Born and raised on the Klamath River in Happy Camp, CA professional guide Mario Gomez from Ironhead Guide Service grew up on the creeks and rivers fishing for salmon, trout, and steelhead. Mario was fortunate enough to have a great year-round fishery on the Klamath River in his backyard. After catching his first steelhead on a guided fishing trip he knew that being a fishing guide was something he would pursue. 15 years into a career of fighting wildland fires for the US Forest Service, Mario chose to follow that dream and bought a custom Willie drift boat and started guiding and exploring the world of Salmon, Trout, and Steelhead fishing on the Klamath, Smith, Chetco, Umpqua, and Rogue rivers

Ironhead Guide Service believes that the most important part of a fishing trip is the EXPIERENCE. That is why they are a customer service based company and go through great lengths to insure its clients receive the best fishing experience possible. The things that set professional guide Mario Gomez apart from the competition are his state of the art boats, top of the line equipment, and his ability to produce a comfortable, fun, relaxing fishing experience.

Pro guide Mario Gomez now has 15 years of professional guiding experience running world class fishing trips on the Klamath, Smith, Chetco, Umpqua, and Rogue rivers. Mario has built from the ground up a reputable outfitter and guide service and has made a name for himself and his company in the fishing community. Ironhead Guide Service has established itself as a Premier Outfitter in California and Oregon, and has also become one of the top rated outfitter and guides in the Pacific Northwest.

Ironhead Guide Service employs all techniques when pursuing Salmon, Trout, and Steelhead including side-drifting, back trolling, fly fishing, and back-bouncing. Mario features a broad range of innovative fishing techniques, many of which have been learned throughout his carrier as a Klamath River fishing guide, Umpqua River fishing guide, Rogue River fishing guide, Chetco River fishing guide, and Smith River fishing guide.

Mario Gomez is a US Coast Guard certified OUPV Captain, bonded, insured, CPR certified, and a medical first responder, meaning your fishing trip will be completely safe. We are a non-discriminating business and an equal opportunity employer. Ironhead Guide Service operates under special use permits as a fishing guide for Bureau of Land Management Medford District, and the US Forest Service on the Klamath, Six Rivers, and Rogue-Siskiyou National Forests. Mario is certified through the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Oregon State Marine Board as a commercial fishing guide.

The post Ironhead Guide Service appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

So stop resisting and plan your next getaway to East Siskiyou, home of fascinating wildlife refuges, accommodating lodging sites, historical museums, and plenty of fun and thrilling activities.

There are a number of towns that comprise East Siskiyou. We’ve highlighted two below – Dorris and Tulelake – both of which offer year-round enjoyment, natural wonders, and important historic moments sure to have visitors both fascinated and contemplative.

DORRIS

The town of Dorris may be small in size, but it makes up for it in big ways. The first city you’ll enter in California when traveling south on Highway 97 from the Oregon border, Dorris was at once the holder of the title “America’s Tallest Flagpole.” In honor of all veterans and active military personnel, the Dorris Lions Club arranged to have a 30-by-60-foot American flag perched on top of a 200-foot pole in 1996, thereby giving the small town a huge record to boast about. Although a Wisconsin insurance company has since taken its place atop the list, the Dorris pole still provides a sense of pride and is a big draw on July 4 and Veterans Day, when the massive 150-pound American flag is lifted.

The Butte Valley Wildlife Area in Dorris is a birdwatcher’s dream. In addition to being an ideal spot for finding a variety of waterfowl, bald eagles and sandhill cranes, it is known for its share of raptors, specifically the Swainson’s Hawk. This particular hawk migrates 12,000 miles each year between the Butte Valley area and Argentina, one of the longest journeys for any raptor. The hawks normally begin arriving in California in February and March and leave anywhere between September and October.

The Butte Valley National Grassland is home to a wide assortment of animals, from lizards and snakes to bobcats and Roosevelt elk. Its official “National Grassland” designation four decades ago provided protection from disposal and destructive uses, and it is now being enhanced primarily for natural use.

Although Juanita Lake is available year-round for trout, catfish and bass fishing, the campground facility is open from approximately April/May to October. Motorless boats, such as canoes and rowboats, are allowed on the 55-acre lake, and a 1.5-mile paved, barrier-free trail circles the lake. Grills, water and picnic accommodations are available at no charge.

Dorris is home to some memorable restaurants serving up small-town hospitality and plenty of local flavors. Among them is El Ranchito, a family-owned Mexican food restaurant located right off of Highway 97. With everything made from scratch, you’ll want to try dishes like the made-to-order burritos or a delicious enchilada plate. You really can’t go wrong, no matter what you choose.

When you’re ready to rest your tired feet or enjoy a good night’s sleep, you’ll find a variety of locations sure to fit any budget. Try the Butte Valley RV Park or the Butte Valley Bed and Breakfast, or book a stay at the Golden Eagle Motel, a three-star motel that’s convenient to the flagpole, city hall and parks. Comfortable rooms, free breakfast and Wi-Fi, microwaves and more make this an ideal resting spot at an affordable price.

TULELAKE

Just four miles from the Oregon border is Tulelake, a small Siskiyou County literally built by veterans, as a land lottery was held after World War II. Veterans won 80- and 160-acre plots to prepare for farm land to grow potatoes, onions, grain and other important foods. The area attracted a number of businesses and farm services, as well as families, and Tulelake grew into the successful agricultural community it’s become today.

Nature and history play a large part in drawing visitors to Tulelake. The Lava Beds National Monument combines both attractions in one. Lava tube caves were created by flows of smooth lava between 10,500 and 65,000 years ago, and eruptions on the Medicine Lake shield volcano created rugged landscapes. Developed caves, available for hikers, vary in the level of difficulty, from least to most challenging, so there’s amazing sights ideal for the whole family.

Years ago, the Klamath Basin featured thousands of acres of shallow lakes and freshwater marshes, attracting millions of waterfowl and other water birds. In 1905, the government chose to convert many of these wetlands into agricultural lands. Several years later, President Theodore Roosevelt established the first in a series of national wildlife refuges to conserve the wetlands which remained, resulting in the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, the first such area in the U.S.

A new visitor center recently opened at the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge. It features self-guided tours, trails that provide beautiful views of the refuge, and a look at the variety of wildlife that makes these places so special.

Any adventurer worth his or her salt would tell you that hiking is the best way to see the countryside and all of its beauty. Fortunately East Siskiyou has an excellent share of adventurous trails to see the land closeup.

The Glass Mountain Trail is one such pathway. Beginning and ending near Tulelake, the moderately challenging 4.9-mile route is excellent for birding, hiking and walking. The views of the sparkling selenite crystals on slopes and mesas are unique, and panoramic views of the Sierra and White mountains are jaw-dropping.

A short but rugged pathway, Captain Jack’s Stronghold Trail is split into two self-guided interpretive routes that tell the history of the Modoc War of 1872-73. Captain Jack (Kintpuash) and his small, yet savvy band of Modoc Indians, held off U.S. Army forces for five months, despite being woefully outnumbered. See rock art and archeological sites that make for a truly unique adventure.

For some travelers, finding the ideal golf course is as much of an adventure as hiking along the area’s trails. Indian Point Golf Course in Tulelake combines the fun and strategy of the game of golf with spectacular views of the Klamath Basin and other landmarks. The 1,500-plus-yard golf course offers nine holes, with both beginning and challenging pathways to accommodate any golfer’s game.

Nearly 120 years ago, Spanish philosopher George Santayana spoke one of history’s most famous and consequential phrases: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

The expression has been repeated millions of times, and is appropriate when visiting the Tule Lake National Monument and its place in history. Included at the monument is the Tule Lake Segregation Center, a large facility where Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II in the early 1940s. Also featured is Camp Tulelake, originally a Civilian Conservation Corps camp that was converted to an additional detention facility for Japanese Americans, and finally a camp that housed German prisoners of war in the mid 1940s. The Visitor Center is typically open from Memorial Day Weekend to Labor Day Weekend, and ranger-guided tours may be available, although reserving a tour is recommended.

GOOD NIGHTS

With all that Tulelake has to offer, you’ll want a place to settle in for the night, and the Winema Historic Lodge is an excellent choice. Popular with birders, duck hunters, large family groups and scout troops, the lodge offers motel and large lodge rooms with multiple beds and excellent accommodations.

Experience the magic of East Siskiyou, where adventure awaits at every turn. Start planning your Northern California getaway today and discover the beauty of this enchanting region along the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway. Don’t forget to sign up for the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway Pass to earn points along your trek and be entered for a chance to win a two-night stay in every participating county! With this pass and the open road ahead of you, the possibilities are endless.

The post Things to do in East Siskiyou appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

Photo Credit: National Forest Service – Klamath National Forest

The post Klamath National Forest appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

The post Mining and Logging History of Beaver Creek, Klamath River Basin appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

The post Wildflower Show appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

A few tips and things to know before you head out on your hike are:

Before you head out on your adventure make sure to tell your family or friends your plan and where you will be hiking incase of an emergency.

Before you set off on your trip make sure you research the area you will be hiking. Bring the correct equipment and dress accordingly. Do not hike on a trail you are not prepared for and do not hike alone. 

Please be aware that you should turn around if you do not feel confident at any point on the hike. Know your own limitations and also know the limitations of those you are hiking with. Plan the hiking route around the person who is not as skilled. One last thing, make sure you know of all the items the others have packed in case of an emergency. 

Track your location using a map or a compass or GPS. If you have a problem do not be afraid to turn around and seek help. You can obtain a wilderness permit online.

