmuir
Permits: no permits needed
Notes: dogs allowed on-leash, portable toilet at trailhead, drinking fountain at gazebo near trailhead

Hedge Creek Falls Trailhead Directions

From Interstate 5, take Exit 732 (Siskiyou Avenue and Dunsmuir Avenue) in Dunsmuir. Go to the west side of the freeway, take the first right onto Dunsmuir Avenue, and then immediately park on the right.

Map of the Hedge Creek Falls Trail (courtesy Caltopo). You can see that the hike starts on the west side of I-5 in Dunsmuir.

This is Hike 36 in My Book…

Day Hiking: Mount Shasta, Lassen & Trinity Alps Regions, which also has dozens of other nearby hikes.

Best Day Hiking Trails in Upper California

My compact guidebook has the 125 best day hikes:

Mount Shasta and nearby
Lassen Volcanic National Park
Trinity Alps and Marble Mountains
Redding area
Whiskeytown and Shasta Lakes

Includes trailhead directions and detailed maps and trail descriptions

Buy it: on Amazon | on Bookshop.org
Often available at bookstores and outdoor stores (call first!)

First: a View of Mount Shasta…

Before you start, go to the gazebo at the picnic area for a view of Mount Shasta and the Sacramento River canyon. There’s also a fountain with delicious water.

The gazebo at the trailhead offers a northward view of Mount Shasta. And there's a drinking fountain. — The gazebo at the trailhead offers a northward view of Mount Shasta. And there’s a drinking fountain.

Descending to Hedge Creek Falls

When you’re ready, take the wide trail that descends gently under the shade of Douglas fir, white fir, incense cedar, bigleaf maple, and canyon live oak. A bench at the first switchback has a view of the top of the falls.

Continue down and around another switchback to arrive at the base of Hedge Creek Falls, which drops 20 feet into a small pool. The trail takes you into the cave behind the falls. Within its cool recesses, water drips from small springs and leached minerals have stained the walls rust and yellow.

Hedge Creek is primarily fed by an underground aquifer, so you can enjoy the waterfall all year, though flow is highest in winter and spring. Note the basaltic rock in the cliff. The freezing of water in rock cracks caused big chunks to break off and fall, forming the talus near the base of the falls. The cave behind the falls formed at the same time as the original lava flows; it’s not due to erosion by the stream.

Behind Hedge Creek Falls: the trail passes through a small cave behind the waterfall. Don't worry: you'll stay dry! — Behind Hedge Creek Falls: the trail passes through a small cave behind the waterfall. Don’t worry: you’ll stay dry!

Hiking from Hedge Creek Falls Along Hedge Creek

The trail continues west above Hedge Creek. The stream canyon hosts white alders, vine maples, and other deciduous trees and shrubs that display vibrant hues in autumn. Just beyond Hedge Creek Falls, look for a trail on the left that descends twenty feet to large boulders on the bank of the stream.

Vista Point: Sacramento River and Mount Shasta

Quickly reach a vista point on the edge of the Sacramento River canyon, just a quarter mile from the trailhead. The view includes the Sacramento River stretching upstream, the top 4000 feet of Mount Shasta, and forested Mount Bradley.

The late-April view of the Sacramento River from the overlook near the end of the Hedge Creek Falls Trail

Descend to Hedge Creek

A short and steep use trail descends to the meeting of Hedge Creek and the river. The current slows nicely here, making this a great spot for a summer swim in the chilly water, or to just sit and take in the beauty of the water, trees, and mountains. When you are ready, return the way you came.

Hedge Creek enters the Sacramento River at the end of the trail.

Sacramento River at the end of the Hedge Creek Falls Trail

Hedge Creek to Mossbrae Falls: Potential Trail Extension

Plans are in the works to extend the Hedge Creek Falls trail all the way to Mossbrae Falls downstream. The Mount Shasta Trail Association is working with Union Pacific Railroad and the City of Dunsmuir to make it happen. A bridge would cross the Sacramento River, and then the trail would run between the river and the railroad tracks.