If your kid's team has a game at Etna High School, or someone you love is walking at graduation or stepping on stage in a school play, you are about to spend a weekend in one of the smallest and friendliest towns in California. Etna is worth the trip on its own. This is our guide for visiting families, and an open invitation to stay with us.
Etna High School at a glance
Etna High School is home of the Lions, a small public high school at 400 Howell Avenue in Etna, founded in 1891 and part of Scott Valley Unified School District. It serves families from across Scott Valley, the Quartz Valley Indian Community, Sawyers Bar and Cecilville, so a home game here often feels like the whole valley showed up.
- Fall: football, volleyball, soccer and cross country
- Winter: basketball and wrestling
- Spring: baseball, softball, track and tennis
Game days and times change through the season. Check the Lions' schedules on MaxPreps and confirm with your own school's athletic office before you book.
Why visiting families stay the whole weekend
Etna is a long drive from most schools it plays. Driving home after a late game, on two-lane mountain highways in the dark, is the part of the trip we hear parents dread most. Deer, elk and winter weather all share these roads. Staying the night means the game is the highlight of the day instead of the start of a long drive.
Blossom Sanctuary is a private retreat house a short walk from Main Street in Etna and a few minutes from the high school. The whole house is yours: three bedrooms, a full kitchen, gardens under the oaks and a wood stove for cold nights. It sleeps up to four adults or a family of up to six, and the couch makes a comfortable extra bed.
Who we host
- Visiting families: parents, grandparents and siblings in town for a game, a tournament or a meet.
- Athletes and their parents: a quiet house to sleep well before an early start, and a kitchen to cook a real breakfast.
- Coaches and small travel groups: a coaching staff or a few families sharing the house, within the house's capacity.
- Graduation weekends: family coming in from out of town to see a senior walk.
- Theater and music nights: the school play, a concert or a showcase, with a short drive home afterward.
- Etna families with visiting relatives: when grandma and grandpa need their own place to stay near you.
The best deal for team families
The simplest way to save is to join the Sovereign Circle, our free membership. Join free through December 31, 2026 for the member rate and a gift with your first stay. If your family will be back for several games this season, tell us when you book and we will help you plan the dates.
Graduation weekends in late spring are the first to fill. If your senior graduates in 2027, hold your dates now.
A game weekend in Etna
- Friday: arrive before dark, settle in and cook dinner together at the house, or book dinner at Denny Bar Co. on Main Street.
- Saturday morning: coffee on Main Street at Wildwood Coffee, a pastry from Farmhouse Bakery, then the game.
- Saturday afternoon: walk Main Street, browse Marble Rim Gallery, or let tired legs rest with a massage or a sauna at Mountain Healing Spa. Read our Etna spa and wellness guide.
- Saturday night: stars from the garden. Scott Valley skies are dark and clear.
- Sunday: a slow breakfast at the house, then home in daylight.
Want more to do between games? See our things to do in Scott Valley and Etna and one day in Etna.
Driving to Etna
Etna sits on Highway 3 in Scott Valley, west of Yreka and Interstate 5. Plan to arrive in daylight, especially from late fall through spring, and check Caltrans QuickMap for chain controls before you leave. Coming from Oregon, check ODOT TripCheck for Siskiyou Summit.
Book your Etna High School weekend
Tell us the date of the game, graduation or performance and how many are coming, and we will take it from there. Check dates and price your stay, or send us a note. Go Lions, and safe travels to every visiting team.
