How would you like a Northern California road trip itinerary that includes 2 National Parks, lakes, volcanoes, mountains and a huge waterfall? If this sounds interesting then keep reading. Most people consider California HW 1 the best drive in the state but I would say that the Northern part of HW 5 (road trip from San Francisco to Oregon) definitely rivals the more popular route in sheer amount of outstanding natural attractions along the way. If you haven’t yet been to Northern California then pack your bags and let’s go!
Northern California Road Trip Day 1.
This week-long adventures-packed road trip itinerary starts early morning from San Francisco Bay Area. Your first 4 hours on the road may seem uneventful but once you start crossing Lake Shasta you will know that the fun has begun. We are not going to stop at Lake Shasta this time but 15-20 minutes driving across that area will give you a decent flavor of things soon to come.
Our first major stop on this Northern California road trip was planned at our final destination for the first day – town of Mt. Shasta. Once we were in town we went straight to Mount Shasta City Park. It is a great place for a picnic lunch but most importantly it is a “birthplace” of Sacramento River, which not many people know about. It is hard to believe that tiny Big Springs in Mount Shasta City Park becomes an important California river several miles down stream.
The water in Big Springs is a glacial melt, which emerges directly from the porous rocks in the side of Big Springs Hill after more than 50 years of filtration through volcanic rock. It comes from Big Springs Aquifer, a volcanic aquifer below the Mount Shasta area. The locals believe that this water is crystal pure and has some healing properties so don’t be surprised to see people coming to the spring with empty plastic bottles to collect water to take home.
I have to confess that we too drank directly from these sparkling fresh springs. When you get your first sip of the water which Mother Nature have been preparing for you for half a century you immediately feel an invisible connection to your roots, you become one with nature. I can’t say I was healed from any of my ailments, physically, but I can see how mediating in the shade of huge old trees around the pool and listening to the calming bubbling brook can definitely be a healing for the soul.
After lunch we proceeded to quickly check in at Best Western Hotel and then drove to another cool lNorthern California attraction – Castle Lake. It is an alpine lake located in the mountains across from HW 5 opposite Mt. Shasta. It is a very clean picturesque lake with mirror-like surface and by the middle of summer it may be warm enough to swim in.
In addition to pure water fun you can take a 3 mile hike from Castle Lake to Heart Lake which is located a little higher in the mountains. Heart Lake is small in size but huge on beauty and the whole trail up has many incredible vistas one after another.
That’s all you will probably have time for on Day 1 of this Northern California road trip but don’t worry, you still have a full week of adventures ahead.
Northern California Road Trip Day 2.
We started the second day of our Northern California road trip from hiking on the slopes of Mt. Shasta. Once you arrive in the town of Mt. Shasta the mountain “follows” you everywhere, it dominates the entire landscape and it can be seen from any angle in and out of town. It is a potentially active volcano (last major eruption happened a couple of centuries ago and it typically erupts once every 600 years or so) that majestically towers at 14,179 feet high above sea level. Even in summer its peak is covered with snow which makes it look magnificent.
We were visiting in early July and a lot of hiking trails were still closed because of snow and the rest of them were just opened a couple of days before we arrived. Our goal was to hike the Grey Butt Trail which is not too long and doable with kids. Unfortunately, it was still closed when we came so we just drove as far as we were allowed to by the rangers towards the Grey Butt direction, parked the car where we were told to and started hiking. Truth be told, wherever you hike on Mt. Shasta it will be worth it. We thoroughly enjoyed our time on the mountain. The same as Big Springs, Mt. Shasta is a spiritual place. It is considered to be one of the small number of global “power centers” and you can feel its up-lifting energy everywhere.
After half a day spent on Mt. Shasta we continued our Northern California road trip to Klamath Falls, Oregon, which would be our base for exploration of Crater Lake National Park. The town has many budget hotel options, we chose Holiday Inn Express for our needs.
Northern California Road Trip Day 3.
Crater Lake National Park is roughly 50 minutes drive from Klamath Falls, Oregon. I would advise you to leave early in the morning so that you have a full day exploring the Park. For many people the Crater Lake itself is the main draw and I can assure you there is a good reason for that. I have traveled a lot around the world, I have seen 3 oceans (Pacific, Atlantic and Indian), several seas (Black, Baltic, Caribbean, Mediterranean and Northern) multitudes of lakes in many countries (the Great ones, alpine and otherwise), however NEVER did I see water this shade of blue – absolutely stunning, deep, rich cobalt blue!
Crate Lake was formed 7700 years ago when a 12,000 ft volcano Mount Mazama collapsed during an enormous eruption. The lake is roughly about 2000 ft deep and its intense blue color is due to its exceptional depth and clarity. The depth absorbs many of the longer rays and reflects the shorter rays of the light spectrum. Red light is the longest wavelength, thus gets absorbed. Violet and blue light are the shortest wavelengths, thus get scattered and reflected back to the viewer.