There are about 100 miles of trails in the Russian Wilderness. A lot of trails are steep and not used often. Some trails are well maintained and others not so much. If you come across a block in the trail such as a tree or a rock, take precaution and go around it slowly. You may not find many trail signs. This is to keep the wilderness alive and for those hiking to get the experience of being in the wilderness. Make sure you follow a GPS, map or compass. 

Photo Credit: United States Department of Agriculture

The post Russian Wilderness appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

RV sites with full hookups: yes
Tent sites: yes

Other onsite amenities:

Bathrooms with hot showers: yes  
Laundry facility: yes
Type of electrical hookup: 30 AMP
Pets allowed:  yes

Nearby Attractions:

Indian Tom Lake and Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge.

The post Butte Valley RV Park appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

The post Quigley’s Station RV Park & General Store appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

The site includes the Hot LZ Memorial Wall, The Labryinth, and ten scultures by artist Dennis Smith.

Garden: There are currently eleven sculpture groups by artist Dennis Smith.

The Wall:  Every Memorial and Veterans Days, the names of U.S. & Allied veterans are added to the granite clad “Hot LZ Memorial Wall”. The Hot LZ  helicopter sculpture perched atop the Wall, was brought to life by the dreams of Jim Leach, and artistry of Dennis Smith. In the middle of the Wall, a bronze plaque honors LTC Ace Cozzalio, a decorated helicopter pilot, and a founding member of the LMSG.

Photo Credit: Living Memorial Sculpture Garden

The post Living Memorial Sculpture Garden appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

Hikes to spectacular waterfalls, wildlife, endless starry nights, stories and music around a campfire, watershed education and history, epic water battles, jumping off rocks, swimming rapids, kayaking – these are some of the things you might expect on a trip. Most trips are are suitable for all ages. We can handle a group of any size.

River Dancers’s guides are knowledgeable, experienced, and fun (and never take themselves too seriously). Safety is their utmost priority, but they are good at giving you the adventure that you crave. They come from all walks of life and have an interesting story or two to tell, but are much more interested in your story.

The post River Dancers Whitewater Rafting appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

The post Dillon Creek Campground appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

Medicine Lake Highlands foliage is comprised of sugar pine, red and white fir and at higher elevations lodgepole pine with an understory of bitterbrush, manzanita and snowbrush. You will not be able to access Medicine Lake from mid-November through mid-June because the weather will not allow. About 10 feet of snow is dropped and only snow vehicles and cross country skiers are allowed in. There is a snowmobile park called The Doorknob Snowmobile Park that is located 1.5 miles south of Lava Beds National Monument. The Snow Park has a parking lot, warming hut and bathrooms. There is a total of 200 miles of trails in all three neighboring National Forests. Please download a trail map.  

One of North America’s most unique geological areas is Medicine Lake Highlands which covers over 200 square miles. The most interesting volcanic formations in the Medicine Lake Highlands is the Glass Mountain Obsidian Flow. Medicine Lake has no known outlets and water is still clean and clear. Medicine Lake lies in the volcanic caldera in the largest shield volcano in North America. 

In January of 2025, the Sáttítla Highlands National Monument in northern California was designated. The monument encompasses 224,676 acres of varied habitat of Siskiyou County on the Modoc, Shasta-Trinity, and Klamath national forests and provides protection to tribal ancestral homelands, historic and scientific treasures, rare flora and fauna, and the headwaters of vital sources of water.

This area is also home to the massive Medicine Lake Volcano. This volcano, one of the two largest volcanos in the Cascades Volcanic Arc, covers an expanse roughly 10 times that of Mount St. Helens, Washington. These stunning and unusual lands have been known as “Sáttítla” in the Ajumawi language, which translates to “obsidian place.” Sáttítla’s obsidian deposits formed by the volcano have long been important to Indigenous peoples, as shown by obsidian tools and sites they left here from their lives and travels.

In addition to the amazing geology, the night skies of Sáttítla are renowned for being among the darkest in the United States where distant galaxies and stars are visible. The area also provides exceptional outdoor recreational opportunities, including hiking, biking, snowmobiling, camping, hunting, scenic driving and canoeing.

images: Sáttítla Highlands National Monument – Wikipedia; Active NorCal;  Protect Medicine Lake Highlands

The post Medicine Lake Highlands / Sáttítla Highlands National Monument appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

Episode Transcript – Siskiyou’s Dark Skies:

(00:04):
There’s no shortage of amazing things to do and see in Siskiyou. In fact, it’s usually a pretty difficult task to pare down the list of activities we choose to feature in these episodes. But one gem that I feel often eludes even the most experienced traveler is stargazing. Not just a quick glance, but true stargazing taking the time to really observe the night sky. These glimpses into the infinite void. These moments of unintended time-travel truly let us know where we stand in the universe.

(00:37):
Most widely recognized nighttime view is that of our Milky Way’s galactic center, the glowing dense, massive stars crossed by wispy ethereal arms. Most of us are probably only familiar with this view from our Instagram feeds, but each summer in Siskiyou, all you have to do is look up. Seeing millions of stars feels special, but it feels even more special when you realize that 99% of people in the U S and Europe can’t experience a natural nighttime sky. This was according to a 2016 study called the World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness. Today’s city lights, residential fixtures, and even car headlights all contribute to light pollution. The form of light pollution that affects most of our nighttime views is “sky glow” or the brightening of the sky over built areas. It’s that nighttime orang-y haze just above the horizon that city dwellers and suburbanites are familiar with. In the aforementioned study, with a link in the show notes, found that 80% of the world’s population is affected.

(01:37):
My nieces and nephews came up here and, you know, we had that little moment in between where the sun’s setting and the stars haven’t fully come out yet. And they’re like, Oh, it’s so dark here. It’s so dark. Turn on the lights! Just wait, because as soon as the stars like really come out and the moon, we’re not going to need the porch light. And just seeing their awe of that, they were just blown away when we finally turned everything off and let the fire die down and they got to look up and they were just amazed. They hadn’t ever seen that many stars before.

(02:07):
That’s Angela Sutton lead interpretive ranger at Lava Beds National Monument in Tulelake, one of the parts of Siskiyou County that’s so dark, so free from sky glow and other light pollution that it is currently being considered by the International Dark Sky Association as a “Dark Sky Place.”

So broadly speaking, there’s two categories or kind of philosophies behind our Dark Sky Places. We have our conservation certifications, which would be international Dark Sky Parks, International Dark Sky Reserves and International Dark Sky Sanctuaries. And these are protected lands where there’s extremely good sky quality and these places also take effort to enact policies which protect their future skies for generations to come. But then also..

That’s Adam Dalton, the Dark Sky Places Program Manager at the International Dark Association.

(03:01):
While that job title does not sound real, I assure you, it is undoubtedly real. Um, my job at IDA essentially is to run and manage the organization’s flagship conservation program, which is our International Dark Sky Places program.

(03:16):
The Lava Beds National Monument is a vast park located in the northeastern corner of Siskiyou County. And it’s about to join just a handful of National Parks that have received the honor of being designated as a Dark Sky Place. Pat Seiser, a physical scientist in cave resources lead at the park has been working with the Dark Sky Association to get a Dark Sky Place designation.

(03:38):
And the idea is that as we’ve become more and more urbanized across the world, um, we’re losing the ability to see our stars. There was a decision made that we needed to recognize and protect our night skies.

(03:52):
Some of the steps they’ve been taking at the Lava Beds National Monument have been to swap fixtures in bulbs for more downward-facing warmer lighting. The park staff and visitors have already noticed an improvement and to paraphrase Adam, unlike other forms of pollution we’re most familiar with, restoring the night sky happens literally at the speed of light. What’s more, the benefits of these changes extend far beyond an improved view for astronomers.

(04:18):
The International Dark Sky Association was founded in 1988, as a joint venture between a professional and an amateur astronomer, Dave Crawford and Tim Hunter, both of Tucson, Arizona, which is where our organization is currently headquartered. And it was originally focused more on astronomy, but as our organization has grown and evolved, it’s also began to focus on other things such as ecology, human health, certification of lighting, educational programming, and it’s become much more multi-faceted over time.

(04:52):
Light pollution affects quite a lot of things, and these days, it’s difficult to find parts of the world untouched by this little-known pollutant. Luckily, there are parts of the world where you can still see the sky for all it has to offer. And Siskiyou is one of those places.

(05:07):
It is really hard. Um, realistically speaking, if you’re looking to go somewhere that completely lacks the built environment, you’re going to go to some of the most remote sites. If you’re speaking about like the continental US. Now, if you’re in Alaska, it might be a little bit easier. But if you’re talking about most of the continental US, it’s very hard. And if you’re talking about some of the more densely populated States, it’s nearly impossible. I mean the most recent estimates place that 80% of people cannot see the Milky Way from where they live. And I would doubt that that’s currently the case, that study that was released that was a little bit, it was released a few years ago. So I guess that probably upwards of 80% of people in North America could not see the Milky Way from where they live. If you look at light pollution’s progression over the past, really 60, 70 years, you can see a remarkable trend where there’s vast reserves of darkness throughout the US and great clear starry skies.

(06:05):
But you can see as time advances and basically urbanization occurs, people move to cities. And, even with suburbanization, the spreading out of cities, the light pollution impacts both to the cities, as well as the urban and rural areas surrounding them has become increasingly significant. You can actually have light pollution on a clear night travel all the way from Las Vegas to remote areas of Death Valley. Um, we’re talking hundreds of miles. So this is something that while urban centers are releasing light pollution, their impacts can be felt in areas that are considerably farther away. If you’re looking at, artificial lighting at night and its usage, it ties into so many different things. Lighting impacts ecology and it serves as a deterrent to some species while serving as an attractive element to other species.

