Six days lets the valley become routine in the best way: coffee on Main Street, the same deer at the edge of the garden, the stars you now know by name. Days one through five follow our five days in Scott Valley: Etna, the high lakes, the valley, the Salmon River and Mount Shasta. Day six points the car north to Yreka, the old Gold Rush town where the valley runs its errands. It rewards a slow day.
Days 1 to 5
A perfect day in Etna, a day in the mountains at Etna Summit and the high lakes, a day around the valley with dinner in Fort Jones, a long day on the Salmon River loop, and a day at Mount Shasta.
The Klamath River in evening light. Photo: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Day 6: Yreka
Getting there. Yreka is about 28 miles from the house, roughly 35 to 40 minutes: north on Highway 3 through Fort Jones, then over Forest Mountain and down into town.
Move first. Get your workout in before you leave Etna. Rough and Ready Fitness is our friends' gym in town, with $10 drop-ins, and Yoga with Chai Perlman posts classes through the week. Then, once you're in Yreka, stretch your legs at Greenhorn Park, which circles a small reservoir on the edge of town, or take the Humbug Trail up to a view of Mount Shasta past the rusted relics of old mining days.
Breakfast. Gonzo's Breakfast House does the homestyle kind, Tuesday to Sunday from 6:30 am to 2:30 pm. Order big; lunch is a while off.
Miner Street. Yreka's downtown is a Gold Rush street on the National Register, with plaques on the old brick fronts and hitching posts still at the curb. The Siskiyou County Historical Society leads one-hour walking tours of the gold years, and Liberty Arts Gallery, a nonprofit, shows contemporary work Wednesday to Saturday during the school year.
Lunch, from far away. This is the day for international food. Natalee Thai Cuisine makes a pad kee mao worth the drive and a proper Thai iced tea (Monday to Saturday). Pupuseria La Paz pats out Salvadoran pupusas on weekdays. For something playful, Bella Art Works pairs a grown-up grilled cheese and an old-fashioned soda fountain with paint-your-own pottery, a souvenir you'll actually use.
The river. In the afternoon, take Highway 263 north out of town. It follows the Shasta River through a narrow canyon for about 8 miles, on a 1929 road with five big bridges, the Pioneer Bridge among them, before meeting the Klamath. Turn west on Highway 96, the State of Jefferson Scenic Byway, to Tree of Heaven, a river access with a short birding trail on the site of an 1800s Chinese farm.
This river is writing a new chapter. The last four Klamath dams came out in 2024, and in October 2025 fall Chinook salmon swam past them into Oregon's Williamson and Sprague rivers for the first time in more than a century. They spawn from October into December. We can't promise you'll see one, but standing beside a river that is finding its way home again is its own kind of medicine.
Dinner. Josefina's Taqueria on South Main Street does Sinaloa-style street tacos, tamales and birria, Monday to Saturday until 8. For a glass and small plates instead, The Wine Bar & Bistro opens Wednesday to Friday from 4 pm.
Home. Back over the hill to Etna, slowly. Deer love Highway 3 at dusk. The wood stove will be glad to see you.
Good to know
Many Miner Street shops close on Sundays, Gonzo's is closed Mondays, Natalee Thai is closed Sundays, and Pupuseria La Paz serves weekdays only. Check hours before you go.
Tuesday to Friday lines up best for this day.
Highway 263 is narrow and winding, with few places to pull over. Take your time and save the photos for the turnouts.
Watch for deer on Highway 3 after dark, and check Caltrans QuickMap for chain controls in winter.
Staying a full week? Our seven-day itinerary, with a day in Ashland, comes next. See open dates and prices for your stay at Blossom Sanctuary, and join the Orbit for letters from the house, with a welcome gift for your first stay.
Businesses in this post
Rough and Ready Fitness, Etna · Yoga with Chai Perlman, Etna · Gonzo's Breakfast House, Yreka · Liberty Arts Gallery, Yreka · Natalee Thai Cuisine, Yreka · Pupuseria La Paz, Yreka · Bella Art Works, Yreka · Josefina's Taqueria, Yreka · The Wine Bar & Bistro, Yreka