Winter Van Life: Mt. Shasta Ski Park
Time of Our Visit: February 2023 (Valentine’s Day)
Mt. Shasta Ski Park is located in Northern California near the base of Mount Shasta, the second tallest volcano in the Cascade Range at 14,179 feet. It’s just 232 feet shorter than Mount Rainier in the number one spot.
What We Love About Mt. Shasta
The first day we intended to ski and ride, Mt. Shasta had full sun and perfect spring conditions. However, the wind was too intense with a storm blowing in, so the lifts closed early. We had arrived late, and I failed to check their snow and trail report. My bad! That’s okay because it gave us a chance to check out the local area, stock up on groceries, and get a much-needed shower.
That night, a cold front came in and several inches of snow fell, but it was a dust on crust the next day. Regardless, we were still able to get a reasonable tour of the mountain, enough to inspire a return visit.
For some reason I was under the impression that Mt. Shasta Ski Park was primarily a beginner’s mountain. While I would definitely recommend Mt. Shasta for beginners and intermediates due to the amount of runs available to those perfecting their turns, I was surprised at the steepness of their more advanced runs and how much fun I had exploring. I was likely misled looking at an old trail map from the previous season.
Mt. Shasta opened the Gray Butte high-speed quad for the first time during this 2022/23 season. The new lift added 211 acres of skiable inbounds terrain, 620 feet to their top elevation, 6 intermediate and advanced runs, access to 250 acres of backcountry terrain, and created their new longest run at 3+ miles in length.
Plan Your RV/Van Life Road Trip to Mt. Shasta
skipark.com
4500 Ski Park Highway, McCloud, CA 96057
(530) 926-8610
thinksnow@skipark.com
Pass affiliation: Powder Alliance 2023/24, Indy Pass 2023/24
Lift operations: Sunday through Thursday 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, Friday and Saturday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Mountain Stats
- Skiable terrain: 635 acres
- Vertical: 2,036 feet
- Annual snowfall: 157 inches
Driving to Mt. Shasta
Mt. Shasta Ski Park is only 8.5 miles off of Interstate 5. You can get there quickly from many places in California and Oregon. While Lake Tahoe ski areas are closer to those of you living in California’s Bay Area, you might find your journey to and from Mt. Shasta will be shorter due to less traffic.
If you happen to be coming from the Reno/Lake Tahoe area, you’ll end up on the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway. If you’re not in a hurry and weather and road conditions are agreeable, consider a stop at Lassen Volcanic National Park for other winter activities like snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, snowman building, sledding, and backcountry skiing and snowboarding. The highway through the park is not open during winter, but you can still access the Manzanita Lake Area or Southwest Area. Self-contained vehicles are allowed to camp overnight in the Southwest Campground parking area. Visit Lassen Volcanic National Park’s Visiting in Winter page for more information.
Services are limited between Reno/Lake Tahoe and Mt. Shasta and cell reception is spotty. Susanville is a full-service town that will give you the most options if you’re traveling US Highway 395 north. If you need a place to rest, the Honey Lake Rest Area is about 20 minutes south of Susanville. It has always been open when we travel through that area but have a backup plan just in case.
The Bogard Rest Area was also open when we traveled past it in February 2023 and is about 30 minutes west of Susanville on CA-44.
Both rest areas allow you to park for 8 hours within a 24-hour period.
For a map and status of California Rest Areas, use the Caltrans Quick Map. Select the Options drop-down and then Rest Areas.
Note: When I checked the Caltrans QuickMap, it told me that the Bogard Rest Area was closed when it was actually open. Be prepared to go elsewhere if a rest area shows open but is actually closed.
Before you drive to Mt. Shasta Ski Park, check road conditions using Caltrans and Mt. Shasta’s Road Conditions page.
Parking at Mt. Shasta
Mt. Shasta can get very busy on weekends and during holiday periods. Please see Mt. Shasta’s Roads & Parking page for tips and information to have the best experience possible.
For parking closest to the lifts, you’ll probably want to arrive at least one hour before the lifts start spinning at 9:00 am. When you’re driving up Ski Park Highway on your last leg to the ski area, stay to the left when you reach the digital sign for the uppermost parking. The digital sign might offer directions at times, but when we were there, it just said WELCOME. The parking was not at risk of filling up on Monday, February 13th and Tuesday, February 14th (Valentine’s Day).
For the lower lot (second tier) and the longest walk, stay to the right of the digital sign. If you happen to enter the upper lot first, the road will come around to the second tier lot at its end.
I believe there are three other lower lots that are accessible from the second tier. You can see them if you’re looking at a satellite view of the ski area. It wasn’t busy enough during our visit for anyone to have to park down there.
Tips on How to Ski/Ride Mt. Shasta
See Mt. Shasta Ski Park’s Trail Map to follow along below. This is what we took away from our visit:
If you’re a beginner or a new intermediate, start your day on the Marmot Triple. There are several groomed runs for you to spend the day or just warm up.
If you’re feeling adventurous, you can push your skills on the Coyote Triple and Douglas Triple.
Before you go, check Mt. Shasta’s Detailed Snow & Trail Report for which runs will be groomed around those lifts. Even though the Gray Butte Quad accesses some blue runs, I wouldn’t recommend this area for beginners and intermediates as it requires some walking and skating and your energy is probably best spent on your skills practice. Those runs are also less likely to be groomed.
