Notes: The routes will be updated with details and possibly changed before the ride. Also, the elevation profiles below use different scales; make sure to check the scale when judging climbs and comparing days. It’ll make you feel better. 

Day 0 – Saturday, June 22: Check-in, Yreka

Site: Jackson Street Elementary School Map

Local lodging (PDF)

We’ll gather in historic Yreka, once home to a bustling mining economy. The downtown has a strong flavor of Old West, offering plenty of opportunities to explore once you arrive. In camp, you’ll check in and renew old acquaintances even as you begin meeting new friends.

Day 1 – Sunday, June 23: Yreka to Happy Camp – 71 miles, 4,130 feet of gain RWGPS route file

Site Location: Happy Camp River Park Map

Local lodging (PDF)

The tone for the week is set within the first 10 miles: Wow. After riding through Yreka’s historic downtown, quickly you’re pedaling a serpentine canyon, crossing dizzying bridges above the Shasta River far below. The rest of the day is a riverside odyssey, following the seemingly capricious flow of the Klamath to the unique outpost of Happy Camp, where Sasquatch is seen every day and we’ll camp on the banks of the river.

Day 2 – Monday, June 24: Happy Camp Layover: Oregon Border Up-and-Back – 42 miles, 5,025 feet RWGPS route file

Site Location: Happy Camp River Park Map

Local lodging (PDF)

Our first layover offers a challenge you can customize, taking on as much climb as you want before turning back. Grayback Mountain Road is a stellar example of the kind of “why is it there?” roads you can find in the Northwest. It winds up and up, at a reasonable pitch, until the summit near the Oregon border. Witness the ghostly beauty of a post-fire forest as you zen out on the quiet climb.

Day 3 – Tuesday, June 25: Happy Camp to Etna – 69 miles, 5,335 feet RWGPS route file

Site Location: Johnson-Joss Memorial Park Map

Local lodging (PDF)

If you thought the ride along the Klamath felt remote, wait until we turn off this morning and follow the Scott River as it snakes through deep woods on a road that’s sometimes only a lane wide. Cross the river numerous times before emerging from the forest into the verdant Scott Valley, where we’ll ride through the land of the Quartz Valley Tribe on our way into Etna and our shady park home for the next two nights.

Day 4 – Wednesday, June 26: Etna Layover: Scott Valley Loop – 50 miles, 1,670 feet RWGPS route file

Site Location: Johnson-Joss Memorial Park Map

Local lodging (PDF)

Give your legs a refresh day with a shorter, flatter but eminently pleasant ride through the Scott Valley. Along the way you can check out the roguish charm of the Callahan Emporium, explore a working winery at a rest stop, and visit historic Fort Jones. Riding on local backroads, you can really relax and take in every detail of the pastoral landscape. The elevation profile below is a great example of “relative scale.”

Day 5 – Thursday, June 27: Etna to Weed – 53 miles, 3,530 feet RWGPS route file

Site Location: Bel Air Park Map

Local lodging: Find local listings here.

Prepare for visual treats today. Once you turn onto Callahan-Gazelle Road, you’ll ascend gradually enough that when you reach the rim of the canyon you didn’t know was there, it’ll take your breath away. View the thrilling descent from above, then dive in and enjoy it at your pace. Then, as you spin through another fertile valley, soak in majestic views of Mt. Shasta absolutely dominating the horizon on the way into Weed.

Day 6 – Friday, June 28: Weed Layover: Mt. Shasta Up-and-Back – 54 miles, 5,765 feet RWGPS route file

Site Location: Bel Air Park Map

Local lodging: Find local listings here.

The native tribes of the region have an array of origin stories and spiritual connections to this mighty mountain, and you can tune into some of its singular energy on your ride today. Start with a rolling back-way route to the city named for the mountain, then begin your ascent. Don’t forget to take in the variety of vistas on the way up and down, and maybe take a few minutes to immerse yourself in a rock labyrinth at Panther Meadows, the end of the road.

Day 7 – Saturday, June 29: Weed to Yreka – 45 miles, 1,380 feet RWGPS route file

Site Location: Jackson Street Elementary School Map

Local Lodging (PDF)

You couldn’t ask for a better finishing day after a week of riding: short, mostly flat and tranquil. Not far to the north is Lava Beds National Monument, and the geography reflects it: grasslands and rocky terrain. More back roads will let you get into your flow and reflect on the highlights of your week of adventure, ending in Yreka. Another ride for the memory book.