(07:01):
And furthermore, it also can encourage plant and growth in seasons or times of the year where it’s not appropriate. And then additionally, I mean, you also have human health impacts on everything from glare directly impacting us to, uh, with the use of brighter blue LED technology, potential effects on Circadian rhythm cycle of humans and sleep issues, which is why you hear not to use your phone or computer right before bed. Those kinds of lighting signatures are making their way into both indoor and outdoor lighting. So it really impacts so many things from sky glow to ecology, to human health. And then broadly speaking, you can also look at tradition and cultural heritage of so many experiences in the night sky throughout the world and the associated lore with the night sky and being able to even just experience that as being lost throughout the generations.

(07:55):
So there’s so many issues that this indirectly touches on. If you’re looking at a light pollution map from various satellite sources of Siskiyou County, I mean, you can see that there are sites, especially along interstate five that are more light-polluted. However, if you go further west or further east, especially into the protected landscapes as I said the Klamath National Forest, but then even additionally Lava Beds National Monument, you have sites that are almost what we consider to be completely “a natural night sky.” While that’s hard to necessarily quantify this, if you’re at one of these sites, it means that you could see essentially the same night sky that humans have looked up to for millennia before the invention of artificial light at night. So you’ll be seeing some incredible phenomenon. You’ll be able to clearly see the Milky Way from horizon to horizon if it’s the right season. And you’ll be able to experience the night sky in a way that most people frankly, are not able to. So I think that, uh, just the development patterns, the county being a lower population, being fairly large and also having large amounts of public lands that aren’t really built upon, gives an opportunity for county residents, as well as people visiting the county to experience quite an exceptional night sky.

(09:22):
The Park is an amazing place. All our National Parks were created because they’re our national treasure. We don’t have the amazing castles, the extraordinary long history of artwork that Europe has. And when our forefathers who created the National Park Service looked around and said listen, the most valuable treasure we have is our natural areas and they created the national park system to protect those resources. Here at Lava Beds, there’s lots of stuff you can do during the daytime. You can go caving. You can actually go caving at night because caves are dark naturally. So there’s not a whole lot of difference. But the one thing about coming out to the park and seeing the night skies is you also see the wildlife that’s out there at night. So as I mentioned earlier, that when you go walk along the road of Cave Loop, you can see the bats that are in in our caves, the maternity wards

(10:24):
when the bats are flying at night, they’ll come out and fly across the road and you can see them silhouetted across the night sky. And there’s various other animals out there that you may not be aware of that use the environment. And it’s just, it’s a whole different world to see there. It’s like seeing the Park twice – once with all the lights on and once with all the lights off. You’re on the mountain top, the mountain ridge and so we have quite the view. We can see during the day you can see Mount Shasta, and so we’ve got quite a range that we can see out. We can see out across the Tule Lake Wildlife Refuge, we look out across the Modoc National Forest. And so we’re basically one of the highest points in the region, and so we can see all the stars. We see the moon. The Milky Way is phenomenal. It’s, it’s just, it’s beautiful. It’s breathtaking.

(11:24):
Lava Beds National Monument is a very popular destination for amateur astronomers. The Park typically hosts an annual stargazing astronomy night, each August, and although it won’t be happening this year, the park is still inviting responsible visitors to come experience what the Siskiyou night sky has to offer.

(11:41):
Some of our amateur astronomers they’ve got much larger telescopes that they can’t pack around and they need to be near their vehicles, so lots of times I’ll use several of our overlooks. There’s one just before you get to the visitor center, it’s called our Bunch Grass overlook.

(11:54):
It’s at the start of a trail, but that parking area puts you where you’re far enough away from the visitor center so you’re not getting any of, any of the light coming off of the building. You’ve got the whole basin stretched out in front of you, Sconchin Butte stretched out in front of you. You get a nice sunset view from there too. So a lot of them will pull into that overlook cause it’s still, you know, almost as high, um, or probably is just as high as being at the visitor center area, but you get away from any of the light. And then when we do our annual or semi-annual event, we just use the parking lot at the visitor center, since all the lights are already down-facing, and we turn off a few others that are even, you know, still don’t put off much light, but they’ll just set up in the parking lot. You’re nice and high, and you’ve got this amazing view and our starting amateur astronomers, really like it because they got telescopes that they essentially haul around on trailers because they’re so large and this gives them the opportunity to just roll it off the trailer and they can start viewing and they don’t have to, you know, be far away from their stuff. And it works out really well.

(13:04):
One of the most magical astronomical events you can witness with the naked eye is a meteor shower, a stream of material burning up as it enters earth atmosphere. These showers are named after the area of the sky where the meteors originate. The Perseids emanate from Perseus, Orionids from the constellation of Orion, and so on. The first of these, the Perseids will peak around August 11th through the 12th of this year. And if you’ve got the dedication, the Orionids are known to put on a dazzling display of up to 20 meteors per hour, especially in the hours just before dawn. These cosmic fireworks are viewable on October 21st and 22nd, year after year.

(13:44):
Oh, meteor showers are amazing. They happen throughout the year. You can go to various websites and find out which meteor showers is going to happen when. Some are brighter than others, just simply because they’re closer to the earth. A meteor shower is basically bits of space rock coming through our atmosphere, getting superheated and they just light up. Some actually make it through intact and others end up just burning up as they try to make it through the atmosphere. I think it helps us understand that there’s a whole different dimension to our world and for people that may, whether they just go into a rural community to look at the stars or actually make it out to our National Park units, they see a whole different part of the world that they’re just not used to seeing. And I think it helps develop, um, bringing out curiosity, why does it do, where does it go? What’s up there. And I think it helps introduce people to the fact that this is rare or potentially getting rarer, and that our natural world truly needs to be protected. I think that’s one of the biggest values is that it helps us understand where we are, knowing there are other worlds out there beyond us.

(15:16):
These days, their entire catalogs have automated hassle-free telescopes that will snap to objects in the night sky with a press of a button. I think these are great. And I jumped at the chance to use one, but they’re easy and free ways to find an observe the spectacular light show above us each night. Both the Google play store and the Apple app store are chock full of free apps that turn your phone into a little augmented reality window full of neatly labeled stars, planets, and constellations.

(15:44):
Seeing the Milky Way overhead. Seeing just the sky totally full of stars. It’s just this feeling of feeling so small and so insignificant, but also in a good way that almost leads to being at peace and like accepting where I’m at and your place kind of in the world and the universe. I think it’s also powerful, you know, to look up and think that people across the world they’re seeing, you know, potentially the same thing I am. Someone is standing in this spot 2000 years ago and saw the same thing that I did, and I think just feeling that like sense of continuity over time and telling them that connection with both the past, the present and the future, um, and just feeling so small in the universe, I think is something that’s hard to put into words, but it’s, you know, refreshing and I would encourage anyone to do.

(16:43):
I just liked the sense of vastness. I grew up as a child being taken outdoors at night. I think it’s a shame that there are people out there who’ve never seen the stars in the Milky Way and such. You almost take it for granted until someone reminds you how special where we live really is because we see it every day. We see the stars every night and yeah, as soon as I took the next trip down to Bakersfield, and I sat in the backyard of my mother-in-law’s house, I was like, I can’t see a single star. I was like, no wonder those kids were just in awe. So it was really a moment of feeling, very, very blessed and very fortunate to live here in Siskiyou County and how that amazing night sky to, you know, look up at every single night whenever I want to. When you’re sitting there and you’re looking at that night sky, keeping your ears open, you’re going to hear different wildlife in the background. And the night chorus, essentially that comes with that night sky viewing, is also pretty awesome to listen to, and just take it all in, just take a moment, slow down and just enjoy it all.

Show Notes

Many thanks to Angela Sutton, Patricia Seiser, and Adam Dalton!

• Explore: Lava Beds National Monument
• Stay Informed: DarkSky.org
• Article: 80% of World Population Lives Under Skyglow

More Stargazing in Siskiyou

• Best Places to See Stars in Siskiyou

The post Siskiyou’s Dark Skies appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

Spring Mushrooms

Siskiyou County offers excellent habitat for spring mushroom hunting! Lots of the edible mushroom species we seek are “mycorrhizal” meaning they have a symbiotic relationship with a tree – exchanging beneficial nutrients for carbon and sugars. Ponderosas, true firs, Douglas firs, pines, and cedars all form a complex forest type typically referred to as “California mixed conifer”. Many different kinds of oaks also pepper the landscape and play host to fungi. Foragers can expect to find gourmet edibles such as morels and spring porcini in the area.    

What To Look For

 As you drive around the forests in April, May and June you will likely see signs of foragers roaming the woods, even if it is only their cars parked on the side of the road. 

Morchella species, aka morels, are arguably the most prized of all mushrooms. It is easy to spend a few days searching high and low trying to find these elusive fungi. However, once you unlock their secrets, you can really fill your basket.

Morels typically fall into three distinct types: 

1. Natural morels tend to grow in the same areas, during the same time of year, year after year. In Siskiyou county you may find both “black morels” and “blonde morels” which are easy to distinguish by their respective colors. 
2. Burn morels are fleeting – they grow in the same spot for a few years only, but in great abundance if the weather cooperates. They can happen anywhere in the area where a conifer forest was impacted by fire. Hunting these spots requires planning and research, unless you happen to drive past a burn.  
3. Disturbance morels also commonly known as logging morels, are usually found in areas that have been logged within the last few years. These fungi are typically black morels, and like burn morels, can fruit in astounding quantities if you hit the right spot at the right time. The disturbance morels tend to fruit before the burn morels, at the same elevations.

