siskiyou county quality of life

8/14/2019 Siskiyou County Quality of Life

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http://www.siskiyoucounty.org/quality-of-life.htm

Siskiyou County Quality of Life

Although it has become a common phrase,Siskiyou County residents believe their"quality of life" is exceptional. It's aboutaffordable housing, first-rate schools andan advanced medical community ...surrounded by an atmosphere ofrecreational opportunities whether youprefer it leisurely or tough, indoors or out.Majestic Mount Shasta and Mount Ashlandtempt the outdoor enthusiast with hiking,climbing and skiing. Whitewater rafting andfishing along the many rivers thrill theaccomplished. Swimming and water skiingon nearby lakes can be an inspirationalexperience. Seven challenging golf courses near mountain lakes, or nestled in pastoralvalleys, delight locals and visitors alike. Two national forests, pristine wilderness areas,and wildlife refuges provide leisurely alternatives for weekend family outings.

For cultural experiences, enjoy or participate in the neighborhood, campus, and/orcommunity theaters. The Siskiyou Arts Council provides support to all the arts, includinga Registry of County Artists and an updated Calendar of Arts Events. TheShakespearean Festival and all the theaters in nearby southern Oregon are worldrenowned.

Public school students receive higher than state average on SATtest scores. Graduation rates are high... while drop out rates arelow. College of the Siskiyous, a two year community college withtwo campuses in the County, provides excellent educationalopportunities including day and evening classes, vocationalcourses, and transfer programs that articulate with the state'suniversities.

An active health care community provides a variety of services, as well as free annualfitness and wellness clinics. Siskiyou County has two hospitals, several licensedresidential care facilities, and physicians and surgeons practicing a broad cross sectionof medical specialties.

Educational facilities include College of the Siskiyous' two community campuses ... themain campus is based in Weed with an auxiliary campus in Yreka. Affordable housing

and other amenities are assets which add up to an increasingly powerful ability to aidcurrent businesses and attract new companies, jobs and investment to Siskiyou County.A remote educational computer center in Happy Camp brings college facilities to thewestern reaches of the County, and other sites are being developed.

Libraries are conveniently located throughout the county with the mainSiskiyou County Library being in Yreka, and College of the SiskiyousLibrary in Weed.
http://www.siskiyouartscouncil.org/registry.htmhttp://www.siskiyouartscouncil.org/calendar.htmhttp://www.orshakes.org/http://www.orshakes.org/http://www.orshakes.org/http://www.orshakes.org/http://www.siskiyouartscouncil.org/calendar.htmhttp://www.siskiyouartscouncil.org/registry.htm


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Year Round Things to Do and Places to Go in Siskiyou County

The State of Jefferson was almostAmerica's 49th state. It consisted of 4-

counties which, in 1941, were in the process

of seceding due to the lack of governmentinvolvement, especially with roads. When

Pearl Harbor was bombed, the war took

center stage and new statehood was never

achieved. Today many of Thomas Jefferson's

ideals and a deep sense of individuality

remain in the hearts of many who live in the

State of Jefferson region: Del Norte, Siskiyou, and Modoc counties in California, and Curry

County, Oregon.

The Living Memorial Sculpture Garden is located off Hwy 97, north of Weed, just onemile north of County Road A-12, and consists of 10 sculptures that memorialize all

Veterans and the events of war. It has easy access and can be viewed by walking ordriving.

Mt. Shasta Bike, Board, and Ski Park is located between Mt. Shasta and McCloud, offHwy 89. The Park boasts a total of 31-runs catering to the beginner and the advancedskier, snowboarder, mountain bike trail riders and Nordic enthusiasts. In the summermonths the Park offers: scenic chair lift rides, mountain biking, climbing tower, andvolcanic exhibits. 1-800-SKI-SHASTA. www.skipark.com.

Gliding, Soaring, Light Experimental Aircraft and Hot Air Balloon enthusiasts havediscovered Montague's exceptional air currents, where a Hot Air Balloon Fair is heldeach September.

