The small town of McCloud does not often get brought up as a great hiking destination. It is widely recognized as a beautiful, historic and peaceful community and a great vacation getaway. Yet, it is not mentioned as the place to go for a plethora of great trails. Nearby Mount Shasta City generally takes up all the oxygen as the hiking epicenter. This is for good reason, given its proximity to the Everitt Memorial Highway (the only paved road up Mount Shasta), the Trinity Divide, and the abundance of trails immediately outsid
e the city. Yet Mount Shasta City’s accolades should not come at McCloud’s expense. There are a variety of fantastic trails located not far from town. The McCloud River naturally comes to mind as the top attraction but there other paths of spectacular beauty found outside of McCloud that deserve recognition. The best of these are the trails on Mount Shasta itself. Though not often considered in this context, McCloud is the gateway to the east side of the mountain. Despite being a bit of a drive from town, hiker must pass through McCloud to get to them and these are some of the best trails on Mount Shasta. Whether it is the high trails on the mountain or roaring waterfalls, McCloud has a lot to offer hikers, even if it does not have a great reputation as a great hiking destination. Read the full article and find maps to trails here: