California's Best Trips 2 - Full PDF eBook

is the one you shouldn’t

miss. Recently upgraded

with guardrails, it’s an

easy loop for families and

allows close-up views of

water rushing right out

of the rock.

4 p147

The Drive » Go west on Hwy

299 and turn north on 89.

4 McCloud

The old logging town

McCloud sits serenely

on the southern slopes

of Mt Shasta, with the

peak looming in the

distance. It is a mellow,

comfortable place from

which to explore the

pristine wilderness that

surrounds it. Bump along

the tiny, partially paved

McCloud River Loop,

which begins off Hwy

89 about 11 miles east

of McCloud, to find the

lovely trail at Three Falls

on the lower reaches

of Mt Shasta. The easy,

1.5-mile trail passes

gorgeous, secluded falls,

and you’ll discover a

lovely habitat for bird-

watching in the Bigelow

Meadow. Other good

hiking trails include

the Squaw Valley Creek

Trail (not to be confused

with the ski area near

Lake Tahoe), an easy

5-mile loop trail south of

town, with options for

VOLCANOES GALORE

This trip is but a smidgen of the entirety of the

Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway – a route that

stretches some 500 miles north into Oregon. The

northern terminus of the byway is the stupendous

Crater Lake National Park in Oregon.

KEN BROWN / PICTURELAKE / ISTOCKPHOTO ©

NORTHERN.CALIFORNIA

12

(^) VOLCANIC LEGACY SCENIC BYWAY