Boletus rex-veris, commonly called the spring porcini or spring king, is another popular gourmet mushroom available to foragers in this region. This large and charismatic mushroom can be easy to spot but is often hiding under the pine and fir duff forming a camouflaged “shrump” or mushroom hump. Look for these especially around fir trees.

The most popular spring king spots can be found near Mt. Shasta with McCloud being well-known as the epicenter of the local hunt. In fact every year McCloud is host to the popular McCloud Mushroom Festival. 2024 marks their 20th Annual event, held every Memorial Day weekend – May 25-26th this year. The festival touts over 100 artisan, craft and food vendors as well as music from local and well-known bands. More than 10,000 people gather each year for this one-of-a-kind event!  

Photo Credit: Eleana Hsu

Where & When

Siskiyou County claims two massive National Forests – Klamath National Forest and Shasta Trinity National Forest. These huge swaths of protected land are primary hunting spots for spring mushroom foragers. Both allow mushroom hunting with personal collections up to 1 gallon per day. Familiarize yourself with the mushroom collection rules of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest and the rules for Klamath National Forest, it’s important to carry your permit at all times.   

Do not hunt mushrooms in California State Parks like Castle Crags State Park where harvesting mushrooms is against the rules.

The area around the base of Mt Shasta is especially popular with mushroom hunters. It is accessible via hundreds of miles of roads and the forest is endless.

Follow the mushrooms up the hillsides as the season progresses from April through May and into June. From 3,000 to 6,000 feet in elevation is the typical range you will find yourself looking for the fruits of the forest. However, the mushrooms are wiley and can certainly be found outside of these rough guidelines.

Photo Credit: Eleana Hsu

Practical Tips

• Keep your mushrooms cool – cooling down mushrooms after picking them can really extend their shelf life. Alternatively, morels and porcini dehydrate very well and are delicious when rehydrated.
• Consider weather and road conditions. Check with your local forest service office for closures.
• Remember cell phones often don’t work in the field. Practice safe hiking practices. Let someone know where you are going. 
• Don’t eat any wild mushroom if you are not 100% sure about your identification. If in doubt, do not consume. 
• Cook your mushrooms thoroughly, especially morels, which will sicken people if raw or undercooked.

Photo Credit: Eleana Hsu

Sustainable Hunting Practices

Sustainable mushroom foraging practices are correlated to protecting the habitat – if the trees disappear so too will the mushrooms. That said, there are many things the mindful forager can do to help guarantee a harvest in years to come:

• Tread lightly – the main organism of the mushroom lives under the ground in a vast network of threads. Trampling the mycelial network or raking the forest floor can damage the ecosystem and potentially inhibit future fruitings. 
• Leave some behind – whether for spore production, animal food, or for fellow foragers to collect, it’s always good practice to leave some mushrooms behind to aid spore dispersal and complete the lifecycle.
• Leave no trace

Tools

Like any hobby, it pays to do a little homework to get yourself up to speed before you jump in. Mushroom hunting is a wonderful activity – the more you learn, the more mushrooms you add to your edible basket. In time, you will be surprised at how much you know about the forest floor!

• A regional identification book is key to learning your local land and its fungi. 
  • All That the Rain Promises and More (Arora) is a popular pocket-guide.
  • Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast (Siegel & Schwarz) is an excellent desk reference
• Join a local mycological society. These clubs typically organize forays in season and have lots of friendly and knowledgeable folks who are keen to help you out. 
• Look for relevant Facebook or Reddit groups online – lots of valuable information can be gleaned just from watching the photos that come through local groups. At the least it will tell you what is fruiting now and in what kind of habitat (what kind of leaves or needles do you see on the forest floor in photos?). 
• The burn morel hunting maps at Modern Forager have rated burn perimeters and USFS disturbance maps as well as many other helpful map layers for those interest in burn morels and disturbance morels.

Photo Credit: Eleana Hsu

There is something special about getting into the outdoors and harvesting nature’s bounty for a meal at your table. There is no better way to appreciate the beauty and fragility of the land and the connectedness in nature.    

The post Mushroom Hunting in Siskiyou County appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

Flowing through remote wilderness, forested canyons, and scenic valleys, the river provides opportunities for whitewater rafting, kayaking, fishing, hiking, and wildlife watching. Its rugged terrain and relatively undeveloped surroundings make it a perfect escape for those seeking adventure or tranquility in nature.

In recent years, the Klamath River has undergone a historic transformation with the removal of several major dams. This ambitious restoration project has not only revitalized the river’s ecosystem but also opened up new stretches of the upper river for recreation. Areas that were once submerged or inaccessible are now available for paddling, angling, and exploration, offering fresh experiences for visitors. The dam removal has also reconnected critical salmon spawning grounds, allowing these iconic fish to return to ancestral habitats for the first time in over a century. As a result, the river is seeing a resurgence in wildlife activity and biodiversity, making it an even more vibrant destination for nature lovers.

Beyond its recreational appeal, the Klamath River holds deep cultural significance for Indigenous tribes such as the Yurok, Karuk, and Klamath peoples, who have long advocated for the river’s restoration. Visiting the Klamath offers not only outdoor adventure but also a chance to connect with the region’s rich cultural heritage and witness the powerful impact of environmental restoration in action.

Photo Credit: United States Forest Service – Klamath River

The post Klamath River appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

Category: Easy

Distance: 0.7 miles

Elevation Gain: 78 feet

Route Type: Loop

Directions: From 1-5 N, take exit 747 for US-97 toward Central Weed/Klamath Falls. Turn right onto US-97 N/U.S. 99/Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway/S Weed Blvd. After 17.2 miles, turn right onto CA-161 E. Turn right onto Hill Road in 12.8 miles, turn left Road 10. Trailhead will be on your right.

Highlights: Beautiful lava beds, historic site of the Modoc War

Photo Credit: Captain Jack’s Stronghold AllTrails (Gerard Bonfils, Yousi Zheng)

The post Captain Jack’s Stronghold Trail appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

Photo Credit: Seiad Café Facebook

The post Seiad Café appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

Photo Credit: Klamath Basin Refuges Facebook

The post Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

Photo Credit: Real Bird – China Grade

The post China Grade Road – Happy Camp appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

Photo Credit: Hike Mt. Shasta – Upper Klamath River Canyon (Bubba Suess)

The post Klamath River Trail Loop appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

Visit at: https://gc.synxis.com/rez.aspx?Hotel=28835&Chain=6063&template=GCO

Photo Credit: Klamath Motor Lodge TripAdvisor (Leonardo, d8889)

The post Klamath Motor Lodge appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

Photo Credit: National Forest Service

The post Highway 96 appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

Door Knob has a warming shelter open to all snow enthusiasts.

For snowmobile trail conditions please see here.

The post Doorknob Warming Hut Snowpark appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

This home is peaceful, full of light and filled with the sound of the river – Winter stays include dustings of snow and warm crackling fire.

Check out the Botanical Gardens in North Dunsmuir, the many hiking trails, great restaurants and Dunsmuir Brewery. Mt Shasta City is 8 miles north with additional biking, trails, shopping and museums.

This home is located in the center of some of the best fishing on earth. You have the Upper Sac. A world class fishing destination at your door step. A short drive up or down river will expose you to many prime locations set in amazing scenery. Within an hours drive you can be fishing The McCloud. The Pit. The Klamath. The Scott. The Shasta. The Salmon. Legendary rivers in there own right with countless river miles to explore. Add your name to the guest book at The rivers Bend.

*Note, as with all Dunsmuir homes, the railroad line is close although this chalet is built solid and the train sound is somewhat muted. Bring earplugs is you are sensitive.

Please note that you must watch children and pets around the river at all times.

The post The Rivers Bend appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

Photo Credit: Summit Post – Mt. Eddy (diggler)

The post Mt. Eddy appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

The Klamath River is located in west Siskiyou. It is the second largest river in California and is home to salmon, steelhead and rainbow trout.

Photo Credit: The Fly Shop Klamath River Website

The post Klamath River appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

Category: Medium

Distance: 1.5 miles

Elevation Gain: 1,500 ft.

Route Type: Out & Back

Directions: From 1-5, take exit 776 toward Yreka/Montague. Take CA-96 W/State Hwy 96 W/Klamath River Hwy to Forest Service Rd 15N17.

The post Ukonom Twin Falls appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

The post Deer Mountain Snowmobile Park appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

Here at Jack Trout Fly Fishing International Inc., we offer guided fly-fishing trips with gourmet meals and unmatched personal attention In California, Oregon & Nevada. On the Upper & Lower Sacramento River, McCloud, Pit, Trinity, Truckee, Yuba, Feather Smith, and Klamath Rivers in Northern California. We Offer The Rogue, Deschutes, Umpqua, Chetco, Elk, Sixes in Oregon. As well as The NV. Truckee, Pyramid Lake and Nevada lunker lakes. We also offer scenic tours, float and raft trips, lodging referrals, best restaurant lists and seasonal local information for Siskiyou, Shasta, and Trinity Counties and all other locations.

Let Jack Trout make all your flight reservations, hotel and restaurant suggestions as we are a full service international fly fishing outfitter and travel agency, we can handle all your travel needs and make sure your trip is a total success. We’ll be happy to help you on your special fly fishing dream vacation. Planning adventures for the non-angler is also another talent service we offer.

