See Mount Shasta by day, sleep in Etna: a quieter retreat an hour away
If you have driven Interstate 5 between the Bay Area and Oregon, you know the moment. The road bends north of Redding, the trees open, and there it is: Mount Shasta, white at the summit and far bigger than you expected, filling the whole windshield. Most people pull over, take the photo, and keep driving. We would like to suggest something slower.
Why the mountain draws people
Mount Shasta rises 14,179 feet, a lone volcano with no rival peaks around it, and it has a way of making people quiet. Yoga teachers, meditators, climbers, painters and road trippers all find their way to the town at its base. You can feel why the moment you step out of the car: cold air, the smell of pine, and that summit always in the corner of your eye.
The mountain is magnetic. It can also be busy, especially on summer weekends and holidays. That is where Etna comes in.
The best kept secret, an hour and a quarter away
Etna is a small mountain town in Scott Valley, about an hour and a quarter from Mount Shasta. Our favorite way there goes over Gazelle: south on Highway 3 to Callahan, then the Gazelle-Callahan Road over the mountains to Gazelle and on to Mount Shasta. Come home north on Interstate 5, through Yreka and south through Fort Jones. It is only a touch longer, but you will see gorgeous land and Lovers Leap rock, and it is a nice cell-phone-free drive. Ranches, old barns and the peaks of the Marble Mountains and Russian Wilderness surround it. There is one main street, a bakery, a distillery, a taproom and a coffee counter, and at night more stars than most of us have seen in years.
Blossom Sanctuary sits on 4.2 acres of gardens just outside town, a short walk from Main Street. The whole cottage is yours. Deer wander the lawn in the morning, hammocks hang under the oaks, and a wood stove waits for cold nights. Think of it as the off-grid feeling without giving anything up: fast internet, air conditioning, EV charging, and a bed you sink into.
A day on the mountain
Morning: the headwaters. In Mount Shasta City Park, the upper Sacramento River begins as a spring flowing out of the base of Spring Hill. There is a viewing patio and benches by the water. It is one of the most peaceful places in town to sit for ten minutes and do nothing.
Practice. Shasta Yoga Institute, downtown on South Mt. Shasta Blvd, offers classes for every level, with restorative yoga among them. Check the weekly schedule and plan your drive around a class.
Lunch. Alua's Thrive Bar on Chestnut Street is a good plant-based-friendly counter, and Berryvale Grocery, the town's natural foods market, has a deli and juice bar. Stock up for dinner at the house while you are there.
Afternoon: up the mountain. The Everitt Memorial Highway climbs about 12 miles from town to Bunny Flat, the mountain's main trailhead at about 6,900 feet, where the upper peak fills the view. In summer the road continues to Panther Meadows. Stay on the trails; the spring-fed meadows are fragile. Or drive to Castle Lake and hike the short, steep trail to Heart Lake, roughly two and a half miles round trip, for one of the best views of Shasta there is.
Then come home to the quiet
Drive back to Etna with the light going gold. Light the wood stove, cook what you bought at Berryvale in a kitchen set for a dinner party, and take your tea out to the garden for the stars. In the morning, stretch on the terraces in the cool air before anyone else is up.
The next day, stay local. Walk to Farmhouse Bakery for breakfast, book an hour at Citrine Lounge Spa in town, or take a class with Chai Perlman. Our drives and bike loops guide has the summit roads. In the evening, Denny Bar Co. and Etna Brewing Co. are a walk from the house.
Making it part of your I-5 road trip
Driving between San Francisco or Los Angeles and Portland or Seattle? Blossom turns a long haul into a retreat. Stop at the mountain on the way, sleep in Etna, and get back on the road feeling like yourself. Or plan it the other way around: a few nights in Scott Valley with one full day on Mount Shasta. Rest is the best investment you can make in yourself, however long you have.
Good to know
Etna to Mount Shasta is about an hour and a quarter each way. Go over Gazelle and come home through Yreka: only a touch longer, with gorgeous land, Lovers Leap rock and a cell-phone-free drive. Gazelle-Callahan Road can see snow in winter, so check conditions first.
The road to Bunny Flat is plowed in winter. The road above it to Panther Meadows opens in summer. Check conditions before you go.
Hiking above 10,000 feet on the mountain requires a Summit Pass, and wilderness permits are free and required. See the Shasta-Trinity National Forest for details.
Mount Shasta, the town, sits at about 3,600 feet, and the mountain is colder still. Bring layers in every season.
Driving electric? Charging is included at the house.
The mountain will still be there in the morning. See open dates and prices for your stay at Blossom Sanctuary, and join the Orbit for letters from the house and 20% off a first stay booked on our website.