Historic Trains abound in Siskiyou County. Railroad Park in Dunsmuir offers lodging invintage RR cars and cabooses. Yreka Western Railroad's Blue Goose ExcursionSteam Train has headquarters in Yreka, and McCloud's Shasta Sunset Dinner Trainruns from February thru August. For more information visit the Siskiyou County Visitors'Bureau's Railroading Page.

Petroglyph Point and the KlamathWildlife Refuges Petroglyph Point, nearthe Wildlife Refuges and Lava Beds nearTulelake, is a formation that was createdwhen a cinder cone erupted from the floor

of a tule lake to form an island of soft rock.Ancient carvings by native Americans arepreserved in the rock surface. The nearbywetlands are a center for wildlife and one ofthe major stops on the pacific flyway formigratory birds.
http://www.skipark.com/http://www.visitsiskiyou.org/railroad.htmlhttp://www.visitsiskiyou.org/railroad.htmlhttp://www.visitsiskiyou.org/railroad.htmlhttp://www.visitsiskiyou.org/railroad.htmlhttp://www.skipark.com/


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Evening Performances and Special Activities are often held at the Yreka CommunityTheater, Siskiyou Performing Arts in Yreka, College of the Siskiyous - Weed Campus,and Scott Valley Bank coordinates free summer concerts that are held in variescommunities throughout Siskiyou County. The Siskiyou Golden Fair offers variousactivities throughout the year, including auto racing and horse-related activities. Anupdated Calendar of Arts Events is maintained by the Siskiyou Arts Council.

Lava Beds National Monument in the Tulelake area, is a beautiful volcanic landscapethat showcases nearly all-volcanic features. There are more than 300 lava tubes, and anumber of mapped trails. Approximately 20 caves are open to the public. For visiting andevent information. see www.nps.gov/labe.

Captain Jacks Stronghold within the Lava Beds national Monument southwest ofTulelake, is a natural fortress that enabled the Modoc Indian warriors to hold off an armyforce of over 300 soldiers for more than six months. The army grew in numbers to 1000troops before the band of 160 Modocs surrendered in 1873. There are trails through thestronghold with a walking tour map available. Rangers are often available to answerquestions at the park's headquarters. The Stronghold is 5-miles south of Tulelake on

Hwy 139.

Siskiyou Performing Arts Center has been promoting creative arts within thecommunity for over 25 years. A wide variety of plays are offered throughout the year.The theater is located at 315 Yreka Street, across the street from the County Library inYreka. Visit the SPAC website at www.siskiyou-spac.org.

The Tallest Flagpole west of the Mississippi stands 200-feet tall inDorris, and is visible from Hwy 97.

A Million Dollar Gold Di$play is available to viewers in the lobby ofthe Siskiyou County Courthouse. This exhibit is claimed to be thelargest gold display south of Alaska. The interpretive display isarranged according to the site from which the gold was taken, andincludes photographs, descriptions and recollections of the miners.

Gold Panning opportunities may be available through the YrekaChamber of Commerce, at the Yreka Western Railroad, and theNew 49ers Prospecting Club in Happy Camp. For information onhow to try your hand at gold panning in Siskiyou County, visit theCounty Visitors' Bureau's Gold Page.

Mt. Ashland Ski Area is just north of the California-Oregon border, west of I-5, south of

Ashland. The ski area is 8-miles off I-5 with 23 ski trails, in addition to being in a glacialcirque called the bowl....visit www.mtashland.com.

Castle Crags State Park has soaring spires of ancient granite that often appear as anancient castle towering above Interstate-5 just south of Dunsmuir, and 2-miles west ofthe Sacramento River. It is estimated that the crags were formed 17-million years ago.The park has camping, picnic areas, interpretive programs, fishing and a rich history.
http://www.siskiyouartscouncil.org/calendar.htmhttp://www.siskiyoucounty.org/www.nps.gov/labe/http://www.siskiyou-spac.org/http://www.visitsiskiyou.org/goldpan.htmlhttp://www.mtashland.com/http://www.mtashland.com/http://www.visitsiskiyou.org/goldpan.htmlhttp://www.siskiyou-spac.org/http://www.siskiyoucounty.org/www.nps.gov/labe/http://www.siskiyouartscouncil.org/calendar.htm


