Shasta Trinity Travel Tour | |||
| |||
|
Mt Shasta photoghraphed at the trailhead to Hedge Creek Falls in Dunsmuir, California. | |||
|
Our Getaways offer written Directions, Maps and suggested scenery, spanning Oregon and northern California; places Brad and I have visited and loved. These getaways offer simplicity, yet beauty in scenery, waterfalls, hiking trails, campgrounds, mountains, hot springs, mountain lakes, equestrian trails, mountain biking trails, wild and scenic rivers, scenic byways, Crater Lake National Park, national monuments & more. Protect our National Forests and Wilderness Areas. Leave NO Trace! | |||
|
The Shasta Trinity National Forest offers the beauty of rivers, waterfalls, the unparalleled stature of Mt Shasta in the Cascade Mountains, the beauty of the Trinity River and Alps, the Siskiyou Mountains, and more With so much to explore, we hardly touch the surface. Yet, we have found many beautiful places and sights and happily share them with any and all who are interested. Our tour begins at Castle Crags south of Dunsmuir, California. If you're coming from the north on I -5 either Hwy 97 just reverse the order and begin with Weed. Forward ~ Shasta Trinity Travel Tour Guide ~ Map. Back ~ Scenery on the Surprise Valley, Warner Mountains "Outback" Tour. USFS: Shasta Trinity National Forest. Brad and I invite you to explore the Shasta Trinity National Forest and surrounding area: Travel Map and Scenery: Waterfalls, hiking trails, Mt Shasta, Castle Crags, rivers, Cascade; Siskiyou Mountains, mountain lakes and more. The view from behind the water as it falls on Hedge Creek in Dunsmuir, California. |
|
||
The Shasta Trinity Travel TourCastle Crags State ParkCastle Crags State Park, south of Dunsmuir, is the first of the sites on the Shasta ~ Trinity Travel Tour. Follow the directions, & be sure to take the route that will ultimately give you the great view of Castle Crags & Grey's Peak. Return to I-5. Dunsmuir, California.Dunsmuir is an old railroad town. It's a nice place to visit - just to walk along the streets, head down to the river and railroad tracks and walk that part of town. The redbuds are beautiful if you get there at the right time in spring, April or so. The next exit from I - 5 that points to one of the sights mentioned on the map is the Dunsmuir Railroad Park. You don't have to get back on the freeway here if you head east towards the Sacramento River and follow it into town. Before you get too far though, be sure to stop on the bridge to get a different perspective of Castle Crags. Once you've done this, continue on. You'll cross the river twice & end up in the old part of the town, which is quite picturesque. Follow the main road, which isn't hard to do. It will take you under the freeway & into the west side of town. If you want to hike to Mossbrae Falls, drive a little further north, and you'll see the sign for Shasta Retreat. Drive into the retreat, drive across the bridge and park in the gravel parking lot on your left. Follow the railroad tracks north for 1.5 miles. When you see the train trestle, you'll know you're at the falls if you haven't seen them already. If you don't want to hike to Mossbrae Falls, perhaps you want to walk the very short trail to Hedge Creek Falls. If so, drive yet a little further north until you see a very small parking lot on the left by the water bottling plant. Even if you don't want to walk to the fall, be sure to check out the view of Mt Shasta from the Gazebo. It's great. You can get back on I - 5 almost immediately after leaving the parking lot, or you can drive a little further north until you see the next exit. This is your last chance to get back on the freeway. If you don't get on the freeway, you'll end up driving in forest land. It's very pretty, but you won't be getting where you presumably want to go. McCloud, California.McCloud is a town out of the past. Railway tours are offered in the summer. The old mercantile building is a relic from the 1800s. The Upper, Lower & Middle Falls on the McCloud River are beautiful, but I must say, they're prettier in the spring than in summer. The pictures of the Upper & Middle Falls in the website were taken in May of 2000. The picture of the lower fall was taken in 2001. There is less water in 2001 than there was in 2000. It's quite a drive to McArthur Burney State Park, but the waterfall is exquisite. Shasta City ~ The mountain dominates Shasta City.Drive up Mt Shasta: the slopes on the drive offer excellent views of the Siskiyou Mountains & Castle Crags. If you're there earlier in the spring - summer, the road ends at Bunny Flat trailhead. Several hiking trails originate here. If you're there later in the season, you can drive up to the old ski lift, and access several different hiking trails from there as well. Shasta City Park boasts the headwaters of the Sacramento River flowing from underground springs. It's lovely to walk along the river. Unfortunately, the trail ends and the river flows into a culvert that takes it under the freeway. Still it's very nice for as long as it lasts. If you get there at the right time, you can see the wild Tiger Lilies growing in marshy waters. Finally, there's a marvelous natural food store in Shasta City. If you want to explore west from I - 5 rather than east, explore Castle Lake. It's a lovely mountain lake & easy to find. Take the exit for Siskiyou Lake. Signs to Castle Lake are clearly marked from there. Heading south, you'll come to Siskiyou Lake; it's a reservoir. There's a lovely gorge when you cross the bridge. Soon after, you'll see another sign for Castle Lake, turn to the left and follow until the road ends at the lake. Weed, California.Connect with Hwy 97 at the second exit for Weed. You'll see the sign for Klamath Falls. Take this exit. There's an excellent bakery in Weed; it closes at 3:00. It's across the street and just south of the Chevron gas station, so if you're interested in something other than typical bakery fare, be sure to check this out. Take the right by the Chevron station if you want to see the Mercantile building, which is part of the quaint, old historic part of town that will take you back into another era. It's a great place to relax outdoors, escape the middle town congestions; snack & enjoy the views. If you don't, take the next right after the Chevron station, & you'll be on 97. Hwy 97 ~ Hwy 97 offers several vantage points of Mt Shasta. There are also very interesting rock formations and what appears to be an almost prehistoric landscape not far from Weed. Both are on the left as you travel north, and they're quite beautiful. There's vista point for Shasta not too far north; it's on the left. There's a veteran's memorial park with very interesting, emotive statues not too far from Weed. When you get beyond these sights, there's not much to stop for until your almost in Oregon. If you ready to stop traveling, just stay on 97, but you want to see more, look for a road that goes off to the right just north of California's inspection station. If you want to see the lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, turn here and you'll drive right by it. This road will also take you into Tulelake where you can view Tulelake Wildlife Refuge as well. While in Tulelake, you might as well visit the Lava Beds National Monument. Afterwards get on Hwy 139 In Tulelake. 139 turns into 39 in Oregon. Hwy 39 will take you into Klamath Falls, Oregon. Head north on 39 until you come to a three way traffic signal. You'll stop just before a bridge. A gas station is on the right corner, a Mexican restaurant on the other corner on the right. Geiger's health food store on the left. Turn right at this light, which will take you out on Hwy 97, from there you can go to Crater Lake, you can visit the scenic wonders as described in our tour of Special Scenic Places, you can head up to Bend and connect with different tours we've made available on this site, or you can turn around and go home. :-) |
|||
|
Travel Oregon and northern California while staying at Gathering Light ... a retreat | |||
|
Travel to the retreat from northern California: sightseeing, waterfalls, the Sacramento River, Castle Crags State Park, Mt Shasta, hiking trails; mountains, mountains, mountains: Directions, Map and Scenery. Directions to and Day Trips of about 100 miles from the retreat. Little known Scenic Places: hiking, sightseeing, wildlife viewing, birding and more, near the retreat and Crater Lake: Travel Directions, Map and Scenery. Website Directory for the travel pages Home Page |
|
||