DUNSMUIR, CA
By Mara Dobyns
One of the best parts about living in Northern California is that adventure is often right outside our backdoor. Both literally and figuratively in our case. It’s great because whether we want to follow a bike trail from our house and paddle through trees along the water, or ride in a car anywhere from ten minutes to two hours and beyond, there are what seem like endless lakes and adventure opportunities at every corner, no matter the season. Hunting, fishing, camping, skiing, it’s all right here and it surrounds us for miles.
We try to soak up everything we can with each season. Even when saying goodbye to beautiful snowy mountains, skiing, and bundling up by the fireplace, we find pleasure in the waking of a nearby meadow. The sounds of frogs singing as the sun drops just a little later each day and the stars begin to rise in sight once more with storm clouds no longer blocking our view. We often run into our friends in mutual favorite spots like the meadow and come together to sit around a fire and plan future camping trips with the changing of the season. We let the dogs and children run with the wind wild in their hair, smiles spread wide across their faces, and excitement racing through their happy little hearts. We count how many colors of wildflowers we see and hunt for morel mushrooms. We hike to stunning views and eventually and enthusiastically jump into alpine lakes. We trace skylines and dance lakeside and drink it all in like it’s some kind of magic. Because it is. Nature is the kind of magic that soothes our souls and brings our spirits to life. It is why we live where we do. It feels like peace and tastes like freedom, and the truth is, even though we have discovered so many of our favorite spots, there’s still so many more to be discovered.
Dunsmuir, California has been one those places on my list to explore for a while now. It’s a hidden little gem filled with waterfalls, views of Mount Shasta, and unique things to do in an incredibly beautiful area. So for my birthday my family and I finally decided to take the trip. You know me, I really enjoy digging deep online and seeing what I can find that’s unique about an area before we visit. So what did we do? We slept in a train caboose in a Railroad Park Resort, ate at one of yelps top 100 restaurants in America, enjoyed a caboose restaurant & bar style train car and gift shop, and ran around in our swimsuits in the rain as we were the only ones wild enough to hot tub during the storm. It was pretty unforgettable.
The Railroad Park Resort:
Since 1968 The Railroad Park Resort has been offering guests the opportunity to enjoy a piece of history in a unique way by staying in one of their fun and one-of-a-kind rooms, created out of restored antique railroad cars, vintage cabins, or their RV Park that includes Campground options. Each caboose and lodge has its own full bathroom, microwave, mini fridge, coffee maker, and free wifi. Some even feature climb-up cupolas for sunset watching. The caboose sleeping arrangements offer everything from 1 queen and 2 twins to fit a family’s needs all the way to Boxcar 20 which is their honeymoon suite and most spacious rail car room. It includes a king bed, chandelier-ed bathroom with a claw foot tub, separate shower, a seating area to complete the morning coffee relaxation routine, and as a bonus a private deck overlooking the pool. We enjoyed caboose 19 which sits across from Little Castle Creek with a magnificent view of Castle Crags towering in the background.
The resort is enhanced by its dining car where “you can almost hear the whistle blow and feel the train sway”. Steeped in
nostalgia and for your enjoyment, you can view their hand tools, gauges, pictures, signals and other displayed artifacts recalling the glory days of railroading in the west and specifically the Dunsmuir and McCloud area. All while they spoil you with
classic breakfast, lunch, and dinner options, and of course a cocktail bar. Even their speciality drinks are named after their rich ties to history, including “The Pusher” which references Dunsmuir’s former name as it was the spot where additional locomotives were added onto the trains to “push” them up the steep grade to Mt.Shasta.
There is a fireplace to keep you warm in those colder winter months and patio deck seating outside for those warmer weathered days with views that exceed all expectations. The atmosphere is lively and inviting with music and smiling faces. It’s easy to imagine what it may have looked like in its hay day and how easy and fun it would be to fill it up for an event night and watch it all come to life.
A gift shop is another must see train car in the resort. You can find everything you’d expect inside among other unique finds that you may not be expecting. Hoodies, t-shirts, mugs, pint glasses, earrings, art projects, and even train whistles line the shelves. Just around the corner you’ll find another multi-functional room offering ice, a vending machine, games, and a mini library for guest’s use. Fire pits and picnic tables line the grass by the river and the seasonal pool and hot tub are open to all guests. You can also explore relics like the Willamette gear-driven steam logging locomotive, the 1893 Wells Fargo Car, or the wooden snow plow and flanger. Their unique caboose hotel is more than a railroad buff’s delight, it’s the heart of their historical past.
The resort has such a fun sense of community and adventure and it’s the perfect place to host your next family gathering or event. Their website states it best: “Live the life of a railroader by staying in one of our caboose loading units, without sacrificing the comforts of today’s modern conveniences.” So you can stay connected (or not) and enjoy the great outdoors with some modern comfort. A final perk worth mentioning? They are a dog friendly resort so no one in the family has to miss out.
Read more on The Railroad Park Resort’s rich history, restaurant menu, pick a caboose to fit your needs, and find details to plan and reserve your next trip on their website here:
The Restaurant:
Yak’s on 5 is this insane gourmet burger joint with two locations. One of them being roadside on I5 in Dunsmuir and the other a few miles Northeast in Mt. Shasta. They both offer incredible handcrafted foods, award winning microbrews, and world famous sticky buns that are made fresh every single morning. If you’re feeling adventurous they have a Peanut Butter Burger that features peanut butter sauce, fried onion rings,
bacon crumbles, and house-made lemon ginger marmalade. Locals speak highly of the cilantro bomb burger that hosts a
variety of flavor with its melted jack cheese, cajun rub, loads of cilantro, a house-made lime aioli, and house-made onion strings. Their drool worthy loaded tots are also highly recommended. I enjoyed their picnic burger that featured a sweet and playful pickled picnic sauce while my daughter enjoyed her “Gummy Bear Burger” that was a plain, dry kid’s burger featuring gummy bears on the side (and even one on top). They obviously know their audience well.
I loved how unique each burger was, especially their “Screw it I am on vacation Burger” that included their infamous sticky bun, pecan bacon, peanut butter, onion strings, and a baileys and bourbon caramel sauce drizzled on top to perfection. All of their portions were generous, the staff friendly, and the location was welcoming and fun with an artsy and charming vibe to it. It was easy to see and taste why they made the top 100.
Learn more & find details on Yaks here:
https://www.yaks.com/onthe5
The Adventure:
Although we had high hopes to ski Mount Shasta the rain quickly changed our minds. Not that we were scared of a little rain but it was our first ski trip of the season and we didn’t want to spend it soaking wet. However, we did have swimsuits, a hot tub to soak in, and rain to run around and play in, so that’s exactly what we did. We made the most of it. That night after our rain adventure we cozied up in our caboose, listened to the sound of the rain pouring down all around us and the raging
river flowing beside us, and watched a family movie. And although it wasn’t what we had planned, it was all part of the charm, and I wouldn’t have changed a thing.
Other adventures to consider when visiting Dunsmuir are The Dunsmuir Botanical Gardens, Castle Crags State Park, Mossbrae Falls (featured on our cover), The Sacred Well, and the Shasta Caverns, but we’ll save that one for our summer two edition.