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Hiking Trails are abundant throughout SiskiyouCounty. Contact the Upper Sacramento RiverExchange for a guide to hiking and biking trailsand swimming holes near Dunsmuir. Shasta-Trinity National Forest has information onclimbing Mt. Shasta and other southern Siskiyou

Trails. Phone 926-3781 or visitwww.fs.fed.us/r5/shastatrinity . For eastern,western and central trail information contact theKlamath National Forest at 842-6131 orwww.fs.fed.us/r5/klamath.

The Pacific Crest Trail spans 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada, going through threewestern states. There are numerous trailheads throughout Siskiyou County where onecan walk on the famous Trail. The Pacific Crest Trail Association web site atwww.pcta.org/offers abundant information on trail conditions, activities and access.

Scenic Tours, Highways, and Byways

Everett Memorial Highway goes 14-miles up Mt.Shasta where it ends at the old ski bowl. There areseveral trailheads and 3-rustic Forest Servicecampgrounds.

Tulelake National Wildlife Refuge Driving Tour Fseasons makes exceptional bird and wildlife watchTake Hwy 97 to Hwy 161 through the Lower KlamathWildlife Refuge, which is known to have the largestconcentration of bald eagles in the lower 48-states.The Refuge Visitor Center is off Hill Road, and has

maps of the levee roads that crisscross both refuges. Brochures are availability to helpidentify the most common species on the refuge

ouring.

s.

Western Siskiyou County Scenic Byway

you

Grayback Botanical Trail Tour (this portion ,

known as

Loop includes the Jefferson State ScenicByway north of Yreka (Hwy 263) to Hwy 96where Shasta River joins Klamath River tomeander west to Happy Camp. In HappyCamp follow the signs to go over the SiskiMountains to O'Brien, Oregon. The portionover the Siskiyous is often referred to as

of the road is not maintained during the winterso check at the Forest Service Ranger Stationin Happy Camp before taking thisroute).Bigfoot Scenic Byway, alsoHwy 96, the westerly portion runs betweenHappy Camp and Willow Creek. Legend has it that Bigfoot or Sasquatch, roams theisolated forests of the Pacific Northwest. Some this area has more sightings thananywhere in the world.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/shastatrinity/http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/klamath/http://www.pcta.org/http://www.pcta.org/http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/klamath/http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/shastatrinity/


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''Trinity River Scenic Byway (Hwy 299), runs between Redding and Arcata; however,Hwy 96 joins Hwy 299 at Willow Creek, and Hwy 3 joins Hwy 299 at Weaverville, for anice loop tour of Western Siskiyou County. The Trinity River Scenic Byway features avariety of cultural and historical glimpses of old mining, timber and Native Americanhistory.

Trinity Heritage Scenic Byway (Hwy 3), travels through some of the most beautiful andrugged portions of Trinity and Siskiyou counties: mountain lakes, gold rush history, andthe Pacific Crest Trail. The Byway goes between Weaverville and Gazelle or Etna.

Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway - All American Road connects Lassen VolcanicNational Park with Crater Lake National Park. The volcanic activity of the CascadeRange has created unique geological formations that can only be seen in the part ofAmerica. Some of the Siskiyou County portion travels on the Medicine Lake Highlands.McCloud - Hwy 89, I-5 to Weed, then take Hwy 97. More information can be found atwww.volcaniclegacybyway.org.

The historic Al-Can Highway (Hwy 97) startsin Weed and runs through the eastern portionsof three western states to Canada and Alaska.

Scott Valley has been likened to the Alps ofSwitzerland, it is 28-miles long x 1 to 6-mileswide that makes for an exceptional day looptrip amongst 4-principle communities thatprovide a unique glimpse into yesteryear.Etna's Drug Store is exceptional.
http://www.volcaniclegacybyway.org/http://www.volcaniclegacybyway.org/

siskiyou county quality of life

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