Since we rarely visited Northern California, we explored the hikes and waterfalls around Mt. Shasta. I have often been driven by Mt. Shasta and Lake Shasta on my way from Sacramento to Portland, Oregon, many times, but I have never stopped.
We drove to Mt. Shasta from San Jose in the late afternoon. The drive to McCloud (near Mt. Shasta) was uneventful and took about 4.5 hours. I was surprised by how low the water in Lake Shasta was; I had never seen it this low. The drought in California must be very severe. Usually, there is a lot of activity on Lake Shasta - people water skiing - but there was very little this time.
Inna made one-day reservations at McCloud Hotel - an older, authentic hotel in the small logging town of McCloud, California. She could only make a reservation for one night - as all other days were booked.
We stopped at Trinity Cafe (rated highly on Yelp) for dinner. We sat outside on the porch. There were a few other people there as well, but overall. The restaurant was not very busy.
I ordered the "Zucchini Curry" cold soup and a "King Salmon" entree with a Guinness beer.
For dessert, we shared a ginger Creme Brulee. All of the dishes were delicious but a bit expensive. However, we enjoyed our dinner there and would happily return there.
We started our hike at the lower McCloud waterfall and hiked upwards toward the middle waterfall. The central McCloud waterfall is truly spectacular.
We scrambled over rocks to get a closer look. We thought about swimming before the waterfall, but the water was a bit cold - about 48 degrees F. Afterward, we continued our hike uphill toward the upper McCloud waterfall. The hike was about 3.8 miles long roundtrip and took us about 3 hours to complete (we had many stops where we scrambled rocks to get closer to the waterfalls). We saw a brave couple (barefoot) climbing to the top of Middle McCloud waterfalls and then jumping 40 feet down near the fall.
We continued our hike to the Upper McCloud Waterfall (only a mile up). While not as spectacular as the Middle McCloud Waterfall, it was also beautiful.
A few people were sunbathing and swimming in the water below the waterfall.
As we walked uphill, we reached the end of the McCloud Waterfall trail and took a few photos of the stream. It's a very scenic place.
Afterward, we decided to visit the McArthur-Burney Falls State Park, highly recommended by our hotel. The drive there took about 45 minutes.
When we arrived, we explored the spectacular Burney waterfall. Here is a short video clip of the Burney waterfall:
As we were hungry, we purchased some sandwiches from the General Store. Then, we continued on the "Falls Loop Trail" toward the bottom of the waterfall and then towards the lake on the "Rim Trail" toward Lake Britton." A lot of mist was coming off the waterfall, and the air was much more relaxed.
The hike continued past a beautiful bridge crossing the stream that fed Lake Britton. There was no need to cross the bridge, but there were excellent lookouts from it.
As we continued our walk, we walked past lots of tall trees. Inna even spotted a red-billed woodpecker, but I was not quick enough to photograph it.
Lake Britton is a large, beautiful lake with a boat launch where canoes, kayaks, and motorboats can be rented. There was a small area for swimming, but not too many people were in the water. The water is pretty cold here, even in August. Lake Britton would be ideal for kayaking or even water skiing. We hope to come here again.
We stayed at the Best Western in Mt. S for the next two nights. It's not a bad hotel with free WiFi.
Saturday, August 16, 2014
In the morning, we ate breakfast at the Best Western. It was mediocre - scrambled eggs, sausage, and waffles. The breakfast was edible but thankfully free.
After breakfast, we drove to Mt. Shasta, about 30 minutes away, to hike beautiful trails. We decided to hike up to Gray Butte - a recommended hike with overlooks on Mt. Shasta. The hike started at the Panther Meadow playground and continued 2.4 miles to the Gray Butte peak - a 600-foot elevation gain.
The hike was moderately strenuous, and Inna needed a few rest breaks.
After the hike, we stopped by Bunny Flats on returning to town. We did not see anything special at Bunny Flats, so we did not stay too long. We continued back to town and stopped for lunch at Mt. Shasta Pastries.
I ordered a "Turkey Reuben Sandwich" and a Clam Chowder soup.
The clam chowder was a bit thin (I expected it to be thicker) but tasted good. We also ordered an Apple turnover and a macaroon for dessert.
The pastries were good but not Fleur de Cocoa's level in Los Gatos.
After lunch, we decided to explore Heart Lake - a highly recommended lake in our tourist brochure - so we drove to the Castle Lake campground (the nearest point near Heart Lake). Many cars were in the parking lot and kayaking on Castle Lake.