Head to the top of the Coyote Triple, Douglas Triple, and Gray Butte Quad for the best views of the Mount Shasta Wilderness.
For the longest, black runs, use the Douglas Triple.
If you like trees, check out the terrain as you’re riding up the Coyote Triple.
The Backside trees also looked fun, as well as the trees you can see from the Gray Butte Quad. It was too icy underneath the fresh snow for us to want to venture too much off-piste but maybe next time.
It took us a few runs between the Coyote Triple and the Douglas Triple to figure out how to get to the Gray Butte Quad. From the top of Coyote Butte, there is a yellow sign with a skull and crossbones to mark an out-of-bounds area. This is the only way to ski “down” to the Gray Butte Quad.
An avalanche beacon is recommended as this area is not patrolled and avalanche mitigation does not appear to be performed. When you pass the yellow sign, it’s very easy to see the path down.
You should be an advanced rider that feels comfortable in off-piste terrain. A strong intermediate might be able to do it with optimal conditions.
Don’t get stuck in the gully at the bottom!
Without going through the out-of-bounds area, you must take the Douglas Triple to North Saddle to Get Back to the bottom of the Gray Butte Quad. Get Back shows as a blue run but it’s a cat track. From the intersection of North Saddle and Get Back, it’s an uphill walk to the bottom of the Gray Butte Quad. Depending on your fitness level, my guess is that it could take 20 minutes or more. It seemed that Mt. Shasta might sometimes offer a shuttle, but I can’t find any specific information about it.
Now the only way out of the Gray Butte area is to ski/ride Get Back the opposite direction that some people walk in. I said to Kyle as I was writing this…is it possible that a run can be uphill in both directions? When we left the Gray Butte lift, there was a downhill section where you want to do your best to get as much speed as you can. But I definitely spent a lot of time skating my way up the hill to get to the North Saddle run and I was feeling pretty sweaty by the end of it.
My suggestion is that if you take the time to get over to Gray Butte, get in as many runs as you can because you’re probably not going to want to do the journey again.
Where to Sleep in Your Van/RV
Mt. Shasta Ski Park allows complimentary overnight RV parking for up to 3 nights. When you walk from the parking lot to the base area, enter the red building with the sign by the door that says Information, Group Sales, Lost & Found, Security.
Walk into the office immediately to your left to request a permit. Make sure you know your license plate number or numbers if you have a trailer. They will also ask for your phone number.
We were instructed to park between two poles with red tape that you’ll see while you drive up Ski Park Highway to the right of the digital sign where the road splits.
This area slopes a little, and your ability to get level will depend on snow conditions. It might also be very muddy as it was when we arrived. It was better after a snowstorm blew through. There was only one other trailer present and there was probably space for about ten rigs total depending on their size. While we walked to and from the base area from our RV parking spot, some people might find it a bit on the far side. There are no amenities.
Our AT&T cell service worked well here for texting, emailing, and streaming entertainment. We didn’t feel the need to set up our Starlink.
Mount Shasta City KOA Holiday – 12.9 miles / 25 minutes in Mt. Shasta – We didn’t stay overnight here but we stopped by to use their showers. While we generally find KOA showers to be clean, we felt the ones at this one were exceptional. The water was hot and exactly what we needed. The bathroom even has a heater that you can turn on with a timer knob to make the space’s temperature a little cozier.
When we arrived at the KOA, there was nobody in the office as they were away at lunch. We decided to stop by without calling ahead, so we patiently waited out front in our van. When the front office person was driving back into the property, she was kind enough to stop and let us know she’d be back in the office soon. I shared we were interested in showers, so she was happy to provide us the bathroom code and gave me instructions on how to pay using a dropbox. We would definitely consider staying there in the future.
While we weren’t there long, AT&T service worked well enough for us to text, email, and browse online.
Where to Find Conveniences Near Mt. Shasta
For the most options, head to the town of Mount Shasta, 20 minutes from Mt. Shasta Ski Park. We stocked up on groceries at Ray’s Food Place. It wasn’t my favorite store for organic food options and other products, but I was able to get what I needed to make our meals. We tried to fill up our 3-gallon jugs here but the water refill station was throwing an error. It was pretty cold and the machine was outside, so we think the temperature just wasn’t agreeable. We’ve had this problem in other places where temperatures get below freezing and the water refill stations are outside.
If you’re looking for WiFi, there is a Starbucks in the town of Mount Shasta.
If you are traveling north to Mt. Shasta Ski Park on I-5, check out Redding (75 minutes south) for all the best options.
If you are traveling south on I-5 from Oregon, stop in Ashland (90 minutes north) for the most conveniences.
If you’re traveling south on US-97 from Oregon, stop in Klamath Falls (less than 2 hours north).
If you’re coming from the Lake Tahoe area, I’d stock up on whatever you need there before leaving.
Closest Ski Areas to Mt. Shasta
- Mt. Ashland Ski Area (Indy Pass 2023/24) – 84.7 miles / 1.75 hours in Ashland, OR
- Willamette Pass (Power Pass 2023/24) – 195 miles / 3.5 hours in Crescent Lake, OR
