Mossbrae Falls: A Fairy Tale Oasis Just Up the Mountain (PHOTOS)

Every Memorial Day I do the same thing: BBQ some burgers, hot dogs, make my famous salsa and drink plenty of beer.

This time I decided to do something a little different and take a small roadtrip to visit a place I've been hearing a lot about from some friends. Mossbrae Falls, a waterfall in the Shasta area in the town of Dunsmuir, which is about 50 miles north of Redding. So I grabbed my camera and my best friend, and headed north this Memorial Day.

Now getting there was easy, you take I-5 and just keep driving until you see Mt. Shasta. You can't miss it, it's a mountain covered in snow and it's HUGE. You'll see exit signs for the town of Dunsmuir, a small town of 1600 people. Now once you're in Dunsmuir then you're on your own. It is very dangerous to get to the waterfalls because you have to walk, I mean trespass on Union Pacific Railroad property.

You have to walk on the tracks along the river North until you see a bridge, then the falls are to the right following a small 50 foot walk down an inclined path. But it's dangerous walking on the tracks and it's illegal, so think twice before you go. On the way to the falls a train came around a corner and we had about 1 minute to get out of the way. The only warning sound we got was the hissing of the tracks as it was nearing us. A group of Korean tourists got pinned against the rock wall as the train went by. They seemed a little shook up about the incident but luckily they didn't get hurt. All it takes is some debri to fall off the train and injure you as you stand there helplessly.

The waterfalls themselves is truly spectacular, an amazing and breathtaking view. You kind of lose yourself in the moment, it almost feels like you're in a Disney movie. I told my friend that I felt like Bambi was going to come up to us and Pocahontas is going to be singing.

The falls are fed from springs and melted snow and they seem to be pouring out of the mountain and onto the Sacramento River. We left Davis at noon and did a pit stop at the Sundial bridge in Redding which I also recommend as a destination stop. We go to the falls at around 4:30pm and stayed for an hour. The water wasn't too cold, almost wished I brought my swimming trunks, even though I fell in as I walked on the rocks. Peter Lik is one of my favorite photographers, and he's world renowed for his landscapes. He's been here and that got me pumped to take pictures as well.

This was a great way to spend my Memorial Day weekend and if you get around to it do it. Just becareful and know the laws of railroad trespassing. Soon the city of Dunsmuir will be building a path to get to the falls in hopes of bringing in more tourists.