Bunny Flat Trailhead
Where the road ends and the mountain takes over. Bunny Flat is the four-season gateway to Mount Shasta's high country — the launching point for climbers and hikers, and an easy stop for anyone who just wants to stand among the firs and look up.
Bunny Flat: The Year-Round Gateway to Mount Shasta
Bunny Flat is the front door to Mount Shasta. Sitting at roughly 6,950 feet at the end of a twelve-mile drive up Everitt Memorial Highway from town, it's the mountain's busiest and most accessible trailhead. It offers a paved parking area with restrooms with the summit looming overhead. This is where nearly every mountain day begins: casual sightseers come for the views and a stroll, families spread out to picnic or sled depending on the season, and serious climbers stage here before heading up the classic Avalanche Gulch route to the top. Because both the road and the lot are plowed year-round, Bunny Flat is one of the few places on the mountain you can reach in any season. In winter it becomes the hub for snow play of every kind, from families sledding near the trailhead to snowshoers and backcountry skiers heading out across the powder fields, and mountaineers staging for a snowy summit bid.
The signature outing from here is the hike to Horse Camp, an established two-mile trail climbing gently through old-growth forest to the historic Sierra Club stone cabin at the edge of the treeline, around 7,900 feet. It's a rewarding half-day walk with some of the best up-close views of the mountain — and a popular snowshoe route once the snow falls. Day hikers, snowshoers, and backcountry skiers all share the trailhead, and even on a busy weekend the crowds tend to thin out quickly once you're on the trail.
A few practical notes: there's no drinking water at Bunny Flat, so bring your own, and anyone heading into the wilderness or above 10,000 feet will need the appropriate permits, which can be self-issued right at the trailhead. In winter, deep snow can change conditions quickly, so it's worth checking the local avalanche and weather forecast before heading out. For most guests, though, Bunny Flat is simply the easiest way to breathe the thin alpine air and feel the full scale of Mount Shasta rising in front of you.
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Drive to the end of Everitt Memorial Highway and you're already above the clouds. No hiking required, just pull over and take it in.
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From summit logistics to a quiet picnic spot we don't put on the map — the front desk has been doing this for years. Send us a note before you arrive, or stop by when you check in.