Dunsmuir also offers a variety of eateries. At the Cornerstone Bakery & Cafe, the cinnamon rolls are fresh baked and omelets with portobello mushrooms and apple wood bacon are popular. Or try Cafe Maddalena, which serves Mediterranean dishes such as grilled swordfish with preserved lemon, tomato, and capers.

Spend a cozy night at Dunsmuir's Cave Springs resort, set in an old-growth fir, oak, and pine forest on the edge of the Sacramento River. Quaint rental cabins put guests footsteps away from some of the best stream fishing in the state. Built in 1923, all the cabins have porches and kitchenettes and some still boast their original claw-foot tubs. But none have TVs or telephones; for more modern accommodations, stay in the resort's motel, which offers every amenity from a pool to HBO.

Don't leave town without taking a nature walk. Get off Interstate 5 at the North Dunsmuir exit to find a path leading to Hedge Creek Falls and yet another Dunsmuir fountain that locals claim has the sweetest water on earth. And at the top of the trail, catch the stunning view of Mount Shasta.