Photo Credit: https://www.jacktrout.com/

The post Jack Trout Fly Fishing appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

Campfire (Canva)

Don’t Cause Fires

As Smokey Bear says, “Only you can prevent wildfires.” Being a smart and safe traveler includes  knowledge of simple prevention practices: Maintain your equipment and vehicle – if you’re towing, triple check that you aren’t dragging any chains. Don’t park near dry brush or grasses, research and respect burn/campfire bans, and always put your campfire OUT COLD! If you are unsure about how to put your campfire out completely (hint: pouring water on it isn’t enough), visit our blog on How to Extinguish a Campfire – Discover Siskiyou for details.

KNF (Discover Siskiyou)

Stay Informed

While vacation is a great time to go offline and check-out, we recommend downloading a few tools before you leave home in case a fire occurs while you are traveling in Siskiyou. Here are a few of our favorites:

• Watch Duty is a mobile App that alerts users of wildfire and firefighting efforts in real-time.
• InciWeb is a web based interagency source for wildfire information that is provided by the US Forest Service.
• Air Now is a useful resource for current smoke and air quality reporting.

• Monitor incident maps, including live lookout cameras from ALERT California.

• Siskiyou County Office of Emergency Services provides emergency event information as well as evacuation statuses.
• Follow the Klamath National Forest and Shasta-Trinity National Forest on Facebook before your trip so you are more likely to be in the know of any risk or closures.

Smoke (Canva)

Have a Backup Plan

Be flexible with your plans and research alternative lodging options in the event that fire or smoke alter your experience. For example, If you are planning to camp at Kangaroo Lake, and there is fire danger or smoke nearby, possibly alter your plans to stay at Castle Lake, or select a location like Lake Siskiyou to be closer to town and services. Siskiyou has a wide variety of lodging options across our vast region if you experience a last-minute change in travel plans!

(Discover Siskiyou)

Go Back and Give Back

When the fires clear, try to go back and support affected regions, particularly local businesses like Quigley’s General Store in the community of Klamath River or the Seiad Café in Seiad Valley which were both threatened and devastated by the McKinney Fire in 2022. Visiting Siskiyou’s diverse communities and small businesses ensures that they will be here for future travelers to enjoy.

The post Travel Tips for Fire Season appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

Host Drew Alvarez and photographer Bryce Craig explore the wonders of birding in Siskiyou at Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, home at times to 1.8 billion waterfowl, 500 eagles, and 30,000 tundra swan. This was the United Staes first waterfowl refuge, and is today one of the best Northern California birdwatching spots. Listen to learn when and where to find the best birdwatching, what birds you’ll find along, and some great tips for enjoying the many birds of Siskiyou.

Show Notes

• Ultimate Birders Road Trip
• Guide to Winter Birding in Siskiyou
• How to Find 100 Bird Species During a Weekend in Siskiyou
• Siskiyou’s Spectacular Birds of Prey
• Best Spots for Birdwatching in Siskiyou

The post Siskiyou Birding appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

•Lower Klamath NWR, established by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1908, Lower Klamath Refuge is our nation’s first waterfowl refuge. This 46,900 acre Refuge is a varied mix of shallow freshwater marshes, open water, grassy uplands, and croplands that are intensively managed to provide feeding, resting, nesting, and brood rearing habitat for waterfowl and other water birds.

•Clear Lake NWR, Established in 1911, this 46,460 acre Refuge consists of approximately 20,000 acres of open water surrounded by upland habitat of bunchgrass, low sagebrush, and juniper. Small rocky islands in the lake provide nesting sites for the American white pelican, double-crested cormorant, and other colonial nesting birds. The upland areas serve as habitat for pronghorn antelope, mule deer, and sage grouse.

•Upper Klamath NWR, was established in 1928 and is comprised of 15,000 acres of mostly freshwater marsh and open water. These habitats serve as excellent nesting and brood rearing areas for waterfowl and colonial nesting birds including American white pelican and several heron species.

•Tule Lake NWR, established in 1928, Tule Lake Refuge encompasses 39,116 acres of mostly open water and croplands. Approximately 17,000 acres are leased by farmers under a program administered by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Refuge permit holders farm another 1,900 acres of cereal grain and alfalfa. These crops, together with the waste grain and potatoes from the lease program are a major food source for migrating and wintering waterfowl

•Klamath Marsh NWR, established in 1958, consists of 40,646 acres (164 km) of freshwater marsh and adjacent meadows.

•Bear Valley NWR, Bear Valley Refuge was established in 1978 to protect a vital night roost site for wintering bald eagles. The Refuge consists of 4,200 acres, primarily of old growth ponderosa pine, incense cedar, white and Douglas fir. These mature stands of trees have open branching patterns of large limbs which allow easy eagle access and can support many birds.

•Klamath Marsh NWR, Klamath Marsh Refuge was established in 1958 when approximately 16,400 acres were purchased from the Klamath Indians with Federal Duck Stamp Funds. In 1990 and 1998, additional acquisitions boosted Refuge acreage to 40,646. Originally designated as Klamath Forest National Wildlife Refuge, the Refuge was recently renamed as virtually all of the historic Klamath Marsh now lies within Refuge boundaries. This large natural marsh provides important nesting, feeding, and resting habitat for waterfowl, while the surrounding meadowlands are attractive nesting and feeding areas for sand hill crane, yellow rail, and various shorebirds and raptors.

Hours: Daily, 9am – 4pm

Photo Credit: Klamath Basin Refuges Facebook

The post U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

Our Lower Klamath River trip stands out as the most popular choice for those seeking a comprehensive whitewater rafting California experience, blending adventure with relaxation in a true wilderness setting. Suitable for the entire family, including non-swimmers and young kids, these trips promise an unforgettable rafting California adventure.

The post Tributary Whitewater Rafting appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

Outdoor Adventures

Everywhere you look in Siskiyou County, you’ll find unbelievable natural beauty, and Yreka is no exception. The town and its surroundings are a hub for travelers and a gateway to many outdoor adventures.

• Greenhorn Park
  This sprawling local park offers a wide range of activities for every type of explorer, whether you’re looking for a quiet stroll or a serene afternoon fishing on the shores of Greenhorn Creek. As the largest park in Yreka, it’s also the ideal home for the Greenhorn Park Disc Golf Club, a community group that maintains the park’s disc golf course and often hosts tournaments for interested discers.

• Shasta Valley Loop
  Perfect for anyone looking to explore stunning Mount Shasta views, this bike trail takes you from Yreka to Montague. The entire loop is just shy of 50 miles, which, on a road bike, flies by. Pack plenty of water and remember to grab your camera before you head out so you can snag a picture of the incredible vistas you’ll be riding past.
• Discovery Park
  Head to Discovery Park for a picnic on the grass, and learn a little about Yreka’s fascinating history while you’re at it. Here, you can read about how gold was first discovered in Yreka in 1851, transforming the town from a quiet burg into a bustling mining community.
• Yreka Creek Greenway
  Stretching alongside five miles of both Yreka Creek and Greenhorn Creek, the Yreka Creek Greenway is both a great place for a stroll or bike ride, and serves the environment around it. Volunteers for the Greenway project are dedicated to restoring and maintaining the natural watersheds of Yreka and Greenhorn Creek, and as the Greenway expands, there are more and more opportunities to explore the trails surrounding these natural wonders.

• Jefferson Bike Company
  With easy proximity to tons of excellent biking trails, you’ll want to devote an afternoon to cruising around on a pair of wheels. Start your bike trip at Jefferson Bike Company, Yreka’s premier bike shop offering repairs, accessories, group rides and much more.

Hit the Town

Yreka dates back to the 1850s, when it was established as a Gold Rush town. As a result, everywhere you go is steeped in local history and charm, from the attractions lining Historic Miner Street to more recent local businesses that have cemented themselves as instrumental to this town.

• Liberty Arts Gallery
  Liberty Arts Gallery is a beacon of creativity, showcasing a wide array of art forms – from paintings and sculptures to mixed media and installations. It’s not just a gallery; it’s a community space where art lovers can gather, explore, and even meet the artists behind the masterpieces during special exhibitions and events.

• Zephyr Books & Coffee
  Any book lover knows that a combination bookstore and coffee shop is a dream come true. Zephyr Books & Coffee is exactly that. This cozy spot is perfect for diving into your latest literary find or losing yourself in a classic novel. With walls lined with books of all genres and a selection of specialty coffees and teas, Zephyr Books & Coffee is heaven for bibliophiles and coffee enthusiasts alike.
• Glo Skin & Body Spa
  Escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life and treat yourself to a day of unparalleled pampering and relaxation at Glo Skin & Body Spa. Offering a serene environment and a comprehensive menu of services, from rejuvenating facials to therapeutic massages, this spa is dedicated to your well-being. Expert therapists use the finest products and techniques to leave you feeling refreshed, revitalized, and glowing from within.
• Siskiyou Performing Arts Center
  The Siskiyou Performing Arts Center, or the SPAC, has been home to many incredible community productions over the years. We’re a talented bunch up here in Yreka, and the hard work that goes into every show at the SPAC is proof of that. Check out their calendar ahead of your trip here to see if you can catch a musical, a dramatic play, a band performance and more. We do a little of everything around here!
• Yreka YMCA
  Even if you’re on vacation, you still want to stay active and healthy. The wide range of fitness options available at YMCA Yreka has you covered. Whether you’re looking to continue your workout routine, try out a new fitness class or simply enjoy a swim in the pool, the YMCA offers facilities and programs for individuals and families of all ages.

• Bella Art Works Creative Cafe
  Tap into your inner creativity at Bella Art Works Creative Cafe, a unique establishment that combines the joys of creating art with the laid-back vibe of a cafe. This spot offers a variety of art workshops where you can paint, craft and create, all while enjoying delicious coffee and snacks. Pro-tip: you’ll definitely want to try their “Grown-Up” grilled cheeses — these sandwiches just won the People’s Choice award in Sacramento’s grilled cheese contest. It’s a fun, relaxing way to spend an afternoon and create lasting memories — and some gorgeous art pieces!
• Siskiyou County Historical Society
  Dive deep into the area’s rich history and heritage at the Siskiyou County Historical Society.

