Vital Stats: Mount Shasta
Travel
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Contact 800-754-7427; 530-926-8610; www.skipark.com
Ticket Price $33 adult, $17 for ages 8-12, $5 for 7 and under
Skiable Terrain 425 acres; 31 trails
Lifts 3 triple chairs and 1 surface tow
Base Elevation 5,500 feet
Summit Elevation 6,890 feet
Vertical Drop 1,390 feet
Annual Snowfall 275 inches
When To Go January through March
Length of Season Mid-November through mid-April
Getting There From Sacramento (245 miles), take Hwy. 5 to Mount Shasta City, then take Hwy. 89 (McCloud exit) 10 miles to Ski Park Road. From San Francisco (295 miles), take Hwy. 80 east to the 505 cutoff (Redding exit); then proceed north on Hwy. 5.
Lodging Mount Shasta Resort (800-958-3363), a new, upscale golf retreat two miles west of Mount Shasta City, has 65 family-size chalets and other units, and a restaurant and bar in the clubhouse. Other options include the 38-room Mountain Air Lodge (800-727-3704) and the historic McCloud Hotel (800-964-2823) in McCloud.
Eats For breakfast, Lily’s (530-926-3372) has great omelets and scrambles. For dinner, Mike & Tony’s (530-926-4792), a fixture since 1945, is a favorite for steak and pasta; Serge’s (530-926-1276) for casual French and Continental cuisine; and Raymond’s in McCloud (530-964-2099) for Italian (homemade pastas, seafood and chicken).
Drinks Casa Ramos in Mount Shasta City and the lounge at the Mount Shasta Resort are great spots.
Après-Ski Historic Stewart Mineral Springs, with its therapeutic hot mineral baths, is well worth the 20-minute drive north of town. Open year-round, it also offers spa treatments (530-938-4283).
Java Joints Has Beans is the hands-down favorite.
Locals’ Tip Make a reservation for the Shasta Sunset Dinner Train (800-733-2141 or 530-964-2142), and enjoy a sumptuous gourmet dinner in an elegant, fully restored 1916 rail car.