Page 130 - 2022-2023 Travel Guide to California

SISKIYOU
Known as California’s North, Siskiyou County offers awe-inspiring wilderness,
volcanic landscapes and boundless outdoor recreation
BIKE, HIKE,
EXPLORE
A VOLCANO
Discover Siskiyou
discoversiskiyou.com
LAKE SISKIYOU, above; Lava Beds National
Monument, below.
Four hours north of San Francisco, off
Interstate-I5 near Redding, Siskiyou
offers visitors its famous Six Show-
stoppers: Mount Shasta, Lava Beds National
Monument, Castle Crags, Lake Siskiyou, the
Klamath River and McCloud Falls. All
packed into 445,000 acres of outdoor
adventures: mountain climbing, rock
climbing, hiking, rafting, mountain biking,
cycling, birding, caving, waterskiing/
wakeboarding, and kayaking/canoeing.
Come wintertime, go skiing/snowboarding,
tubing and snowshoeing on Mount Shasta’s
snowy slopes.
The Mighty Klamath River Flows in
West Siskiyou
Within the Klamath National Forest, family
float trips on the Klamath River begin in
Scott Bar. In Happy Camp, tackle a nine-
mile mountain bike loop within an old
growth forest. And visit the Karuk Tribe
People’s Center Museum which preserves
Karuk history, language, and living culture;
a Karuk master weaver teaches basket
weaving on Sundays.
Gold Mining History
of North Siskiyou
The high desert town of Yreka became a
commercial hub for mining camps after the
discovery of gold in 1851 in the nearby flats.
Today, in the picturesque West Miner
Street-Third Street Historic District, seven
19th-century buildings stand as a California
Historical Landmark.
B Y L E N O R E G R E I N E R
East Siskiyou’s Lava Beds
National Monument
On the north face of the Medicine Lake
Shield Volcano, discover the Lava Beds
National Monument’s rugged volcanic land-
scape. Here, ancient lava flows created lava
tube caves around 65,000 years ago. You can
explore the developed caves along the two-
mile Cave Loop and near the visitor center.
Check out the exhibits inside Mushpot
Cave, the only lighted cave at Lava Beds.
Majestic Mount Shasta
in South Siskiyou
You can hike Mount Shasta, a 14,162-foot-
tall active volcano, on the Old Ski Bowl Trail
for breathtaking vistas. Take the 14-mile
Everett Memorial Highway to the now-
closed Mount Shasta Ski Bowl, where a 1978
avalanche took out the ski lifts.
For panoramic views of Mount Shasta,
follow the walking path around Lake
Siskiyou or enjoy boating, fishing or
camping on the lake. To experience three
scenic waterfalls pouring through basalt
rock formations, hike the McCloud Falls
River trail, an easy three-mile loop.
At Castle Crags State Park, the Vista Point
Trail’s overlook rewards hikers with a stun-
ning triptych of views: a clear Mount
Shasta, Gray Rocks rising above evergreen
ridges, and a fortress of daunting granite
peaks—Castle Crags.
After an adventurous day, stay at Siskiyou’s
plentiful lodging options—from cabins and
lodges to RV parks, hotels and B&Bs.
128 2022-23 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA
DISCOVER SISKIYOU