Earth Day is celebrated around the planet every year on April 22 and is a great opportunity for us to “Think Globally and Act Locally”. For more information from earthday.org, click here.
You can support Earth Day every day by helping keep our incredible trails free of trash. Get a trash picker at one of our local hardware stores and bring it on your hike. Maybe there’s a little room in your bike hydration pack to pick up some trash on your ride. Some trailheads don’t have trash cans so just clean up that area before heading home.
The FREE Mount Shasta Trail Challenge is another great way to participate in Earth Day every day. Complete just 6 trails on the challenge and get an awesome stainless steel water bottle. No more wasteful plastic bottles!
Picking up trash is a good thing to do
Reduce single-use plastics
Complete the Trail Challenge and get a great reusable bottle
Here’s an easy trail along the Upper Sacramento River that connects two unique and beautiful parks. This trail is a little narrow and has just a bit of elevation but it’s short and pretty easy. You can park at either end but the Botanical Garden has more spaces and a restroom. As this trail runs right along the river please be extra careful if it has storm damage or erosion.
The Dunsmuir Botanical Garden is in a beautiful setting along the river and hosts many weddings. It is very popular for fishing with easy river access. There is a large lawn and many tables for a picnic. Sometimes you can hear a big freight train rumble by just across the river. Check out more info on the gardens here.
Tauhindauli Park celebrates the long and varied history of Dunsmuir. Much of the trail in this area is ADA accessible including river and fishing access. At least through 2024, there is a HUGE construction crane here that the kids will love. Make sure to check out the self guided tour sign boards.
If you’re feeling extra adventurous continue downstream another half mile along the river and River Avenue to the charming old railroad town of Dunsmuir. There are markets in town with ice cream for hot days and coffee shops for cold days.
The 2024 Mount Shasta Trail Challenge has only just started and we already have a huge announcement!!! The Rotary Club of Mount Shasta has made a significant donation and we are excited to announce that our regular capacity has increased from 100 finishers to 150! That’s right, we now have 150RTIC water bottles and 150 Dragon Graphics sticker sheets.
The Rotary Club is specifically hoping to attract the younger trail users of Mount Shasta with this additional capacity. The Trail Challenge is open to all abilities and that includes trail users of all ages! Hit the paved portion of the Lake Siskiyou Trail with your baby stroller. Young kids may love checking out the HUGE crane on the Dunsmuir River Trail. Try out the brand new Muir’s Ascension trail with your young adult mountain biker.
The Mount Shasta Trail Association is working with the Rotary to reach out to local youth organizations and spread the word about this great program. Feel free to support this effort by reaching out to your local schools, scout troops, church groups, and sports teams.
The 2024 7th Annual Mount Shasta Trail Challenge is off and running. Or hiking. Or biking. Or XC skiing!!
This year our theme is water and all the waterfalls, lakes, and rivers of the Mount Shasta area. Timing could not be better as the lakes are filling, the rivers are raging, and the waterfalls are roaring. Seriously, the rivers really are raging right now so use extra caution and avoid any storm damaged or eroded trails.
There are quite a few trails new to the Challenge and of course discovering new trails is part of the fun. Check them all out on the brand new 2024 Passport. Download your own passport at https://mountshastatrailassociation.org/mt-shasta-trail-challenge/ to get started. All the instructions you need are on the Passport.
This year we feature some incredible swag for at least the first 100 finishers. An RTIC water bottle and a complete set of awesome 12 trail specific stickers from our partners at Dragon Graphics.
As always, the Mount Shasta Trail Challenge is open to all and FREE of charge thanks to our generous sponsors and thoughtful donors.
The kickoff of the 2024 Mount Shasta Trail Challenge is imminent, but until then here’s an exciting sneak peek!
Our partners at Dragon Graphics have created a complete set of custom, trail specific stickers for you to show your pride of completion. Finish just 6 of these 12 trails and get the whole awesome collection. Not available anywhere else or for sale, these are only for Trail Challenge finishers. A big THANK YOU to Dragon Graphics of Chico, CA who donated all of their time and design expertise to produce these great stickers.
