Shasta Road # 13
Forest Rte 42N13
aka
Pilgrim Creek Road or Stevens Pass Road
East of McCloud, CA
Explore the roads on the backside of Mount Shasta, well off Interstate 5 and miles from Highway 89. This epic paved route will get you away from the tourists at McCloud Falls and all those busy campgrounds.
Loggers and lumber trucks on week days; so drive cautiously. Paved road most of the way. Numerous dirt road turn offs lead deeper into seclusion. Wonderful views of Mt Shasta from many locations. So close, you can ‘reach out and touch it’ kinda views.
2 primitive campgrounds back this way:
Harris Springs Campground &
Trout Creek Campground
And no, we haven’t been to either, cuz the dang boon-docking is excellent, so why would you need a campground?
Long paved main road has numerous turn offs on to dirt roads on both sides. Timber lands, National Forest, and some private properties. Watch carefully for gates, fence lines and any signage. The night skies are super dark way back in here, so excellent stargazing!
Great Shasta Rail Esparanza Trail Head
Pilgrim Creek Snowmobile Park
Road #19 Military Pass Road intersects at the snowmobile park and heads NW – behind Mount Shasta.
Past the snowmo parking lot, Road 13 changes from Pilgrim Creek to Stevens Pass Road and continues to gradually climb up in elevation. Eventually Road 13 peters out around the backside of Harris Mountain.
Road #15 Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway – intersects shortly before Harris Springs, and continues northbound. It eventaully becomes Davis Road (#44N05) which leads up between Pumice Stone Mountain and Little Glass Mountain.
Little Mount Hoffman Lookout (historic fire lookout tower) is way back here on Road #43N77 and it is available to rent overnight (by reservation). The lookout is accessible by car, but the last 4 miles are on unpaved roads and difficult for RVs and cars with trailers to navigate. The accommodations of this lookout may be rustic, but the views guarantee that visitors will have a memorable stay.