Shedding stress at Shasta’s rustic hot springs

A middle-aged couple, each dressed in nothing but a thin sheet, stood on the riverbank and contemplated the rushing water of Parks Creek. From my spot on the nearby bathhouse deck, I could see the dry-erase board where someone had scribbled the water temperature: 40 degrees.

The man dipped in a toe and yanked it back. Sensible folks would have retreated to the sauna. But then they would have been deprived of the full Stewart Mineral Springs experience.

There is a method to enjoying the rich mineral waters at this bohemian resort near the base of Mt. Shasta. It starts with a short, nearly scalding soak in one of 15 individual tubs in the bathhouse. The filmy therapeutic waters are so rich in earthly deposits that more than 10 minutes at a time can irritate the skin.

So it’s then on to the giant, wood-fired sauna for as long as you can stand it. And finally, the dunk into the icy creek. Soak-sauna-swim. Repeat three times.

The swim is crucial. Native American lore has it that the dip into the icy-cold creek washes all the surface toxins off your body, removing the stress from your life and boosting the immune system. The man standing creek-side below understood that. He stepped out of his sheet and within moments was fully submerged and swimming around as if in a heated pool.

I was impressed. My own dip into the creek was far shorter.

The remarkable thing was that I went in at all. Yet in this steaming-hot melting pot of Stewart Mineral Springs, guarded urban types like me mix freely with the clumps of New Agers, lumberjacks and granolas. On an earlier visit, as my wife, Erin, and I walked up the driveway, an older woman in a sundress had momentarily stopped packing her microbus to greet us: “Hello beautiful peoples!”

We first happened upon Stewart Mineral Springs a couple of years ago. We had recently moved to Sacramento and were looking to spend a summer weekend at a mountain town not yet sterilized to suit the traveling hordes seeking an inland Sausalito.

Still relatively new to California, Erin and I were unaware that here the words “hot springs” were synonymous with “naked people.” When we arrived, the thickly wooded grounds, in a canyon with meandering footpaths, bridges and gazebos, seemed empty. We strolled silently under the tall trees and over the soft beds of pine needles, down to the creek. A few yards off stood a large woman, buck naked, her tattooed back to us. Erin put her hand over her mouth to muffle a gasp.

The next morning, we headed down to the springs with every intention of soaking in one of the 15 private bathing rooms and making a quick, fully clothed escape. But once in the steaming hot tub, the draw of the creek became irresistible.

Soon, we too were skinny-dipping in the freezing waters.

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California’s rustic side

JUST off Interstate 5 in the northern reaches of the state, the springs are in a part of California that doesn’t seem like California at all. Lumber mills. Rail yards. General stores. Northern Maine comes more readily to mind.

The facilities at Stewart Mineral Springs, for better or worse, are equally rugged. Burke Williams this place is not. It has an aging summer camp feel. Creaky floors. Plastic deck furniture. Mineral-stained tubs.

A narrow hallway passes through the wood-shingled bathhouse, past the private-tub cubicles, ending in a common space where a fire crackles in a wood stove. Guests shuffle through on their way to the sprawling porch overlooking the creek.

Signs urge silence, and New Age music wafts softly through the hallway. The quiet is periodically interrupted by the manager, a gruff woman, stomping through, directing patrons to this tub or that, or bursting into the sauna to toss impossibly large logs into the stove.

On our most recent trip (in April), Erin and I decided to forgo the battered $50 rooms at the springs and splurge on an inn in McCloud, a well-preserved 108-year-old lumber town 25 miles south. Our first night there we had the run of the Guest House, a giant, century-old Victorian with three common rooms, a sprawling wraparound front porch and a rolling front lawn.

We wondered how this inn and a handful of others like it could stay in business in McCloud. The next night we understood: A crowd of rail enthusiasts arrived for the weekly excursion of the Shasta Sunset Dinner Train. Every guest at the inn but us had paid $89.95 for a three-hour moving feast along the rail line.

We were content to experience the region’s railroad history alongside the tracks, strolling through the historic downtowns that were built around trains. During a morning jog through McCloud, we passed a nifty general store, the majestic McCloud Hotel and the mill that kept the community prosperous for the earlier part of the 20th century.

Nearby Dunsmuir offers a picture-perfect Main Street, where the Sacramento River runs right through downtown. The town was originally called Pusher, owing to the extra engines needed to push trains up the steep canyon to get there. The locals changed it as part of a deal with a Canadian, named Dunsmuir, who was fond of the place and built the fountain now at the city park.

Parts of the town are slowly emerging from their time warp. The brick industrial buildings by the railroad tracks are being converted into art galleries. They share the block with Cafe Maddalena, a Mediterranean bistro, with cozy wood paneling and an open kitchen, that seemed more San Francisco than Shasta.

