I can walk here when I'm in town. There's a little parking area and it's right off of I-5 in north…read moreDunsmuir. It's a short easy walk to the waterfall and to the Sacramento River. I walk to it year round and in the summer it's a cool place to get out of the heat.

A short distance walk from the parking lot. Parking is limited and free…read more It was a cool experience to be able to walk behind the falls. Pretty easy trail. Be careful as the rocks around and behind the falls can be very slippery. The trail does continue behind the falls that will lead to the Sacramento River. A cool one time thing but not worth the drive unless you are in the area.

Mount Shasta is an incredibly beautiful mountain and volcano. If your driving between Seattle and…read moreLos Angeles you can't miss it from the highway. There are probably a couple different cities that you can enjoy Mount Shasta from but my favorite city is Weed. They have hotels and gift shops and is a cute little town with everything you need. There are two exits for Weed off the highway. One exit is the 'old town' part that is more cute and the other exit is the newer part. I think staying a night here is a perfect thing to do as the scenery is so pleasant. It really is a destination. So often to see natural beauty like this you have to sacrifice comforts of city living. Not with Mount Shasta - its a town that has it all and is just steps away from a little nature walk with an incredible backdrop. It is a real sight to see when you have this regular old Shell Gas station or even Grocery Outlet where the backdrop is the volcano. I don't think you can ever get tired of the harmony here of man made combined with nature.

Incredible volcano and mountain…read more Really recommend spending some time around the nature in this area, even if you won't be committing a summit climb. I went up this past weekend with the attempt to summit Shasta and had a really nice time. The town of Mt. Shasta has a few restaurants and some decent accomodations for sleeping (slept in Loge with our group which was great)... As for the hike, we went up and started at Bunny Flats and camped at Helen Lake for the night and then going for the summit via the Avalanche Gulch route. It was a beautiful and trying hike...definitely be familiar with the risks and have the proper skills to manage them if attempting. All in all; Mount Shasta is majestic and magical. Spend some time here!

I spent the past four nights here, and it was very quiet, dark, and peaceful…read more Quiet with the caveat that there was a TON of train noise. But if you like white noise, that might be a plus. This was the darkest campground I've ever camped at so far. The view of the stars was great. The cold was on another level. I wouldn't recommend tent camping unless you really know what you're doing. Theoretically, this campground has free showers, but they are closed for the season. I couldn't help but notice that the windows have been broken into and boarded back up. There was theoretically potable water, but it tasted a little funky. Most of the pumps were broken, which made it seem like maybe the rest are about to be determined to be broken soon. There was an electric outlet in the bathroom with a sign warning not to leave personal items. In site 25, which is reserved for PCT hikers, I found another sign warning that items are frequently stolen from the bathrooms, and to use the outlets hidden in the amphitheater instead. (There is also a Starbucks about fifteen minutes away in Shasta.) A trail behind site 25 leads to the PCT, but the trail was currently full of fallen trees and hazards. Another trail near Vista Point turned out to be a safer route to the PCT. A 2 mile trail leads from the campground to Vista Point, where you can either keep hiking, or take in the panoramic views of Mt. Shasta, Castle Crags, and the Gray Rocks. I chose site 38 to camp in, which was at the end of the line of sites that are currently open. The first two nights, I paid with the self serve envelope. The rest I purchased from the Ranger Station. Camping was only $25/night, half off with qualifying passes. So it only cost me $50 to stay here 4 nights. The spaces on the main road were huge, and very well spaced. There was a camp host on duty on site 20, and maintenance came through every day to clean the restrooms and empty the trash. I didn't see much wildlife except for a lot of birds. Wildflowers were just beginning to bloom on the trails. There isn't much to do near the campground, but I found this to be a great place to have some relative peace and quiet for a few days.

From the guest services to the camp host this place has excellent amenities and staff. Very clean…read moreand well maintained facilities. The hike to the Crags is a once in a lifetime experience that if you are able to do you should not miss. Beautiful great views of Shasta and Lassen from the top of the Dome at the Crags. Be well rested, hydrated and prepared as it is a hefty hike. Also get to the trail head parking lot early as it fill up quickly! Thank you Christina and Woody!

Anyone hear of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) before? This trail is approximately 2650 miles long,…read moreand it stretches from the Mexican border in Southern California all the way up to the Canadian border in Washington state. For the folks who are able to complete the trek, it normally takes them about 5 months. Unfortunately, my lovely wife and I have not gotten the chance to do this hike of a lifetime. We have hiked a miniscule portion of the incredible Pacific Crest Trail, though. We have also met a couple of hikers who were in the midst of completing the dream! This trailhead is one of the areas where you can access the PCT. It is pretty darn cool.

