Trail Overview
Nestled within the breathtaking Shasta-Trinity National Forest, this route climbs through a beautifully dense, lush evergreen woodland that slowly thins out as you approach the alpine summit. The public primarily travels this wonderfully maintained forest road to access the active Bonanza King Lookout tower, which rewards visitors with incredible, sweeping 360-degree views stretching from majestic Mount Shasta all the way to Trinity Lake. Navigating is straightforward thanks to prominent brown forest service signs marking the way to the Bonanza King Lookout along route 38N85. As you make your way up, you will cross a sturdy bridge over a small creek—though there is no easy access to the water—and pass by several inviting turnoffs that make for pleasant, highly visible campsites. The well-cleared track is mostly a single-car width where fallen logs have been freshly cut back from the edges, but it offers plenty of convenient turnouts and passing spaces along the way. Near the top, the road narrows significantly as it squeezes through an open metal gate, eventually terminating at a spacious dirt parking area. Because there is absolutely no room to turn around at the tower itself, visitors must park at this lower dirt lot and enjoy a short, scenic walk up the final steep driveway to reach the destination.
Difficulty
Earning a moderate Grade 3 difficulty rating, this mostly single-lane dirt and gravel forest road begins smoothly but becomes much more demanding near the summit. The driving surface consistently alternates between patches of soft dirt, packed sawdust, and freshly laid gravel of varying sizes. The primary obstacles of note on this route are the steep pitches of rough gravel and loose cobbles encountered on the final climb just past the open metal gate. These loose, shifting rocks combined with the incline can quickly cause a loss of traction. To safely navigate this final push, maintain a very slow, steady, and deliberate momentum to keep your tires firmly planted without spinning out.