The tenderloin was terrific, but not everything on the menu was a hit. A salad of Gruyere and shallots didn’t quite work out. We made a mental note to stick to the basics on our next visit.

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Magnificent falls

DUNSMUIR is in the shadow of the towering granite formations of Castle Crags State Park. Erin and I set out to trek to the base of the glacier-carved crags after our first hot springs soak. A short way up the steep trail, we realized our mistake. We were so lethargic from soaking that our bodies resisted aerobic exercise.

We hiked on, if only to have a good excuse to treat ourselves to another trip to the springs the next day. The trail was almost exclusively ours. On the three-hour walk, the only other people we encountered were a trio of hikers and a lone trail runner.

After a couple of hours at the springs the next day, we stopped in the town of Mount Shasta to pick up a picnic lunch at the Berryvale Grocery. The store is stocked with aisles of organic products and a rack of Nepalese clothes. Erin browsed while I perused the tofu-rich lunch menu at a cafe in back.

Driving back south toward Sacramento, we made a detour to McArthur-Burney Falls. The falls were 40 miles down a peaceful two-lane highway from which forest spreads in all directions. Off to one side, Mt. Shasta sprouted up from the landscape. The giant snowy mass remained in view for a good part of the trip home.

About 100 million gallons of water crash over the 129-foot falls daily. Despite their remoteness, they are too spectacular to remain a hidden gem. By summertime, this park will be bustling with tourists. To accommodate them, the state has constructed a sprawling parking lot and a hulking visitor’s center. We were lucky to be there in the shoulder season. The parking lot was nearly empty, and the path to the falls uncrowded.

Other visitors turned back at the point where the icy spray from the falls begins to blanket the walkway. We soldiered on.

We stood at the base of the river, letting the mist cover us, relishing our last opportunity to wash any remaining stresses away.

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GETTING THERE:

Stewart Mineral Springs is in Weed, 615 miles north of Los Angeles on Interstate 5. The closest airports are in Redding, Calif., and Medford, Ore., each about an hour’s drive away. Nonstop flights to both are available on Alaska, starting at $301 round trip.

WHERE TO STAY:

The Guest House, 606 W. Colombero Drive, McCloud; (530) 964-3160, www.themccloudguesthouse.com. A stately Victorian home with six spacious rooms, giant claw-foot tubs and a lovely wraparound porch. The inn is central to the town’s history, having been the residence of an early lumber baron and the guest house of choice for dignitaries passing through McCloud. Doubles $125-$175.

McCloud River Inn, 325 Lawndale Court, McCloud; (530) 964-2130, www.riverinn.com. Another lovely Victorian home. Two of its five rooms have extra beds and can accommodate families. Summer doubles $106-$175.

Stewart Mineral Springs, 4617 Stewart Springs Road, Weed; (530) 938-2222, www.stewartmineralsprings.com. Low-frills rooms and cabins with worn furniture, but a spectacular setting. Tepees and camping space also available. Summer doubles from $50-$95. Mineral bath, $25 per person, includes as many trips to the sauna and dips in the icy cold creek as you like.

WHERE TO EAT:

Cafe Maddalena, 5801 Sacramento Ave., Dunsmuir; (530) 235-2725, www.cafemaddalena.com. High-end Mediterranean bistro with a cozy wood-paneled dining room and a neat open kitchen. Dinner only, Thursdays to Sundays. Reservations suggested. Entrees $16.25-$22.50.

Berryvale Grocery, 305 S. Mt. Shasta Blvd., Mount Shasta; (530) 926-1576. Aisles of organic foods and a great cafe in the back. Perfect for vegetarians. Open for lunch. Sandwiches and casseroles: $5-$8.

Casa Ramos, 1136 S. Mt. Shasta Blvd., Mount Shasta; (530) 926-0250, www.casaramos.net. A festive Mexican chainlet with huge portions of authentic fare. Open lunch and dinner. Entrees $5.50-$15.50.

TO LEARN MORE:

Castle Crags State Park, 2000 Castle Creek Road, Castella; (530) 235-2684, www.parks.ca.gov. The park is six miles south of Dunsmuir off Interstate 5. Entrance fee $6 per vehicle, $5 for seniors. Has 60 camp sites as well, $20 per night.

McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, 24898 California 89, Burney; (530) 335-2777, www.parks.ca.gov. A path takes you right up close to the thundering falls. Entrance fee $6 per vehicle. Also has 128 camp sites, $20 per night.

Mt. Shasta Chamber of Commerce and Visitors’ Bureau, 300 Pine St., Mount Shasta, CA 96067; (800) 926-4865, mtshastachamber.com.

-- Evan Halper