The trails on the McCloud River Loop are always a joy, even if the water is lower than most years. Well maintained and swimming holes for the young and old. Fishing, camping, great golf, all close by in McCloud.
We hiked up to the base camp, a cute little hut at 8000ft. Would have loved to stay overnite with a big fire, but too chicken to do it! About 1.5 miles up. It's a pretty easy walk, but give yourself enough time to get down before the sun goes down. The views of Mt. Shasta and the mountain ranges to the west are great! Take the road all the way to the end. You can hike to touch the snow if you are so inclined. :-)
While I only drive up as far as Bunny Flats, the drive through the forest was spectacular. Many people were enjoying mountain biking on steep trails as I drove in; then others were gathering in the parking lot for a hike (overnight? several days?).Shasta mountain herself was playing coy that morning, clouds covering first one part then another, but the show was fascinating. Would love to go back and hike farther in.
Mt. Shasta is beautiful from most every angle. My two favorite views are from Butte Valley (Dorris) and the intersection of A-12 and US 97. Mt. Shasta has a lot of character in its appearance, and affects the weather and cloud formations. Occasionally you can see multiple lenticular clouds about the peak.
This is a special place - contains the headwaters and feeder streams that make up the Sacramento River. It used to be cautiously maintained with timber cut and restoration/replanting. It is now a protected shrine for eco-religionists and is allowed to rot and burn, causing unhealthy air in the summer
We drove down I-5 to Mt. Shasta and our first views took our breath away! The mountain and surrounding cinder cones only got more beautiful and breathtaking the closer we got. It was like Mt. Shasta was pulling us to her!! We hiked Black Butte the next day. It was a hot hike (bring a hat and lots of water) and the road in was a tad rough (good thing our rental car wasn't low to the ground). The views of Mt. Shasta from Black Butte once again took our breath away! We also drove to McCloud and hiked to the lower, middle, and upper falls. Totally worth it! Except for a few families fishing, there was no one on the trails but us. We loved the solitude and the peacefulness of the area. Can't wait to return!
Lots of places to camp and play. Go to the lake, Hike. Have a picnic. Lots of things to do! Try fly fishing in the river!
The views here are some of the most beautiful in all the world of mountains. Mt Shasta herself is the most majestic of all!
The energy and the views are amazing! I Love going to Northern CA. I can recommend it to all. worth the drive from San Francisco and the town is conscious as well!
My husband and I drove through and viewed Mt. Shasta and it was gorgeous. It was in mid march and the weather was beautiful. There were several towns surrounding it a with a variety of options for lunch. No souvenir shops or decent lodging though. Overall it was worth the detour we made to drive out and see it though.