The Mount Shasta Cascade Wonderland and the Klamath Siskiyou Eco-Regions meet right here in our beautiful Valley and the town of Dunsmuir. This is the perfect base to explore the most northern upstate counties of California, representing twenty percent of the land and only three percent of the people. Clean air and water, no crowds, and California's largest intact wilderness.
Mount Shasta is known as one of the world’s most sacred mountains, and is visited by large numbers of global pilgrims every year. Part of the ring of fire, Mount Shasta, (Buliyum Puyuuk), and the nearby Medicine Lake Shield volcano are the largest, (by volume), volcanoes of the Cascades Mountain range. This is a region known for crystalline springs, glacial lakes, waterfalls, forests, and the wildness of the McCloud and Sacramento Rivers.
We are also literally the eastern gateway into the Klamath-Siskiyou Ecoregion, a world-renowned hub of biological diversity. This region has hundreds of plants and trees that are found nowhere else on Earth! The 200-400 million year old Klamath mountains (including the Trinity Alps, Marble Mountains, Castle Crags), has the largest concentration of Wild and Scenic Rivers outside of Alaska, and together they define this region as the wildest place on the West Coast. This “Klamath Knot” ties together many of the great ecosystems of the U.S. West: Cascadia in the North, the Great Basin Desert to the East, the Redwood Coast, California’s Central Valley, and the Sierra Mountains.
Our one-of-a-kind wilderness lodge is located with super easy access right off the I-5, on the outskirts of the small 1600-person community of Dunsmuir. The Sacramento River flows through the center of town, which is itself nestled within a forested Valley. There are two prominent murals in town: one that says, “Be Nice to Each Other” and another with the official slogan of Dunsmuir, “Home of the Best Water on Earth”. We have four distinct seasons: snowy winters, flower-filled springs, hot summers for swimming, and colorful changing leaves in the fall.
Destination waterfalls, swimming holes, and river trails are right here in Dunsmuir, an official dark sky spot for star-gazing, and we have some of the most beautiful and uncrowded places to paddle board, bike, swim, and fly fish too. Our Valley is ten minutes up Mount Shasta, and there are infinite places to explore.
Sacred Spaces
This is a place of powerful energy and draws many global seekers. To tend to the ecological well-being of a place requires listening to the people who have lived with the lands longest. At the request of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, please do not visit Panther Meadows spring, which is sacred to them and doesn’t need other visitors. Also, please do not leave anything, including crystals, in the waters here.
Visitors come to stay with us from all around the world to be right here, and because we provide the perfect base for wider regional exploration! Along with all that is local, here is just a sampling of day trips, each just 1.5 hours away. Rise early for a cappuccino and some to-go snacks with us, and head out for some of the best adventures you can imagine. You should even be able to make it back in time for dinner in the Dining Car!
Medicine Lake and the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway
Through Scott Bar for exploring the Marble Mountains
Through Etna into the Trinity Alps
McCloud Falls and then on to Burney Falls
Lassen National Park
Ashland, Oregon: March - October OSFAshland offers a fantastic roster of theatre; plus wineries & Rogue River white-water rafting
Through Weaverville to the Lava Beds
Another even longer adventure that we love is to do an overnight, (or two!), out to the coast near Crescent City. From Dunsmuir, it’s almost 4 hours away, via Ashland, Oregon, (which is 1.5 hours into your journey), but your rewards are the huge coastal redwoods of Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, secluded beaches, and incredible kayaking on the wild Smith River.