This trailhead is gorgeous!. Someday I will hike this section. For now it's beautiful to drive…read morethere & hang out by the creek, look at the bridges, scenery and those tropical-looking umbrella plants . I was hoping to talk to some hikers passing through but we weren't there long enough. To get there you take the road (Squaw Valley Rd. I believe) from McCloud, the one that heads to the McCloud Reservoir. Once you pass Friday's RV Retreat, take the first road to the right and drive in a couple miles (apr). The trailhead will be on your left. You'll see a toilet...If you want better directions you can also stop at the Ranger's office in McCloud.

An inactive volcano, Mount Shasta is the fifth-highest mountain in the Golden State. 14,179 feet…read moretall it dominates the landscape of this area of Northern California. I'm from North Carolina, which boasts the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi (Mount Mitchell, 6684 feet). Allegedly, the volcano was last active in 1250 AD. No Yelp then to prove it one way or the other. There is a fabulous vista point not far away on I-5. I'd love to catch it at sunrise but alas, I'm heading south this afternoon and can't stay to get closer to Mount Shasta. Instead, I'll just have to be satisfied with the great views of the mountain from the highway. [Review 20958 overall - 488 in California - 1943 of 2023.]

Driving past Mount Shasta on I-5 you just can't miss this natural piece of beauty. Its 100 degrees…read moreand somehow the mountain still appears snow capped in late summer. Most of the surrounding area is very flat and then all of a sudden your attention is fully grabbed by is presence. An unplanned stop and slight detour isn't a hard decision to make. I pull over and stop. Open the trunk and pull out a little bottle of apple cider I packed for the trip to Seattle. I sip the near burning hot cider and it reminds me of the holidays - the only time I would have such a beverage. Apparently my Black Opel paint made the back trunk into an oven of sorts. I gaze at what appears to be a snow capped mountain volcano. It takes a moment to realize the altitude difference of the top of the mountain and where I'm standing - apparently 14,162 feet. I take a small hike or nature walk. I pick up some rocks that had a huge volume and very little weight. Apparently lava that dried up when it was near the surface and under no pressure. I think most of the time in life some of the most enjoyable moments and events are unplanned. Maybe schedules and windows of time and reservations are overrated.

I tried to find a listing for the actual Castle Lake but instead just found the campground. To be…read moreclear, the campground is a short distance prior to the actual lake which has its own parking lot and trailheads. Once parked at the lake, you can embark on the moderate trail to Heart Lake. Approaching the lake, the trail is to the left of it and climbs along the lake shore with intermittent views. As you take a gradual but steady climb up, you will start to see views open up and eventually see Mt Shasta itself. Most hikers stop at Heart Lake which is a scenic spot with granite on one side and on the outlet side of the lake for Shasta views. If you're wanting a little bit of a longer hike, when facing the lake, make a right and log hop across its outlet and follow a faint but obvious trail to a rocky outcropping. There you will reach an amazing vista of Castle Lake and Mt Shasta. It's a great spot to have your lunch and take some amazing photos. Take care on the way down as there are some steep drop offs and slippery rocks. Most of the trail is exposed, so I'd go earlier in the day in the warm months. Depending on how far you go, it's 3-4 miles out and back. Wonderful way to have amazing mountain scenery in a short hike. Free parking at the lake and pit toilets (not the best, not the worst I've seen.)

Terrific little campground in a picture perfect setting. First come first serve with six…read morecampsites. A maximum of three day stay and you cannot leave your campsite unattended for more than 24 hours. The Castle Lake day use area is just up the road. Lots of great hikes and beautiful views.

Parking was pretty empty and easy. Nice hike. Lots of lizards and rabbits to see. We went about 2…read moremiles in. Was a great exercise for my kid and I. Good clearly marked trails. Nice walking soil. Amazing sight of Mt. Shasta. Good clean air. We found a random geocache and signed it. See if you can find it!

Great outdoors! Beauty all around me. What a gift to breathe fresh air among all these trees.read more

Located in Castle Crags State Park, the Dome is one of the area's most prominent features…read more You can summit it via hiking, or there are numerous technical rock routes. Unfortunately for punters like me, the easiest line is 5.8, and the grades rise dramatically from there. Maybe some day when I'm stronger!

Awesome hike from the upper parking lot to the base of Castle Crag Dome! The first part of the…read morehike is a tree covered dirt path with a steady incline. The last mile or so is switchback style over very rocky rough terrain. It is a gorgeous view of the canyon and up to Mt Shasta at the top!