Most beautiful waterfall is not only dangerous, but illegal, to visit and hikers are risking their lives anyway

Don’t go chasing waterfalls, especially this one.Northern California’s Mossbrae Falls has adventure seekers risking arrest — and their lives — just to get a glimpse of it.Fed from glaciers on Mount Shasta, the breathtaking falls feature ice-cold water cascading out of lava tubes and over mossy cliffs into the Sacramento River.

Considered to be one of the state’s most breathtaking natural treasures, Mossbrae is often compared to the geologic features in Yosemite or Yellowstone, despite there being no legal trail to get there.The Los Angeles Times reported that 30,000 visitors make the treacherous journey every year, according to a city study.To do that, these daredevils must break the law, trespassing for more than a mile and sneaking down active train tracks along the Sacramento River to reach the viewing spot.It’s not just a rap sheet these adrenaline junkies risk — the journey can be a deadly one.Per the LA Times, at least two people have been struck by trains near the waterfall since 2012, and others have reported near-fatal experiences.Despite the trek’s well-known hazards, tourists to Mossbrae Falls have increased exponentially in recent years, thanks to social media feeds flooding users with travel content.Visitors on social media have shared photos of themselves along the narrow and dangerous path, even bringing their children and dogs along.Due to its popularity, officials are now hoping to establish a safe and legal way for people to get to the viewing spot.However, the east side of the river, where the falls land, is owned by the Saint Germain Foundation, a religious group, part of the “I AM” movement, which considers both the waterfall and Mount Shasta to be sacred and doesn’t like the public being able to wander through.The group, formed in the 1930s, demands that the land be protected from “desecration.” Native American tribes have long considered the waterfall to be sacred, too, with the belief that the water has healing pow...