Look closely and you’ll recognize at least some of the trails that are part of the 7th annual Trail Challenge. The Mount Shasta Trail Challenge is all season so feel free to get started! This rainy weather is an incredible opportunity to see a roaring waterfall or strap on your snowshoes to see a higher elevation trail. Start slow on an easy trail or be adventurous and check out a trail new to you.
Feel free to share in the comments which sticker you like best! Look for the official kickoff announcement and passport to be posted on this site very soon.
The Mount Shasta Trail Association is pleased to announce that Rick Cory has joined its Board of Directors.
Rick grew up in Burlingame in the San Francisco Bay Area and graduated from San Jose State in 1989 with a degree in Fire Protection Engineering. He was backpacking across Europe when the Loma Prieta earthquake occurred and brought him home.
He worked for 30 years for the Fremont Fire Department, retiring in 2021 as a Division Chief. He worked extensively on wildland mutual aid as a Strike Team Leader and Safety Officer and responded several times to the Mount Shasta area. Rick is very proud of his work with FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 4 and especially their 3-week response to Hurricane Katrina with nearly 1000 rescues.
His first introduction to this incredible area was in 1998 when (girlfriend at the time) Luce and Rick took one of their first trips together visiting Mossbrae Falls. In 2010 they purchased a home across the street from his cousin in Dunsmuir. They taught all of their 4 children to ski at the Mt Shasta Ski Park and how to fish in the Sacramento River. One of his very favorite things to do is a long bike ride ending at the Dunsmuir brewpub.
Rick has watched with anticipation since 2015 as the new Gateway II trail network developed and has loved every minute working with the volunteer crews building trail. Rick is also proud to have completed every Mount Shasta Trail Challenge since its inception in 2018 and is excited to now help continue this great program.
Luce and Rick look forward to many years mountain biking, snow shoeing, skiing, and hiking with their dogs in this beautiful area.
Autumn colors are exploding in the Mount Shasta area and it’s a perfect time to finish your 2023 Mount Shasta Trail Challenge passport! Hedge Creek Falls trail is a short easy trail that passes UNDER and BEHIND Hedge Creek Falls! Get a great view of the Sacramento River from the scenic lookout or continue all the way down to the rivers edge. Easy access and parking right off I-5 in Dunsmuir. Dogs and kids will love it. Bonus Karma for picking up trash left by others.
First off, the Spring Hill Trail is a great moderate hike with some elevation right off I-5 and downtown Mt Shasta. There is an Instagram ready view of Mount Shasta on the way up and views of Black Butte and Castle Crags from the summit. Dogs are OK, bikes are not, and kids will love it:)
Secondly, Mount Shasta City Park offers 2 miles of easy trail. The headwaters of the Sacramento River are are a great place to cool down after your hike! The headwaters are a very special place. Another option is to hike the City Park before tackling the moderate hike up Spring Hill.
Still a few months to finish the 2023 Mount Shasta Trail Challenge! Check out these and all the other great Mt Shasta area hikes on the Trail Guide tab of the MSTA website here.
Looking for a great trail that has something for everyone? How about the McCloud River trail on the Mount Shasta Trail Challenge! THREE waterfalls, swimming holes, tall trees, campgrounds, fishing spots, and dogs are OK. This trail is ADA accessible around the trailheads and otherwise mostly flat and easy. There’s still time to download and finish the 2023 Trail Challenge!!
The recent rain has really cleaned the smoke out of the air and made the dirt perfect for mountain biking or hiking. What a perfect time to check out Bear Springs Trail on the Mount Shasta Trail Challenge! Great views, flowing cross country, and technical elements with go arounds. Did you know Bear Springs Trail is expanding further up Mt Shasta to Everitt Vista AND all the way down to the town of Mt Shasta! Check out the exciting plans at https://www.gatewaytrail.org/
