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Up The Road: Mountain Towns In Autumn

Mossbrae Falls in Dunsmuir

We’ve been talking about harvest, such a long, enjoyable season here in the North State. There’s so much harvest to celebrate from here into the holidays, in fact, that we’ll come back to that subject for an extended stay. More fleeting in fall is leaf-peeping season. So this week we mention some wonderful mountain towns where, with any luck at all, you’ll find some stunning fall color, brisk autumn air, and local character.

Consider Dunsmuir along the Sacramento River north of Redding, home to the annual State of Jefferson Brewfest every August, and nearby Castle Crags State Park. Main attractions in Dunsmuir are its water—lots of Mt Shasta snowmelt here—including nearby waterfalls and hikes, an intriguing business district, and legendary restaurants. Castle Crags offers its share of fall color, but also foreboding granite that marks the southeastern edge of the Klamath Mountains—challenging rock climbing, easy and difficult hikes, good camping (but within earshot of the freeway), and picnicking.

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Middle Falls, McCloud River

Just north of Dunsmuir, heading east on Highway 89 leads to McCloud country. The McCloud River is an excellent trout fishing stream, though access is challenging. The carnivorous Dolly Varden char, a relict species no doubt more at home during the Pleistocene, survived in California only here—until fairly recently, when the local population was declared extinct.

Other than fishing, McCloud was always famous for the 60,000-acre Wyntoon estate, a private retreat designed by architect Julia Morgan for mythic American media magnate William Randolph Hearst. The estate's buildings still stand after being charred in a 1992 fire, but the family’s retreat is (and always has been) closed to the public. The town reflects its more humble milltown history, its one-time worker housing converted into visitor accommodations. Just being in McCloud is a pleasure. What could be more amazing than ever-present Mt. Shasta greeting you around every corner?

Continuing on the highway takes you to Burney, if you turn back toward Redding, and Fall River Mills if you head east on Highway 299.

The entire Fall River Valley is lovely this time of year. Definitely worth a stop is McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, 15 miles northeast of Burney and halfway between Lassen Peak and Mt. Shasta Park. This is heavily forested northern lava country at about 3,000 feet. That Teddy Roosevelt called Burney Falls "The Eighth Wonder of the World" is a notorious and lingering misattribution; Roosevelt actually said the waterfall here was a "wonder," and it certainly is. 

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Burney Falls

Burney Falls is fed by spring flows of some 100 million gallons daily, which thunder down a moss-covered 129-foot cliff into emerald-green water before flowing into Lake Britton. Also well worth exploring hereabouts is Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park, 6,000 acres of wilderness fringing the lakes at the north end of Fall River Valley. You’ll need a kayak or canoe to get there.

Another area you can explore almost forever includes the northernmost reaches of the Sierra Nevada, from Mill Creek, the south side of Lassen Volcanic National Park, and Chester and Lake Almanor south to equally appealing Quincy and vicinity. Area trails are all but empty this time of year but some people still say Plumas County hasn't been the same since Quincy put in the county's first stoplight, in 1993. Head to tiny Taylorsville for tiny-town inspiration, or set out for Graeagle, with its antique shops and golf, or Portola, famous for its excellent big-as-life outdoor train museum. Be sure to work a leisurely drive via Highway 70 through the Feather River Canyon into your plans.

Other best bets include the gorgeous old-brick Gold Rush-era siblings, Grass Valley and Nevada City, east of Sacramento. From there you can take the long, scenic “back way” to Tahoe via Highway 49, taking in Downieville, the Lakes Basin area, and Sierraville. And of course there’s wonderful Weaverville and vicinity, west of Redding, including Shasta State Historic Park and sleepy French Gulch en route.