In the weekend coffee share last weekend, I shared that we always go for at least one day trip in the weekend. We do some research, usually over the internet, and set our sails towards an amazing destination in northern California. We drive there, and enjoy the nature for a day. Usually by going for a hike, and having a picnic lunch. If it’s a longer hike we might try some local restaurant for dinner. I’d say that we try a couple new spots every month, and return to a couple favorite spots every month. I had two different ideas for our Mother’s Day weekend adventure. One about an hour drive away, with a waterfall, the other a little further away..well my family voted for the closest one. They didn’t feel like a long drive.
We set our sails towards Dunsmuir (CA,) where my waterfall idea is located. It was an easy uneventful drive through our northern California landscape. I particularly enjoy driving over Shasta Lake, it’s so beautiful looking down at the lake, with the mountains in the background.
Hedge Creek Falls, is a beautiful spot to stop at, if you’re driving the I-5 and happen to pass Dunsmuir, in northern California. The waterfall is very close to the Dunsmuir Ave/Siskiyou Ave exit of the I-5, and there’s plenty of signs to guide you, and a parking lot dedicated to visitors of the falls.
This fall is sometimes called the million dollar fall. When they built the I-5, the original plans would of destroyed this place. The locals raised hell, and eventually the plans were changed, and now everyone can enjoy this amazing place. Thank you citizens of Dunsmuir!
There’s a cave behind the falls.
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. – Wikipedia
There’s a legend (with some evidence of truth,) about a stage coach robber, named Black Bart, using this cave as his hiding place, back in the 1870’s. I told my daughter about the legend before we visited, and naturally she had to explore every inch of the cave. She crawled under the narrow part you can see in the photo above, to the other entrance (the light by the end of the tunnel.) She hit her head twice, pretty hard. Didn’t think of bringing a helmet..to view a waterfall ..lol. Some people have taken the red clay next to the falls, and made hand prints on the wall.
The trail continues on the other side of the cave, to a beautiful overlook of the Sacramento River.
I had seen photos of the waterfall, the cave, and the overlook, but those did not match the beauty that we saw with our own eyes. It was breathtaking.
I need to go back on a clear day, to see Mt.Shasta from this amazing spot. It was a little cloudy when we were there, and we only saw glimpses of our beautiful volcano. (Speaking of volcanoes, I watched the old movie Dante’s Peak last night. Made me feel good about not living super close to either of our two dormant volcanoes..)
We wandered of the trail a little bit, and had our picnic lunch by the river.
After lunch we climbed up on a ridge to enjoy the views. My daughter loves climbing. (It does make me slightly nervous sometimes.)
I hope you enjoyed our weekend adventure, and that your new week started out in a fantastic way! Time for me to go out and see about my four legged friends outside, and get some work done in the garden, before it get’s to hot. There’s lots of mulching on the schedule today. I believe in lots of mulch, and less weeding. Weeding is not my favorite thing. Let’s grab a cup of coffee soon, OK? Have a great day!
Love,
Ms Zen