The hike to Heart Lake from Castle Lake was supposed to take about 30 minutes. For us, it took a lot longer than anticipated, as it was challenging to stay on the trail (with so many alternative trails all around).
There were places with many large boulders on the way to Heart Lake.
Here is a view of Castle Lake from a trail to Heart Lake.
We ended up at a beautiful overlook on Castle Lake but could not find Heart Lake. My iPhone's GPS showed Heart Lake due north, so we scrambled upwards over rocks until we eventually arrived at Heart Lake.
It was a nice-looking, small lake, but not what we expected. The tour guide talked about how Heart Lake was an excellent place for swimming, but it seemed to be a small lake - not any better than the Castle Lake below. We saw a few dogs swimming in Heart Lake and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. We found the proper trail back to Castle Lake and followed it.
Our trail back was relatively easy, and we returned to Castle Lake in half an hour. Inna decided to swim and swim in the beautiful Castle Lake for a few minutes.
This is a lake with a rocky cliff - a castle wall. It's a great lake for kayaking, canoeing, or swimming. Next time, I plan to bring some watercraft to enjoy this lake further.
From Castle Lake, we drove to Lake Siskiyou. This is a much larger lake than Castle Lake and also quite beautiful.
We saw some people swimming and a few people on motorboats. This would be another great place to swim or kayak.
Inna went for another swim there and liked it a lot. After the swim, we went for a short stroll along the shore.
The trail along the shore was well-shaded and flat - just the kind of trail that Inna likes.
We decided to eat dinner at Lily's Restaurant - a restaurant highly recommended on Yelp. I ordered a "Steak Au Poivre," and Inna ordered the "Herb Stuffed Fresh Trout" entree.
Inna's "Herb Stuffed Fresh Trout" was prepared well and tasted delicious. Fresh trout is locally caught in the area.
We enjoyed our dinner and hope to be back at Lily's Restaurant again (when we're back in Mt. Shasta).
We drove to Mt. Shasta from San Jose in the late afternoon. The drive to McCloud (near Mt. Shasta) was uneventful and took about 4.5 hours. I was surprised by how low the water in Lake Shasta was; I had never seen it this low. The drought in California must be very severe. Usually, there is a lot of activity on Lake Shasta - people water skiing - but there was very little this time.
Inna made one-day reservations at McCloud Hotel - an older, authentic hotel in the small logging town of McCloud, California. She could only make a reservation for one night - as all other days were booked.
We stopped at Trinity Cafe (rated highly on Yelp) for dinner. We sat outside on the porch. There were a few other people there as well, but overall. The restaurant was not very busy.
I ordered the "Zucchini Curry" cold soup and a "King Salmon" entree with a Guinness beer.
For dessert, we shared a ginger Creme Brulee. All of the dishes were delicious but a bit expensive. However, we enjoyed our dinner there and would happily return there.
The McCloud hotel we stayed in is really a bed & breakfast. We liked the staff's hospitality and enjoyed the morning breakfast, especially the lemon ricotta pancakes.
We also liked the granola (although yogurt was not available).
After breakfast, we decided to explore the McCloud waterfalls. We drove 15 minutes from the hotel to the McCloud Lower waterfalls.
We also liked the granola (although yogurt was not available).
After breakfast, we decided to explore the McCloud waterfalls. We drove 15 minutes from the hotel to the McCloud Lower waterfalls.
We started our hike at the lower McCloud waterfall and hiked upwards toward the middle waterfall. The central McCloud waterfall is truly spectacular.
We scrambled over rocks to get a closer look. We thought about swimming before the waterfall, but the water was a bit cold - about 48 degrees F. Afterward, we continued our hike uphill toward the upper McCloud waterfall. The hike was about 3.8 miles long roundtrip and took us about 3 hours to complete (we had many stops where we scrambled rocks to get closer to the waterfalls). We saw a brave couple (barefoot) climbing to the top of Middle McCloud waterfalls and then jumping 40 feet down near the fall.
We continued our hike to the Upper McCloud Waterfall (only a mile up). While not as spectacular as the Middle McCloud Waterfall, it was also beautiful.
A few people were sunbathing and swimming in the water below the waterfall.
As we walked uphill, we reached the end of the McCloud Waterfall trail and took a few photos of the stream. It's a very scenic place.
Afterward, we decided to visit the McArthur-Burney Falls State Park, highly recommended by our hotel. The drive there took about 45 minutes.
