Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Northern Mountains
Why Go?
'Hidden California' gets bandied around fairly casually, but here you have an entire corner
of the state that does seem forgotten. The coast and foggy redwood groves are far away, so
prepare yourself for something completely different: vast expanses of wilderness - some
24,000 protected acres - divided by rivers and streams, dotted with cobalt lakes, horse
ranches and alpine peaks; further east is a stretch of shrubby, high desert cut with amber
gorges, caves and dramatic light that is a photographer's dream. Much of it doesn't look
the way people envision California - the topography more resembles the older mountains
of the Rockies than the relatively young granite Yosemite. The towns are hospitable but
tiny, with few comforts; come to get lost in vast remoteness. Even the two principal attrac-
tions, Mt Shasta and Lassen Volcanic National Park, remain uncrowded (and sometimes
snow-covered) at the peak of the summer.