• Rain Rock Casino
  Feeling lucky? Experience the thrill of the game at Rain Rock Casino. With a wide selection of slots, table games and live entertainment, this casino offers the perfect atmosphere for a fun night out. Whether you’re a seasoned gambler or just looking for a bit of fun, Rain Rock provides a welcoming environment to try your luck and hopefully leave a winner.

Grab a Bite & Unwind

• Roadhouse Bar & Grill
  Formerly known as Jefferson’s Roadhouse, Roadhouse Bar & Grill had the privilege of being featured on America’s Best Restaurants this year — and once you try their food, it’ll be easy to see why. This spot is the epitome of the classic American roadhouse, where the spirit of the open road and the comfort of familiar favorites come together.
• Rico’s Tacos
  This family-owned restaurant serves up some of the best tacos you’ll find in Siskiyou County. Each dish is carefully crafted with the freshest ingredients possible, and you can be sure that authentic flavors will shine through in every bite.
• Miner Street Meat Market
  Got meat? Miner Street Meat Market certainly does. This custom butcher shop does much more than offer freshly butchered cuts of fresh, all-natural meat and seafood; it also offers expertly cooked barbecue dishes, from mouthwateringly good tri-tip sandwiches to seriously great cheeseburgers.

• Punjabi Dhaba
  You might not notice this North Indian eatery at first glance, as it’s tucked away within the Yreka Truck Stop. However, you’ll be glad you took the time to give this place a second look. This hidden gem serves up traditional Indian food, lovingly prepared with a wide range of aromatic spices and fresh ingredients. It’s the perfect place to stop for a bite along your travels to the rest of the region.
• Gold Rush Burgers
  With every bite of your burger at this family-friendly, casual establishment, you’ll feel like you’ve struck gold. They’ve been voted the best burgers in Siskiyou County for eight years in a row, and they also offer a wide range of vegan, gluten-free and keto-friendly options.
• El Zaguan
  There’s truly nothing like local cuisine infused with culinary traditions that have lasted generations. El Zaguan offers exactly that, serving up handmade tacos, tasty tortas and so much more.
• Rex Club Empire
  Step back in time with a visit to Rex Club Empire, one of Yreka’s oldest and most iconic establishments. This bar was founded back in the Prohibition Era, and is still going strong today. While it may have started as a place to enjoy a drink in secret, it’s now a lively nightlife spot serving up handcrafted cocktails, domestic beers on tap and an impressive wine list. They also often host live music events, so keep an eye on their events calendar to time your visit with their next big shindig.

• Smoked Tomato Pie
  Revolutionizing the pizza experience, Smoked Tomato Pie offers a unique twist on the traditional with its signature smoked tomato sauce. You really can’t go wrong with a good slice of pizza, and this pizza joint is happy to provide an elevated version of everyone’s favorite comfort food.
• The Wine Bar and Bistro
  This eatery is exactly what it sounds like: a wine bar with an extensive list of stunning wine offerings, and a bistro serving up classic, elegant dishes to pair. You’ll often find live music at this cozy spot, making it an especially great stop for a date night.
• Nature’s Kitchen
  Equal parts organic cafe and health food store, Nature’s Kitchen believes wholeheartedly in the power of natural, organic ingredients as the foundation of everything. Here, the name of the game is to eat clean — from farm-fresh plates to smoothies that will feel better than a caffeine boost, we guarantee you’ll leave this spot feeling refreshed inside and out.

Get Cozy

A getaway is only as good as where you crash at the end of every activity-packed day.

• Jefferson Inn
  Located right off of Interstate 5, Jefferson Inn is a great option if you’re looking to stay somewhere inexpensive without sacrificing comfort. Each individual room features unique decor that creates a cozy vibe, inviting you to really kick back and relax after a day filled with adventures.

• Mountain View Inn
  This cushy inn is surrounded by mountains on all sides, meaning no matter where you look, there isn’t a bad view in sight. Wake up each morning greeted by sweeping vistas as you enjoy your morning coffee — it’s the best pick-me-up we can think of.
• Klamath Motor Lodge
  If you’re after a stay where the staff makes you feel like family, Klamath Motor Lodge is the place to go. This inviting property also features beautiful garden beds, an outdoor pool and a lounge area to enjoy the evening weather.

Some other places to stay on your Yreka escape include:

• Waiiaka RV Park
• Comfort Inn Yreka
• Relax Inn of Yreka
• Baymont Inn and Suites
• Econo Lodge Inn & Suites
• Yreka RV Park
• Super 8

Plan Your Epic Stay Today

The next time you’re planning your adventure to Siskiyou, take the time to explore the charming historical town of Yreka. There are so many hidden gems to discover here, whether you’re looking to wander the outdoors or discover a local community eager to chat. We’ll see you soon!

The post Things To Do in Yreka, CA appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

April is Dog Appreciation Month, so show your furry friends how much you love them by taking them along on a trip to Siskiyou, the northernmost part of California where adventure and natural beauty are the norm.

Fortunately, many of Siskiyou’s lodging options, restaurants, breweries and attractions are dog-friendly. We’ve provided a few locations where you can stay with your pooch, in addition to nearby amenities that will welcome them as well. Keep in mind that there may be some restrictions and fees required, so check the establishment prior to making reservations.

McCLOUD HOTEL

Situated at the base of majestic Mt. Shasta, the McCloud Hotel was built more than a century ago but offers modern-day amenities sure to please everyone, including the family pet. Dog treats are available at the front desk, and dog beds for any size canine can be provided as well.

A park across the street from the hotel is a beautiful place to walk your dog, or stroll amongst the shops in Historic Downtown McCloud, a nationally registered historic district with 17 buildings designated as landmarks. Leashed dogs are allowed on Gray Butte Trail, one of the only dog-friendly hiking trails at Mt. Shasta. When you’re ready to eat, head to the dog-friendly Axe and Rose Public House, a casual dining restaurant adjacent to the hotel.

RAILROAD PARK RESORT

Stay in one of the Railroad Park Resort’s caboose lodging units, complete with modern amenities, or rest your head in a vintage cabin, perfect for families or large groups. There are also 23 RV sites and 24 tent campsites throughout the property. Best of all, dogs are welcome, and there’s even a dog park area where your puppy can run off leash.

While staying at the resort, make sure to try your hand at fishing in the Sacramento River, bike around the historic town of Dunsmuir (where the resort is located) or head 2 miles away to hike the lower Castle Crags section of the Pacific Crest Trail. The Dog Trail in the Castle Crags Wilderness Area offers spectacular views of the Castle Crags and other peaks, and as you might have guessed, dogs are welcome.

CAVE SPRINGS

Situated along the Sacramento River and only 10 minutes from Mt. Shasta, Cave Springs is a mid-century modern resort located in Dunsmuir. Stylish hotel rooms are the perfect place to relax, or book one of the premier modern cabins, which offer inspiring views of the river and the mountain. If you desire a historic feel, reserve a 100-year-old rustic cabin with what was “state-of-the-art” in 1923, such as a private bathroom with a shower or clawfoot tub, and a kitchen with an old-fashioned gas stove. Dogs are allowed in select hotel rooms and modern cabins, as well as all rustic cabins and Airstreams, which are available to be booked.

While there, make sure to spend some time at the Dunsmuir Botanical Garden, which is adjacent to the resort. The 10-acre wooded area features a variety of native species, perennial plants and walking trails, ideal for hiking and viewing the natural beauty. Dogs are welcome.

HI-LO MOTEL, CAFÉ & RV PARK

All of the 41 rooms, four apartments and RV Park of the Hi-Lo Motel in Weed are dog-friendly (and cat-friendly, by the way). The family-owned-and-operated site features a café that serves homemade comfort food.

Among the sights to see in Weed are the Living Memorial Sculpture Garden, a 136-acre art installation and war memorial located in the Klamath National Forest. Just northeast of Weed is Lake Shastina, where you can hike, fish, swim, camp and more while taking in a beautiful panoramic view of Mt. Shasta. The 1.2-mile loop hike around the lake is dog-friendly. The 4.9-mile Black Butte Trail, the largest of Mt. Shasta’s satellite volcanic peaks, welcomes canines as well.

WINEMA HISTORIC LODGE

Popular with hunters, bird-watchers and explorers, Winema Historic Lodge in Tulelake offers large-sized lodge rooms and motel rooms, and dogs are welcome. Perfect for families or large groups, Winema features RV parking with hook-ups, as well as on-site dining options.

Tulelake is home to the unique Lava Beds National Monument, which features more than 800 caves, Native American rock art sites, historic battle fields and more. Dogs are allowed in developed areas, but not on trails, or in caves or buildings.

President Theodore Roosevelt established the first in a series of national wildlife refuges to conserve wetlands, resulting in the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge in Tulelake. Start your adventure at the new visitor center for a look at exhibits, displays and more. Dogs are permitted at the refuge.

One of the darkest times in U.S. history is memorialized at the Tule Lake National Monument. The monument includes the Tule Lake Segregation Center, a large facility where Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II, and Camp Tulelake, originally a Civilian Conservation Corps camp that was converted to an additional detention facility for Japanese Americans. Dogs are allowed, although not in buildings, including the visitor center.

