Best challenging trail

The Castle Dome Trail, which begins in Castle Crags State Park and leads into adjoining Castle Crags Wilderness, “has quite a bit of vertical gain and a dramatic finish at the base of Castle Dome,” Carr says. “It’s really beautiful. It’s a 5.6-mile round trip — some of the guidebooks call it a moderate hike, but with the vertical gain I call it more than that.” Take the Castella exit off I-5 about 6 miles south of Dunsmuir. Go west and enter Castle Crags State Park, then follow the park’s main road a little over a mile to the vista point. From there, the trail begins about 150 farther down the road. Siskiyou,” Carr says. “It’s a roly-poly trail that’s great for most kids. Seven miles, but you don’t need to do the whole loop. The other thing that’s fun to do here is go mountain biking. That’s really a blast.” From the Central Mount Shasta exit on I-5, go 0.2 miles west to the intersection of Hatchery Road and Old Stage Road, then follow W.A. Barr Road 0.7 miles and turn right on North Shore Road; continue to parking areas.

Best place for novice rock climbers

“We like to take people to Cantara Loop, right along the Sacramento River. It’s a great place to learn, there’s good vertical, it’s easy to set ropes up and some of the routes are bolted. And they’re relatively short, which is good when you’re first getting into climbing.” From Mount Shasta, take Old Stage Road and Cantara Loop Road southwest to the Sacramento River. Or sign up for one of Shasta Mountain Guides’ basic rock-climbing classes.

Prettiest drives

Gazelle-Callahan Road; Highway 89. “There are so many good drives up here,” Carr says. “It’s hard to decide which one to pick. But the road between Gazelle and Callahan is really beautiful. There’s not much out there, except a general store in Callahan. But it’s so beautiful. And Highway 89 from Mount Shasta down to Lassen is a classic.” Gazelle is 20 miles north of Mount Shasta via I-5 and Old Highway 99; from here take Gazelle-Callahan Road 26 miles southwest to Callahan. Highway 89: From Mount Shasta, take Highway 89 90 miles south to Lassen Volcanic