After decades of visitors sneaking along an active Union Pacific rail line to reach Mossbrae Falls, Dunsmuir officials say they finally have a real shot at a safe and legal trail. The breakthrough announcement follows years of negotiations, a steady surge in visitor traffic, and a fatal river crossing last spring that drove home just how dangerous the current access has become.
The turning point came this week, when Union Pacific signed a long-term property lease with the City of Dunsmuir that local leaders say clears the way for a pedestrian bridge and a boardwalk-style trail through the railroad right-of-way. Union Pacific spokesperson Daryl Bjoraas called the agreement an important step toward creating a safe, legal way for the public to access Mossbrae Falls, while Mayor Juliana Lucchesi said city leaders were just kind of in shock, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
Trail Route And City Plans
Under the city’s proposal, the public route would start at the Hedge Creek Falls trailhead and run about 0.6 miles to Mossbrae Falls. The plan relies on a raised boardwalk and a pedestrian bridge to keep hikers away from the tracks, with Union Pacific agreeing to grant right-of-way for the connection. Local visit data cited by the city show thousands of trips to the falls area in recent years, a crush of interest that has added urgency to building a safe route, per the City of Dunsmuir.
Costs, Timeline And Funding
City leaders say the project is not just a trail but a full package: parking and restroom upgrades along with the new bridge and boardwalk segments. Their estimate puts the total cost at roughly $21 million, with a construction timeline of about five years. Officials moved quickly to apply for a Federal Railroad Administration grant that they say could cover around 80% of the bill if the application is approved, as per the Los Angeles Times.
Different Numbers, Same Push
Not every outlet is working off identical figures. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that city documents referenced a longer, 99-year lease and a higher construction estimate of $26 million. Even so, coverage across the board agrees on the key point: the central barrier to Mossbrae Falls access has shifted from whether to how, with the focus now on creating safe public access without walking active rail.
Rail Workers And Safety
Some of the loudest voices pushing for a legal route have come from inside the rail industry. The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen has warned that the canyon is a near miss every time trains roll through and criticized Union Pacific for slow-walking efforts to establish a proper trail. The union notes that at least two people have been struck by trains in recent years and that a visitor drowned while attempting a river crossing to reach the falls, incidents local officials cite as clear evidence that the status quo is not safe. See the union’s statement at Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen.
If the lease holds and federal funding comes through, Dunsmuir still faces years of design work, permitting, and careful construction in a tight river canyon. Even so, officials and advocates argue the payoff will be worth the slog. For a former rail and logging town that has weathered decades of economic decline, a legal route to one of Northern California’s most beloved waterfalls could double as both a long-overdue safety fix and a modest boost to the local economy.