HUNGRY AND THIRSTY

If you’re looking for a place to eat and drink that’s open to dogs as well, visit Pipeline Craft Taps & Kitchen in Mt. Shasta. Dogs are allowed in the outside seating area, so bring your furry friend and enjoy scrumptious goodies such as Duck Fat Fries, Savage Salad and a What the Puck sandwich. You can wash it down with a craft or bottled beer, of which the choices are plentiful, all while you enjoy Northern California’s beautiful weather.

Also in Mt. Shasta is the popular Yaks Shack, a bakery and café with outdoor seating only, so, of course, your dog is more than welcome. From coffee and pastries to barbecue and beer, Yaks is the place for breakfast, lunch or dinner, or just stop in for a snack and a breather as you visit the town, enjoying the beautiful mountain, activities and sensational sights.

Grab your best friend and plan an epic visit to Siskiyou today.

The post Pet-Friendly Family Vacations in Northern California: Your Ultimate Guide appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

Category: Easy

Distance: 1.5 miles

Elevation Gain: 393 feet

Route Type: Out & Back

Directions: From 1-5 N, take exit 747 for US-97 toward Central Weed/Klamath Falls. Continue on US-97 N/Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway. Turn right onto CA-161 E after 17.2 miles, then turn right onto Hill Rd. Turn right onto Rd 10/Hill Rd/Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway. In .3 miles, turn right onto Gillems Camp Parking Loop. The trailhead will be on the right. 

Highlights: Impressive lava caves, good for all hiking levels

Photo Credit: Gillem Bluff Historic Trail AllTrails (Jason Wallace)

The post Gillem Bluff Historic Trail appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

Episode Transcript – Fishing in Siskiyou:

(00:03):

Hey there! I’m Drew Alvarez and you’re listening to the Discover Siskiyou podcast locally produced in beautiful historic Dunsmuir. We highlight the best that California’s North has to offer. On today’s episode, we’ll talk about one of the star attractions of Siskiyou County – fishing.

Maybe you need some time spent alone in waiters. Maybe you’re looking for that perfect spot to take the kids and practice casting, or maybe you’re looking for a guided fly-fishing adventure. Whatever the case, and this is probably no surprise, Siskiyou is the place to grab your tackle box and head out from the Klamath. And it’s many tributaries to the upper Sacramento and Siskiyou is full of world-class opportunities to fish for everything from bass to steelhead. And we’ve got the folks who can help get you out there for yourself. So let’s start at the local fishing hub, the Ted Fay Fly Shop in Dunsmuir, a locally-owned store that’s been serving anglers for over half a century.

(00:58):

Well, I’m Bob Grace. I’m the owner of Ted Fay Fly Shop. Uh, I’ve owned it since 1997. I am the third owner. Joe Kimsey is the person that I bought the store from. And Joe bought it from Ted’s estate. He didn’t change the name, so I didn’t see any reason to change it either, so it marches on with that name. It’s probably the oldest fly shop in continuous operation in California.

I look back at my first visits to Dunsmuir, uh, and I walked into the Ted Fay Fly Shop as a customer. And Joe showed me where to go and how to do it. Low and behold, it worked. So then I progressed as an angler, uh, and I progressed as, you know, Siskiyou County angler as I, as I learned those things. So yeah, there are opportunities, really solid opportunities. If the people take the advice that they’re given and, you know, they’ll, they’ll be able to catch fish.

(01:47):

We have a lot of angling opportunities for the beginner here in Dunsmuir because of the way the regulations are set up. That there’s a significant portion of the river, about seven miles from a bridge site here in Dunsmuir, in the Scarlet Way bridge site, down to the Sweetbriar bridge, which is about about seven miles south of here. And that area is relatively heavily planted, so on any given day, a beginning angler can, can go out and fish to a planted fish. It’s not something that everybody craves, but frankly, it’s, it’s a great opportunity is a great educational opportunity for a beginner. It’s an opportunity to get feedback with fish that may be a little less cautious, uh, but that’s how you learn and, and it’s how you progress.

So, uh, yeah, there’s some great opportunities right here in town. And, uh, when I bought the store in 1997, uh, there were three fly shops in Dunsmuir and I always joke. I’ve had my taste of competition. I was the third place store in a one shop town. It’s worked out well.

(02:52):

There’s no doubt about it. You can’t talk about fishing in Siskiyou County without the shop coming up in conversation. We, with some of the most experienced anglers we know Carol Skalko and Curtis Knight.

(03:04):

The Ted Fay Fly Shop. When I got into the foray of fly fishing and eating flies, because I’m a little too impatient to make them. I became friends with Joe Kimsey who bought the store from Ted Fay. And I went fishing with him and we went in his truck. We went on a hunting roads that were so small. We were, branches were hitting the truck. My daughter was with me and he took me to a little creek that we had to sneak up on. You have to tiptoe before you get to them and we’d sneak up on it and catch these little golden trout or different kinds of trout that were in this creek. that was not more than 10 feet across.

He was a great resource. He would always want to, uh, tell you his stories, take you places. And he even taught me how to fly fish for bass in a Lake Siskiyou. Quite extraordinary. My connection with that store is great, and Bob who owns it now is he’s super.

(03:58):

We’re fortunate here in Siskiyou County to have, I think, one of the coolest, best fly shops on the planet with Ted Fay, Bob Grace. I mean, it’s the history with that shop and what he has for a small town shop too. And the knowledge you get, you get a lot when you go in there. So that’s a, that’s always a great first stop if you want to want to go fishing here in Siskiyou. And the guides that live here, I mean, it’s amazing the talent level. I mean, I guess it shouldn’t be too surprising because we have such great water and it is such a great place, but there’s a number of really good guides and outfitters out there.

And if you’re a beginner, you learn years of things in one session with some of these great guides that are here locally. So definitely encourage doing in that. You’ll get the same advice when you come up to Siskiyou and have a chat with Bob himself. And, of course, there’s a lot of great guides, a lot of great guides in the area. If, if the time and the resources allow, uh, you know, you can hire some of these people. They’re great instructors.

So how does a visitor get a chance to learn from these fabled fishermen to find out? We spoke with Davis Elliott, a local guide.

(05:10):

Um, so my name is Davis originally from Fayetteville, Arkansas. I’ve been living in the Shasta area for the last five years. Um, I was guiding in, I started out my guiding career in Estes park. Colorado was doing that for a few seasons. And within the past two years started guiding with Wild Waters Fly Fishing, which were based in Mount Shasta, just about seven of us guides that are actually living in the area.

However, the company contracts out up to 30 guides during our busiest season. It’s capable of, you know, taking out big group trips and running people everywhere, all over the state, really. Um, but yeah, we operate all year round John Rickard and Chuck Volckhausen. Those are kind of the names to look out for as the owners of the company and Rick Cox, he’s our booking manager. Um, he has been in the area for about 20 to 30 years. He guides trips as well. If you guys would like to book a trip,

(05:58):

Find more information on booking a trip in our show notes or by visiting DiscoverSiskiyou.com. So now you know where to get your gear and who to call for your personalized adventure, but what’s so special about fishing in Siskiyou?

(06:12):

Water, actually, how close together everything is. We have four different rivers, all jammed in here. Granted not all of them are within Siskiyou County lines, but all of them, all their headwaters are based out of Siskiyou County. Being that we have Mount Shasta and plenty of other like lakes and whatnot, bass lakes, bass ponds, everywhere, and all kind of the nooks and crannies. If you see just about any piece of blue on a map within 60 County, it’s most likely holding fish.

(06:38):

The water. We have a lot of water and a lot of spring water, and that in particular makes for a lot of good trout fishing waters, cold. It’s clear, it’s beautiful. And it’s like that year-round. Geographically, if you look at this area, there’s probably not much like it in California, where you have all these trout fishing opportunities, uh, in, in the North state that we have. To the East, we have the McCloud River a little further east. We have the Pit, of course the upper Sacramento is here. We’ve got other lake fishing opportunities.

I have favorite places. Uh, Cantara, the Cantara Loop is, is very special. Uh, one winter, maybe five or six years ago, uh, I was spent a large amount of time up in the upper reaches of the river below Cantara Loop. I kept a, uh, ad hoc total of occurrences. And over the course of the winter, I think I fished Cantara up probably six, seven or eight times that winter. And, over the course of that winter, I saw more bold eagles than I did other fishermen.

The waters of Siskiyou will, without a doubt, leave you with your own moments to remember the area can’t help, but provide pristine flows and picture scenes and folks like Davis, make it easy to get out there yourself.

(07:59):

Around here, we generally don’t get up crazy early. Like about eight is about the earliest we’ll start really. And then we’ll fish our little hearts out and grab some lunch on the river and then wrap up the day around four or five far as the upper set goes that’s within Siskiyou County lines. The, the access on that river is phenomenal. You have I5 running alongside the river all the way from Shasta all the way to Lakehead, right? And within each of those exits in between, you can drop down to the river and fish right there. So it makes for a lighter day on the legs and you’re able to kind of drive around and kind of spot these fish based on what you’re seeing on the river as a big picture. That’s the cool thing about the upper Sac is you have the access, you have access to the whole thing.

(08:44):

And so based on conditions, you can get to exactly where you need to be based on the fish that might be swimming upstream to spawn from the lake or the residential fish and what they’re doing based on hatches and the conditions where they might be kind of spreading out to or consolidating. You have to really zoom out. When you’re fishing for trout, you’re with a very like closeup lens in a way you’re trying to pick out your bugs, you know, and, and really trying to really trying to target these, these fish almost on a microscopic level, right? Because most of the trout that you’re seeking, they’re kind of residential fish. And it, honestly, sometimes it just comes down to what’s on the menu that day for him, you know, and matching up with that for steelhead. Um, they don’t really care. They’re not out there to eat that much, right.

