Family owned and operated Mount Shasta ski area in Northern California is blessed with a stunning winter wonderland setting. Surrounded by thick green forest, its volcanic peak shoots up towards the sky and is covered with soft snow. It is the tallest volcano in California and is rated as an dormant one. It is easy to get to from the highway and especially convenient for Californians who want to take their families skiing but do not want to incur the expense and time in getting to Lake Tahoe's ski resorts.
It receives over 275 inches of annual snowfall, has a 1,435 feet of vertical drop with 3 triple chair lifts taking skiers to 32 trails spread out over 425 skiable acres maintained by efficient modern snow making machines and excellent grooming crews riding their snow cats to ensure continually good ski conditions prevail. There is also a very convenient “magic carpet” surface lift for beginners.
Mount Shasta has mostly intermediate trails with the longest running almost 1 and ¾ miles. Experts will not find challenging steep trails but they can get in some good long runs while the rest of their family skis the intermediate and beginner trails. Mount Shasta is especially suited for beginners, learning how to ski, and for intermediate trails---so families flock to the area because of its all-around offerings. Also because it has a laid back atmosphere without the rush and lines and high lift ticket prices found in bigger resorts.
Night skiing is excellent here. For snowboarders, there are 3 terrain parks with loads of pipes and rails, one of which is geared towards beginners learning how to snowboard jumps. There's also a Super Halfpipe that is 300 feet long.
They also offer a backcountry ski and snowboard program called Beyond the Boundaries for off piste ski touring with guides which you have to book ahead to take part in.
The cozy lodge has a fully stocked ski rental facility plus a small retail store for ski apparel and accessories, an adequate food court, live music, and it serves hot toddies and warm adult drinks at the bar to help you warm up after a cold day in the snow. On weekends there's live music in the bar. The Coyote Grill in the lodge serves fish and chips, sandwiches and burgers. BC's is in the main upper lodge serving fresh pizza. The Powder Hound Grill cooks up burgers and sandwiches.
At the top of Douglass Butter there is the Black Diamond Grill for BBQ and drinks.
You can stay quite close to Mount Shasta. There's the Best Western Tree House with woodsy décor, free breakfast, fireside dining, a big indoor heated pool and family large suites. Mount Shasta Resort offers individual chalets and cabins with kitchens and loads of room to spread out.
Shopping in Mount Shasta is fun with its quaint little shops and McCloud is only a few miles away with boutiques on its main street to visit.
For dining around Mount Shasta, try the Wayside Grill for its fun mix of almost any kind of cuisine you can think of, from Mexican to grilled steaks to pizza to huge hamburgers to shrimp tacos to salads. For organic sushi, find a table at the Vivify Organic Japanese Restaurant. And for huge breakfasts and homey comfort food drop into Black Bear Diner where you can find homemade meatloaf and mashed potatoes, freshly caught trout and chicken pot pies.
