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Aside from the large chain hotels and motels in Redding and Chico, most accommodations in the Far North blend rustic appeal, simplicity, and coziness. Rooms in Redding, Chico, and Red Bluff are usually booked solid only during popular local events. Wilderness resorts close in fall and reopen after the snow season ends in May. For summer holiday weekends in towns such as Mt. Shasta, Dunsmuir, and Chester, and at camping sites within state or national parks, make lodging reservations well in advance.
Stylish and modern, this hotel at the entrance to Sundial Bridge and Turtle Bay Exploration Park makes a great, family-friendly base for visiting Lassen, Whiskeytown, and other area attractions. Mosaic Restaurant serves California-inspired cuisine and has seating on a spacious patio. The large outdoor pool is an inviting place to cool off on a hot summer day.
Set amid towering evergreens in a tranquil patch of Lassen National Forest, this delightfully unfussy 1930s cabin and camping resort feels as though it could be inside the national park, although it's actually about 10 miles south on a scenic country road. Nine dark-wood cabins with bright-green roofs accommodate four guests (six in some cases), and all have handcrafted beds, simple but fully equipped kitchens, and barbecue grills and fire pits. You can pick up basic groceries in the old-fashioned general store, and a casual restaurant and bar serves burgers and other hearty fare, plus craft beers and milk shakes. There are several RV sites, as well as camping cabins, primitive tent sites, and glamping options.
The resort's Craftsman-style private chalets, all with gas-log fireplaces, are nestled among tall pine trees along the shore of Lake Siskiyou. The Highland House Restaurant, above the clubhouse of a spectacular 18-hole golf course, has uninterrupted views of Mt. Shasta. Take the Central Mt. Shasta exit west from I–5, then go south on Old Stage Road.