When we arrived, we explored the spectacular Burney waterfall. Here is a short video clip of the Burney waterfall:
As we were hungry, we purchased some sandwiches from the General Store. Then, we continued on the "Falls Loop Trail" toward the bottom of the waterfall and then towards the lake on the "Rim Trail" toward Lake Britton." A lot of mist was coming off the waterfall, and the air was much more relaxed.
The hike continued past a beautiful bridge crossing the stream that fed Lake Britton. There was no need to cross the bridge, but there were excellent lookouts from it.
As we continued our walk, we walked past lots of tall trees. Inna even spotted a red-billed woodpecker, but I was not quick enough to photograph it.
Lake Britton is a large, beautiful lake with a boat launch where canoes, kayaks, and motorboats can be rented. There was a small area for swimming, but not too many people were in the water. The water is pretty cold here, even in August. Lake Britton would be ideal for kayaking or even water skiing. We hope to come here again.
For dinner, we stopped at the Wayside Grill. The service was slow, and our ordered entrees were mediocre. The pizza we ordered - Neesie's Favorite - was lousy ( we did not like the dough) and didn't compare to our local Pizza My Heart in Los Gatos. The Lobster bisque soup was adequate, and my Caesar salad was average. The Sierra Nevada Pale Ale was the highlight of the dinner. I would not come here again.
We stayed at the Best Western in Mt. S for the next two nights. It's not a bad hotel with free WiFi.
Saturday, August 16, 2014
In the morning, we ate breakfast at the Best Western. It was mediocre - scrambled eggs, sausage, and waffles. The breakfast was edible but thankfully free.
After breakfast, we drove to Mt. Shasta, about 30 minutes away, to hike beautiful trails. We decided to hike up to Gray Butte - a recommended hike with overlooks on Mt. Shasta. The hike started at the Panther Meadow playground and continued 2.4 miles to the Gray Butte peak - a 600-foot elevation gain.
The hike was moderately strenuous, and Inna needed a few rest breaks.
After the hike, we stopped by Bunny Flats on returning to town. We did not see anything special at Bunny Flats, so we did not stay too long. We continued back to town and stopped for lunch at Mt. Shasta Pastries.
I ordered a "Turkey Reuben Sandwich" and a Clam Chowder soup.
The clam chowder was a bit thin (I expected it to be thicker) but tasted good. We also ordered an Apple turnover and a macaroon for dessert.
The pastries were good but not Fleur de Cocoa's level in Los Gatos.
After lunch, we decided to explore Heart Lake - a highly recommended lake in our tourist brochure - so we drove to the Castle Lake campground (the nearest point near Heart Lake). Many cars were in the parking lot and kayaking on Castle Lake.
The hike to Heart Lake from Castle Lake was supposed to take about 30 minutes. For us, it took a lot longer than anticipated, as it was challenging to stay on the trail (with so many alternative trails all around).
There were places with many large boulders on the way to Heart Lake.
Here is a view of Castle Lake from a trail to Heart Lake.
We ended up at a beautiful overlook on Castle Lake but could not find Heart Lake. My iPhone's GPS showed Heart Lake due north, so we scrambled upwards over rocks until we eventually arrived at Heart Lake.
It was a nice-looking, small lake, but not what we expected. The tour guide talked about how Heart Lake was an excellent place for swimming, but it seemed to be a small lake - not any better than the Castle Lake below. We saw a few dogs swimming in Heart Lake and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. We found the proper trail back to Castle Lake and followed it.
Our trail back was relatively easy, and we returned to Castle Lake in half an hour. Inna decided to swim and swim in the beautiful Castle Lake for a few minutes.
This is a lake with a rocky cliff - a castle wall. It's a great lake for kayaking, canoeing, or swimming. Next time, I plan to bring some watercraft to enjoy this lake further.
From Castle Lake, we drove to Lake Siskiyou. This is a much larger lake than Castle Lake and also quite beautiful.
We saw some people swimming and a few people on motorboats. This would be another great place to swim or kayak.
Inna went for another swim there and liked it a lot. After the swim, we went for a short stroll along the shore.
The trail along the shore was well-shaded and flat - just the kind of trail that Inna likes.
We decided to eat dinner at Lily's Restaurant - a restaurant highly recommended on Yelp. I ordered a "Steak Au Poivre," and Inna ordered the "Herb Stuffed Fresh Trout" entree.
Inna's "Herb Stuffed Fresh Trout" was prepared well and tasted delicious. Fresh trout is locally caught in the area.
We enjoyed our dinner and hope to be back at Lily's Restaurant again (when we're back in Mt. Shasta).
1 comments:
Very nice pictures! Food looks very delicious......
Mount Shasta Tours
Post a Comment