Glamping Musts: Dunsmiur at Mt. Shasta
Next time you’re looking for a place to stay, instead of utilizing your usual search engine for “hotels”, try Googling “glamping [name of geographical area]” for a list of places you might not have known existed. Glamping nowadays pulls up stays like yurts on the beach, treehouses in the woods, cozy cabins in the mountains, and even parks that have you sleeping in an old train caboose!
In case you haven’t jumped on the glamping craze, it’s defined as “a form of camping involving accommodation and facilities more luxurious than those associated with traditional camping.” Honestly, I used to love traditional camping but as I got older I really did want a shower and an electric heater, at least. It also makes enjoying some really beautiful outdoor adventure with kids more… sane.
Glamping is my jam and I’m looking forward to sharing each of my adventures with you and really hope you go explore these places for yourself. Here is one that is simply magical for the wintertime.
Railroad Park in Dusmuir, CA
This place is easy to find as it has it’s own exit off I-5 way up north in Siskiyou County, situated 45 minutes north of Redding and 10 minutes south of Mt. Shasta. It’s a perfect place to stay for a romantic getaway (there’s a fine dining restaurant on-site!), a family vacation (I’m telling you, the kids will go CRAZY), and for anyone looking to explore the great outdoors in the area (hiking, biking, fishing, sledding, skiing, boating galore). The park sits on 48 acres with 22 cabooses, 4 vintage cabins, RV sites, and tent sites available.
The cabooses are furnished with 1, 2, or 3 beds, an electric heater, mini fridge, microwave, cable, coffee maker, mounted flat screen TV, hot shower, and general comforts of a well kept hotel room. There’s even a hot tub on-site. We were pleasantly surprised by the hospitality of the staff. We arrived after dark on a snowy day and our caboose was prepared with the heater on, some lights on, and a plate of treats on the table. They gave us great recommendations of activities and dining in the area and kept in touch with updates and confirmations leading up to our stay. www.rrpark.com
Getting Grub
You should definitely plan to enjoy a nice dinner from the Dining Car during your stay. They normally offer indoor dining, but during Covid restrictions you can only get take out for pick-up or delivered to your caboose. It was named the Best Fine Dining Restaurant in Siskiyou County 2020 and it is well-deserved. We enjoyed the Blackberry Jalapeño BBQ Salmon with Jasmine Rice and Seasonal Vegetables and a couple Gin and Tonics. They also feature entrees like a Ribeye Steak dinner, Mushroom Ravioli, French Dip Sandwich, Burgers and Fries. There is a full bar as well. https://rrpark.com/dining-car-restaurant
The town of Dusmuir has a cute downtown with about 8 restaurants, though we noticed not a lot was open due to Covid and unfortunately, quite a few places that shut permanently. We ordered pancake breakfasts sat The Wheelhouse that were big and fluffy but served without any embellishments and with Smuckers maple syrup. They also had quite a selection of bagel sandwiches and sides like hash browns, bacon, scrambled egg, and toast. www.thewheelhousedunsmuir.com
The small town of Mt. Shasta is larger with about a dozen restaurants. It is home to the original Black Bear diner, too! We chose a BBQ place called Crave just off the main downtown street. They had covered tables outside with a fire pit which made it cozy and popular. Their BBQ consists of some house-smoked meats offered in sandwiches, on a salad, nachos, or taco. They had pupusas and burritos as well. You’re most likely to find restaurants offering american classics like pizza and burgers and diners and bakeries. www.cravefresh.net
Outdoor Fun
We were lucky that it snowed the evening before we arrived so there was lots of fresh snow and everything was covered like in a winter wonderland. Most of the winter brings skiing and sledding conditions up on Mt. Shasta. There is a place called Snowman’s Hill that is a must visit with kids for sledding. If you need a sled, head to Ace Hardware in downtown Mt. Shasta. The hill is located just off Hwy 89, east of the I-5. Drive for just 5 minutes until you see the intersection for Ski Park Rd. If you take a left, you’ll head up to the park for skiing and just to the right is a parking lot for Snowman’s Hill. You can choose from smaller hills to the tip top of the big hill for a real thrill. It started to get too crowded in the afternoon so go a little earlier or plan for a 3-5pm trip.
There are tons of epic waterfall hikes like Burney Falls, Hedge Creek Falls, Castle Falls, and Faery Falls. Castle Crag State Park also offers hiking for beginners and more advanced climbers. There are great views from the top if you want to take a day hike. We suspect there are more activities to do in the warmer months, especially at Shasta Lake and the smaller lakes like fishing, boating, and swimming. The Sacramento River is close by as well and even in December we saw fly fisherman out in the water. www.visitmtshasta.com
Overall, this part of Northern California is a wilderness paradise. It’s not very crowded, the small historic train towns are adorable, and the people were SO nice and accommodating. We absolutely cannot wait to visit again.