A week is long enough to stop counting days. By the fourth morning you know which floorboard creaks, which hammock catches the sun first, and how long the coffee takes to bloom. This is the whole story of Scott Valley in seven days, from the high lakes to a full day of eating, with three days out to Mount Shasta, Yreka and Ashland. Each day comes home to the same quiet house.
The week at a glance
Day 1: Etna
Breakfast on Main Street, a slow wander, a facial at Citrine Lounge Spa or a yoga class (see our Etna spa and wellness guide), local art at Marble Rim Gallery, dinner and a nightcap at the distillery. The full day is in one perfect day in Etna.
Day 2: The mountains
Drive up to Etna Summit and the high lakes while the roads are open, and come home tired in the good way. See three days in Scott Valley.
Day 3: Eat your way around the valley
Trade the valley drive for our Scott Valley food tour: the same loop through Fort Jones and Callahan, with a stop at every place to eat and a scorecard so you can rank them yourselves. Plan it for a Thursday, Friday or Saturday, when the most kitchens are open.
Day 4: The Salmon River
The big one: a full day on the Salmon River loop, wild water through deep canyons just over the mountains. See four days in Scott Valley.
Day 5: Mount Shasta
The headwaters of the Sacramento, Lake Siskiyou and the hike to Heart Lake. See five days in Scott Valley.
Day 6: Yreka
A morning class or a reservoir walk, Gold Rush Miner Street, lunch from Thailand or El Salvador, and the Klamath River canyon. In early December, time it for Yreka Night of Lights. See six days in Scott Valley.
Day 7: Ashland, Oregon
Save the last day for crossing the state line. Ashland is about 68 miles from the house, an hour and a quarter or a little more: Highway 3 through Fort Jones and through Yreka, then north on I-5 over Siskiyou Summit, at 4,310 feet the highest point on the whole interstate.
Sweat first. When I'm in Ashland, I start with a class at Ashland Hot Yoga on Siskiyou Boulevard: heated classes for every level in a 100-year-old building. Book through the Mindbody app before you leave the house; new students get two weeks unlimited for $50.
Coffee and the park. Walk it off with a cup from Noble Coffee Roasting, which roasts its own organic beans, then wander Lithia Park: 93 acres laid out in 1914 by John McLaren, the designer of Golden Gate Park, with creek trails, a Japanese garden and duck ponds. Fall color in the park often peaks in late October.
Lunch. The Noble Fox took over the old Standing Stone space on Oak Street and brews its own beer, house pours like the Regal Beast IPA and the Noble Fox Stout. It's family friendly, with vegan and gluten-free options on the menu, and it's one of my Ashland favorites.
The bathhouse. Spend the afternoon at Chozu Bath & Tea Gardens, a Japanese-style bathhouse with hot pools, a cold plunge, steam, a sauna, massage and a tea and sake lounge. Go back and forth between the heat and the cold until your shoulders forget the week. It's closed Mondays, so plan around that.
Cocktails. Hearsay pours them in the garden of the Old Pink Church; order the jade rose. Or take the deck at Brickroom, right over the Plaza, where there's live music on weekends.
Dinner. Cocorico is modern Mediterranean on a menu that changes daily. Reserve ahead, and know that it seats parties of up to four. For the splurge of the week, book the tasting menu at MÄS, the tiny restaurant of chef Josh Dorcak, a James Beard finalist for best chef. It books well ahead on Tock, and it can't accommodate vegan or vegetarian diets.
In season. From March through October, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival fills the town's theaters; the 2027 season runs into October. See what's playing.
Home. Back south over the summit. Southbound, California's agricultural inspection station near Hornbrook will ask about fruit, plants and firewood. Let your sober driver take the wheel, and let everyone else watch the dark come down over the Siskiyous. By the time you pull in, the stars will be out over the garden.
Good to know
Plan the food tour for Thursday to Saturday, and Ashland for Wednesday to Saturday: Chozu closes Mondays, Hearsay closes Tuesdays, and many Main Street spots in Etna close early in the week.
Oregon has no sales tax, but Ashland adds 5% to restaurant meals.
Siskiyou Summit can need chains or traction tires in winter. Check TripCheck and Caltrans QuickMap before you go.
Ashland's famous Lithia water fountains on the Plaza have been switched off since late 2023, so don't plan on a taste.
Roads to the high lakes close with snow. In winter, swap Day 2 for a long morning by the wood stove and a walk along the valley floor, or a few games on the Etna pickleball courts on a dry afternoon.
A week is our favorite way to stay, and the longer you stay, the less each night costs. See open dates and prices for your week at Blossom Sanctuary, and join the Sovereign Circle for letters from the house, with a welcome gift for your first stay.