Another interesting fact about Crater Lake is that the air around it is pretty much the cleanest in the United States so the visibility can be up to 150 miles from the top of the lake. You can even see Mt. Shasta! You should take a scenic drive around the lake and stop at various vista points to enjoy the views from different angles.
But don’t forget that Crater Lake National Park is not just about the lake. There are a lot of hiking trails on the mountain that is crowned by the lake. In summer you can see many wildflowers on these trails. The easiest trail for the kids is Castle Crest Wildflower Trail.
The drive to the Pinnacles is also a great scenic destination, unfortunately that road was closed when we were visiting.
I would definitely suggest taking a picnic lunch with you – I don’t believe there are any concession stands within the Crater Lake National Park.
Northern California Road Trip Day 4.
On the fourth day of our Northern California road trip we drove back south to the town of Redding in California – our base for the next couple of nights. If you get tired of driving you can stop at Lake Shastina (off HW 5) for some rest and swim as there is nothing else planned for the day. Just take it easy – kids will appreciate that.
Northern California Road Trip Day 5.
Redding is a great central point for exploring several attractions in Northern California plus it has a lot of affordable lodging. We stayed in Hampton Inn and couldn’t be happier.
You can save up to 15% off when you book early at Hampton by Hilton.;
We started our explorations from Lassen Volcanic National Park. This Park is located on the slopes of an active volcano called Lassen Peak (last erupted in 1917) and though it is on the smaller side in terms of size (compared to some national parks), it is huge on stunning scenery. We also loved the fact that it is not crowded at all and most of the time we were there on our own.
The best way to explore the park is through a scenic drive along HW 89. You can stop at any and all designated scenic stops to enjoy picturesque meadows, streams and lakes.
Hiking trails are also plentiful in Lassen National Park. However, depending on when you are coming, how high you are on the mountain and how big the snowfall was the preceding winter, some of them may be closed. We were only able to hike the trails at lower elevations:
Manzanita Lake Trail
Kings Creek Trail
At the top of the mountain everything was still covered with snow but beautiful, nonetheless:
Bumpass Hell Trail is definitely not to be missed as this is the place where you can see geothermal activity. It was closed for restoration when we visited in Lassen National Park and if the same happens to you the next best spot to see hissing steam and sputtering mud is Sulphur Works scenic stop along HW 89.
Northern California Road Trip Day 6.
Another great Northern California attraction just under an hour drive from Redding is Burney Falls in McArthur-Burney Memorial State Park. At 129 ft high it is not the highest in the State of California but it is the widest that I have seen. Another advantage of this waterfall is that is is constantly fed by underground streams so even in the hottest and driest months it does not lose its fullness and beauty.
After admiring the waterfall you can hike along the creek following the flow of water and then take a short drive to a nearby Lake Britton for a refreshing swim and relaxation on the beach.
Northern California Road Trip Day 7.
Even though it is the last day of our Northern California road trip itinerary I always say that it is not a destination but a journey that is important. So before we arrived back in San Francisco we made one more stop in Napa Valley since it was on our way. These days many wineries are family friendly. I have written several posts about family friendly wineries in Sonoma, Napa, Paso Robles and Santa Barbara County. If a winery has educational or entertainment aspects for kids it is a great place for a pit stop.
One of my most favorite wineries in Napa from educational perspective is Raymond Vineyards. It has a huge outdoor exhibit about biodynamic farming called “Theater of Nature”. You can enjoy beautiful gardens, visit with farm animals and learn a thing or two on the way.
If you are a beginner at wine tasting, I suggest you read my earlier blog post addressing things you need to know about visiting wineries and wine tasting. It will help you build your confidence pretty quickly.
Wine is my most favorite souvenirs to bring home from our trips. You can’t bring back the freshest air of Crater Lake or the sparkling clean snow of Mt. Shasta with you, but the wine packs the flavors and aromas of the area you visited. When you drink it home on a warm summer evening it brings back the precious memories that will last a lifetime.
Additional tips for Northern California Road Trip
- Even if you do Northern California road trip in the middle of summer be prepared for big temperature changes at higher elevations and high likelihood of snow, so dress accordingly.
- Redding is a nice town to potentially stay more than a couple of nights to explore. Some of the cool Northern California attractions in the area are: Sacramento River and Turtle Bay Exploration Park. There is also a WaterWorks water park in town. Since you will stay in Redding the longest, here are some recommendations of good restaurants: Nello’s (Italian) for dinner and Deli Greek Shack (1074 Hartnell Ave, Redding, CA 96002) for lunch and early dinner.
- Gear you will find very useful on this Northern California road trip (see pictures below). Volcano sticker book especially provides tons of activities while driving in a car for hours, just saying 😉 and you will definitely need a good binoculars to observe all the fantastic vistas around (click on the image link for more details):
If you found this Northern California road trip itinerary useful, please do me a little favor and share this information with others, for there’s a good chance that it will help them with their travel plans. 🙂