(09:28):

They’re just up there to spawn. They have one thing in mind. And so the, the hardest part about finding a steelhead is really zooming out and putting on your steelhead hat and looking at the river as a big picture, based on what kind of rain we have, if there’s a dam above what kind of ww- what’s the dam release doing, um as far as increases in influxes of water, and what’s gonna actually pull fish up river. And so you’re putting it all together as this big puzzle, essentially, that’s pretty attractive to me. I like really trying to solve it. And a lot of the times you don’t, you know, but say, okay,

(10:03):

So that’s a fun aspect of it. So say you show up, you know, if it’s, if it’s may on the upper Sac, you’re thinking, wow, you know, may June, I’m thinking golden stone fly on the surface. This is going to be fun. It’s kind of what you’re thinking about. You know, same thing, McCloud and or here on the upper Sac in October, October, Caddis big, dry flies out, and that’s a fun way to fish. So you thinking about the time of year, for sure.

And then once you get in, you know, you’re fine tuning again, you know, you see what’s going on. You know, I’ve had many times on the McCloud where you’re fishing and all of a sudden your arms covered with these little mayflies, and you’re like, okay, time to switch, and that can be really productive too. So it’s telling a combination of the big picture you have an idea, and then you get there and you’re adjusting to what’s going on around you. That’s what makes it really fun.

(10:55):

No, it was over on River Road and, uh, was hard to get down there. And I said, Oh, that looks like a good spot. I’m going to get down in there. And so I was in the river and so people can fish all their lives and would never be in a hatch, meaning these insects are being born in within that hour at that time. That’s when they’re all coming up at the same time.

And when I was in the river, it, it hatched, these insects came up and out. And, it went dark. It was just like, I don’t know what locusts looked like. You know, but I mean, it was heavy filled sky with insects that the fish were going to feed on. And when they come out, there’s a frenzy in the river. You can almost feel it. And I caught, I think, nine beautiful rainbows in a row that were all over it seemed like 12 to 16 inches and beautiful red stripes on them.

(11:46):

And, and it was all happening and went, oh my gosh, I’m in, I’m actually in the river in a hatch. And so I just love the idea of the sport of fly fishing when you’re in the waters and this fish thinks that what you’re presenting is something natural and they’re going to go after it and you’re going to catch it and then reel it in, look it in the eyes. Thank you, and then let it go as gently as you can. And sometimes when I’m out on the river and I don’t catch a thing, I still have the hope that I would.

But the river is, is more than just fly fishing. It’s hope. It’s always running. It never lets you down. And all the eyes that have cast their eyes upon the river all these years, they are long gone. These humans, it’s still there for me and still going to be there for my daughter and for her daughter and for everybody’s kids, you know.

(12:56):

Catching is fun, but it’s more just being out there. I mean, I think you’ll get that from most people who fish, you know, part of it is where that opportunity brings you. You know, whether it’s sitting in a boat on your favorite lake or it’s, you know, beating down the trail to your, your favorite trout stream or hanging out knee deep and an Osprey comes in and scoops a fish, you know, 10 yards in front of you and Whoa, that’s cool. I mean, those are the kind of, uh, those are the kinds of experiences. And then, and then, then yeah, then you catch fish. That’s cool too.

Walking up to the water, like so slowly, but, but surely it just like, you know, taking in every little bit, really observing and, uh, didn’t see a single fish that day, but just purely with the idea of being a complete observer to your environment like that, that really flipped a switch in my brain as far as like what I wanted to be as a fishermen.

(13:51):

And from there, like, you know, it was something I wanted to master at that point. I wanted to be able to really pick up on what’s going on around me when I’m outside, especially by a river.

Each time I stepped onto a trail, take a deep breath, cold Alpine air, or dip my hands in fresh water, there’s something about being outside that resets my perspective and lets me just sense. All of a sudden, the quiet around me is filled with creaking tree branches, glittering scrub, Jays, and the kerplunks and babbles of the river. So far, my experience with the waters of Siskiyou has been limited to rafting swimming and teeth-chattering dips after a day of climbing. While all of that has been amazing, and I’m always happy to do more. I’m really looking forward to starting to fish. I think it’s going to be good for me, even if I come home empty handed.

You know, I think as you progress as an angler and the things that bring you to the river or that you enjoy most, when you’re on the water, a change over the course of your career, first, you want to catch a fish and then you want to catch a lot of fish. And then you want to catch just a few big fish. Then as you get older, uh, and it’s just number one, being able to fish, which is important as, as I age and as I talked to my customers who are aging, that’s, that’s an important thing.

And then number two is just being there. And I know that’s cliche, but it’s, it is, it is a cliche, but it’s also real. So when you get to spend a, um, you know, a few minutes or a few hours or a few days in, uh, in something that’s not bombarded by opinion, uh, not bombarded by media, not bombarded by anything other than maybe a yellow jacket or a rattlesnake. Over my lifetime, I’ve gotten a different sense of what’s important to me and you sure the fish, the fish are why we think we’re there, but it’s probably not the real reason.

Many thanks to Carol Skalko, Bob Grace, Curtis Knight and Davis Elliot for the help of this episode. And if you’d like to plan your own trip, visit DiscoverSiskyou.com.

Show Notes

The post Fishing in Siskiyou appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

Category: Easy

Distance: 1.0 miles

Elevation Gain: 78 feet

Route Type: Out & Back

Directions: To reach the trailhead, drive south 2 miles from Happy Camp, CA on Highway 96.  Turn right and go north on Crocker Rd. .10 mile to Forest Road 17N16.  Go south on Forest Road 17N16 1.1 miles to the trailhead on the south side of the road.

Highlights: In the Klamath National Forest

This trail is dog friendly.

Photo Credit: US Forest Service

The post Happy Camp Town Trail appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

Photo Credit: Elk Creek Campground Website

The post Elk Creek Campground & RV Park appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

Photo Credit: Stateline RV Park Website

The post Stateline RV Park and Mini Storage appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

Category: Easy

Distance: 10.1 miles

Elevation Gain: 968 feet

Route Type: Loop

Directions: From 1-5 N, take exit 747 for US-97 toward Central Weed/Klamath Falls. Turn right onto US-97 N/U.S. 99/Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway/S Weed Blvd. Turn left onto W Ball Mountain Little Shasta Road after 6.4 miles. After another 6.1 miles, turn right onto Forest Rte 46N10. 

Highlights: Great snowmobile routes in winter, easy for all levels of hiking

The post Ball Mountain – Martins Dairy appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

The refuge, with a backdrop of 14,000-foot Mount Shasta to the southwest, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a National Historic Landmark.

The 50,092-acre refuge is a varied mix of intensively managed shallow marshes, open water, grassy uplands, and croplands that provide feeding, resting, nesting, and brood-rearing habitat for waterfowl and other water birds. This refuge is one of the most biologically productive refuges within the Pacific Flyway. Approximately 80 percent of the flyway’s migrating waterfowl pass through the Klamath Basin on both spring and fall migrations, with 50 percent using the refuge. Peak waterfowl populations can reach 1.8 million birds, which represent 15 to 45 percent of the total birds wintering in California. The refuge produces between 30,000 and 60,000 waterfowl annually. The refuge is also a fall staging area for 20 to 30 percent of the central valley population of sandhill crane. From 20,000 to 100,000 shorebirds use refuge wetlands during the spring migration. Wintering wildlife populations include 500 bald eagle and 30,000 tundra swan. Spring and summer nesting wildlife include many colonial water birds, such as white-faced ibis, heron, egret, cormorant, grebe, white pelican, and gulls.

In all, the refuge provides habitat for 25 species of special concern listed as threatened or sensitive by California and Oregon.

Photo Credit: Lower Klamath Wildlife Refuge Wikipedia (Tupper Ansel Blake, Walter Siegmund)

The post Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

The three-day event features two days of riding. Saturday includes four paved road route options, while Sunday offers three mixed-surface routes focused on gravel riding. Riders can expect full event support, including frequent rest stops, snacks and meals, clearly marked courses and friendly volunteer assistance throughout the weekend.

Hundreds of cyclists from across the country will ride through quiet countryside and two national treasures: the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge and Lava Beds National Monument. Routes explore Southern Oregon’s Klamath Basin along with Northern California’s Tulelake Basin and Butte Valley region. Each rest stop highlights what makes the area unique, featuring information on local geology, cultural history, geography and environmental issues.

“The stunning springtime scenery and uncrowded backroads draw riders here for Memorial Day Weekend year after year,” said volunteer event directors Linda and Ryan. “Our rural hospitality is something people remember and return for.”

REGISTER HERE!

The post 13th Annual Art of Survival Century Bicycle Ride appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

The post Klamath River Community Hall Annual Fall Turkey Shoot appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

Visit at: http://www.klamathriverresortinn.com/

Photo Credit: Klamath River Resort Inn TripAdvisor (Rogerdob, Douglas F, AyronC7, Klamath River Resort Inn Management)

The post Klamath River Resort Inn appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

Photo Credit: Siskiyou County Blogspot, Claudia East

The post Curly Jack Campground appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

The post River Park appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.

Reservations are now easy to book online, with flexible policies.  You can now book a month at a time for 50% off.  We hope changes to the website will answer your questions and bring more attention to our local herd of Wild Horses and our amazing riverfront location on the “New Klamath River.”

Danny and Julie are excited to acquire the park at a great time, when the river has been restored, the salmon are returning, and the road is much improved!  They have many years of property management and hospitality experience, and are thrilled to live on site along with our happy herd of horses and humans!

The post Lazy Horse RV Park appeared first on Discover Siskiyou.