Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The town made some press during a recent battle against the Nestlé corporation, which
announced a plan for a water bottling facility on the site of the defunct mill. Fearing the
damage to the local watershed, a cadre of residents organized to oppose the factory. By
2009 they had succeeded in entangling the multinational giant in red tape and bad publi-
city, and Nestlé scuttled the project.
Sights & Activities
The
McCloud River Loop
, a gorgeous, 6-mile, partially paved road along the Upper
McCloud River, begins at Fowlers Camp, 5.5 miles east of town on Hwy 89, and re-
emerges about 11 miles east of McCloud. Along the loop, turn off at
Three Falls
for a
pretty trail that passes…yep, three lovely falls and a riparian habitat for bird-watching in
the Bigelow Meadow. The loop can easily be done by car, bicycle or on foot, and has five
first-come, first-served campgrounds.
Other good hiking trails include the
Squaw Valley Creek Trail
(not to be confused with
the ski area near Lake Tahoe), an easy 5-mile loop trail south of town, with options for
swimming, fishing and picnicking. Also south of town,
Ah-Di-Na
is the remains of a Nat-
ive American settlement and historic homestead once owned by the William Randolph
Hearst family. Sections of the
Pacific Crest Trail
are accessible from Ah-Di-Na Camp-
ground, off Squaw Valley Rd, and also up near Bartle Gap, offering head-spinning views.
Fishing and swimming are popular on remote
Lake McCloud
reservoir, 9 miles south
of town on Squaw Valley Rd, which is signposted in town as Southern. You can also go
fishing on the Upper McCloud River (stocked with trout) and at the Squaw Valley Creek.
The huge
McCloud Mercantile
anchors the downtown. There's a hotel upstairs and it
hosts a couple of restaurants that warrant a longer stay, but those just passing though can
get a bag of licorice at the old-world candy counter or browse the main floor. The collec-
tion of dry goods is very woodsy and very NorCal: Woolrich blankets, handmade soap and
interesting gifts for the gardener, outdoors person or chef.
A tiny
historical museum
( 11am-3pm Mon-Sat, 1-3pm Sun)
sits opposite the depot and
could use a bit of organization - it has the feel of a cluttered, messy thrift store - but
tucked in the nooks and crannies are plenty of worthwhile curiosities from the town's past.
Sleeping
