This is a great ride for someone who is doing hill climbing and elevation training. I would classify it a difficult due to the amount of total climbing. Take your time, bring a good amount of water and some snacks, and it is a great morning ride.
The other ride we did was a quick out and back on Old Stage Road. This is another ride where the road is fairly wide and mostly quiet if you wait until after the morning work traffic is over. If you start again on Lake Street and take it west this time over the freeway you will find yourself quickly at Old Stage Road. Heading north will take you about 10 miles through winding roads to the point where Highway 5 meets Old Hwy 99 just north of the town of Weed.
Heading south from Lake Street onto Old Stage Road will take you to Lake Siskiyou by turning right on West A Barr Rd.
We didn’t have a lot of time so we took the ride to the lake and then back north up Old Stage Road past Lake St, up to right turn on Deetz, a right turn on Summit Dr to Abrams Lake Road where we turned left and went over the freeway. From there we headed right on Spring Street to North Mt Shasta and then back to Lake Street. This is beautiful country and the roads are not horribly steep, but there are some good sized rollers. The whole ride is only about 20 miles and a nice one for beginners or a good sprint for someone who is advanced.
There are an unbelievable amount of roads that head up into the hills and mountains of the area to say nothing of heading north on Old Hwy 99 to Yreka and points north. It seemed endless to us when we were there. If you like bicycle touring, this would be an ideal spot for it.
The mountain biking is just as endless. There are many miles of dirt and gravel roads all around the mountain and especially in the areas north and east of there. If you are a mountain bike enthusiast and planning a trip to the area, make a quick stop at the Forest Service Visitors Center off of Pine Street on Alma in downtown Mt. Shasta. It has a great selection of maps and lots of good information on trails, roads, services, campgrounds, etc.
