For spring break 2022, I took my girls (ages 6 and 12) on a 4-day road trip in Northern California and Oregon. It included the Shasta Caverns, Mc Cloud Falls (right outside Mount Shasta), Cave Junction (where we stayed in a treehouse), Big Cats World Park, Crescent City where we went to Ocean World to pet sharks, and the Sequoia Park Zoo in Eureka.
We left our hometown and headed for the Shasta Caverns. We plugged the address into the GPS (20359 Shasta Caverns Rd. Lakehead, CA 96051-9677).
It took us to their gift shop where we paid for the tour. I believe it was about $40 for 16 and over and $15 for 3–6-year-olds. We browsed the super cute store for a bit before we headed down tons of stairs to get down to the trail that led to the lake.
Shasta Caverns
The lake was pretty low due to the drought and lack of rain this year. At the bottom we got on a boat which took us across the lake to the other side. It was FREEZING COLD. There is no other access to that side.
Once we got there, we got into a bus that took us to the top. It was a very bumpy ride. My youngest was a little scared, at first but later said this was her favorite part.
There we made our way into the caverns. It was gorgeous. The temperature inside doesn’t change so luckily it wasn’t freezing inside.
Afterwards we made our way back and climbed way back up the hill to the gift shop. We planned to stay in Mount Shasta, but still had some time before our check in. So, we decided to go to Mc Cloud Falls which wasn’t too far away.
We parked in the parking lot closest to the Middle Falls. We walked the trail from the Middle falls to the Upper Falls and back. It was a super easy walk and didn’t take long at all.
Mc Cloud Falls
We got up the next day and headed to Oregon and stopped in Ashland Oregon at a rest stop because we go out of the snow just so the youngest could play. We made a mini snow man and threw some snowballs at each other.
We drove up to Cave Junction Oregon and went to the Big Cats World Park. I am a huge cat person, and this was the most amazing experience I have ever had with Big Cats! It’s a rather small park, but the experience is like no other! Check out their website below.
The cats were so interactive with the lady giving the tour. I took so many pictures and videos. I am only choosing a few to post. They were beautiful!
A few of the cats from the Great Cats World Park
It snowed and rained (a mixture of both) the entire tour. We were soaked and cold by the time we were done. We went in the gift shop to warm up (and of course buy something- since we bought souvenirs at every stop we made). This 4-day road trip has been amazing so far but we were so excited for our next stop!
We went to stay in a TREEHOUSE! This is the one we stayed in.
Treehouse Adventure in Cave Junction
When we got to the treehouse, it was raining. Then it continued to rain ALL NIGHT LONG. We just stayed inside, watched movies, did a puzzle and just hung out in there and spent time together. As we laid at the top of the treehouse to go to sleep, we just listened to the rain.
This would be a super fun place to visit in the summer as they have a seasonal pool, yard games, campfire, swing set… so much to do. They have 4 treehouses on their property. We need to go back there for sure!
The next morning, we packed up and headed to Crescent City so we could go to Ocean World to pet the sharks! My oldest did this when she was about 6, so we wanted to go back. It was so cool. They were so soft.
Ocean World
Then we watched the seal do tricks for us and looked at all the sea life in the aquarium. This is a very cool place to experience.
After that, we headed down the coastline and it just continued to rain. We were going to go into Trees of Mystery but it would have been miserable, so we just stopped for a picture and then went into the gift store and headed on down the road.
There’s a few other stops we were going to make but with it raining we just drove straight down to Eureka since we got a hotel with an indoor pool. We just swam the rest of the day.
The next day we went to the Sequoia Park Zoo in Eureka. The had a lot of construction going on and a few of the exhibits were closed. We were pretty bummed about that. The animals did not compare to the Big Cats World Park. I’m not sure any zoo ever will to be honest. They did have a sky walk among the trees that we got to do since we missed out on the ones at the Trees of Mystery. We met up with an old friend of mine from the military and got to let our kids hang out for a bit. That was fun.
After that, we headed home. The drive home after the last stop is always the worst, but we had a great time. For a 4-day road trip, we sure did see a lot.
For anyone looking for road trip ideas, this one was a lot of fun. It’s never fun to do things in the rain though, so that was the worst part. This trip would be amazing in the spring, summer or fall. Just check the weather and make sure there isn’t rain in your forecast.