Overview
Yreka (pronounced wye-ree-kuh) is a city of 7,500 people (2019) in Siskiyou County in the Shasta Cascades region of California. Yreka is home to the College of the Siskiyous, Klamath National Forest Interpretive Museum and the Siskiyou County Museum.
2 sights · 2 things to do · 2 places to eat · 3 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Yreka
Greenhorn Park
A city park with Greenhorn Reservoir, which is a good place to feed the ducks. The park has many trails around it and a main trail that encompasses the reservoir. This trail is less than a mile and well maintained. It al…
Old Town Yreka
Taking exit 775 and traveling west on Miner Street will take you through Old Town Yreka. Miner Street is lined with many old stone buildings.
Siskiyou Golden Fairgrounds
During August they hold the Siskiyou Golden Fair. The area is almost all grass or paved walkway. There is a rodeo, talent show, destruction derby and a concert every year at the fair. Also held at the fairground are the …
Mountain Valley Paintball
Grenada
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct. Summer highs reach about 92°F; winter lows dip to about 32°F. Very hot (Jul, Aug) — plan outdoor time for mornings. Wettest: Dec and Jan. (climate data from nearby Medford)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- MFR Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport, Medford — 46 mi away. Directions
- CEC Jack Mc Namara Field Airport, Crescent City — 82 mi away. Directions
- RNO Reno Tahoe International Airport, Reno — 215 mi away (major hub). Directions
There are a few ways to get into Yreka. The easiest and most common is via Interstate 5. There are three exits from Interstate 5 into Yreka, 773, 775 and 776. If you are looking for fast food take exit 773. There is a McDonald's, Burger King, Carl's Junior, Subway and a Taco Bell. Exits 775 and 776 do not have fast food nearby. Exit 773 also has a Shell gas station. Exit 775 has a few different gas stations including Chevron and another Shell. 775 also has a 24hr Denny's nearby. If you are trying to get to Old Town Yreka 775 would be the exit to take. 776 has a Casa Ramos near it which is a sit down Mexican restaurant. It also has a USA Gas station that usually has the cheapest gas in town.
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
No prices are listed for this place yet. See the Sleep guide ↓ for options.
Sample 1-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning Greenhorn Park, Old Town Yreka
- Lunch Casa Ramos
- Afternoon Siskiyou Golden Fairgrounds, Mountain Valley Paintball
- Dinner Black Bear Diner
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
Cuisine (tap to filter)
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
Get in
There are a few ways to get into Yreka. The easiest and most common is via Interstate 5. There are three exits from Interstate 5 into Yreka, 773, 775 and 776. If you are looking for fast food take exit 773. There is a McDonald's, Burger King, Carl's Junior, Subway and a Taco Bell. Exits 775 and 776 do not have fast food nearby. Exit 773 also has a Shell gas station. Exit 775 has a few different gas stations including Chevron and another Shell. 775 also has a 24hr Denny's nearby. If you are trying to get to Old Town Yreka 775 would be the exit to take. 776 has a Casa Ramos near it which is a sit down Mexican restaurant. It also has a USA Gas station that usually has the cheapest gas in town.
Other ways into Yreka include Highway 3 which enters from the south and the east, Old Highway 99 which enters from the south, Highway 263 which enters from the north, and Oberlin road which parallels Highway 3 as it enters from the east.
Get around
Yreka is a very small town. Walking is almost always an option as well as a bicycle. There isn't much traffic in Yreka so a car is effective as well. The bus system in Yreka mainly runs to more rural areas around Yreka, but also runs within Yreka some. Taxi services come and go within Yreka, sometimes there is a taxi service and sometimes there isn't.
See
The most impressive sights in Yreka are the mountains around it. Mt. Shasta can easily be seen from many places in Yreka.
See Greenhorn Park
A city park with Greenhorn Reservoir, which is a good place to feed the ducks. The park has many trails around it and a main trail that encompasses the reservoir. This trail is less than a mile and well maintained. It also runs through the old mining town now referred to as Ghost Town. Ghost Town is a place where one can see old mining equipment and see where miners actually used to prospect in the early days of Yreka.
See Old Town Yreka
Taking exit 775 and traveling west on Miner Street will take you through Old Town Yreka. Miner Street is lined with many old stone buildings.
Do
Do Siskiyou Golden Fairgrounds
During August they hold the Siskiyou Golden Fair. The area is almost all grass or paved walkway. There is a rodeo, talent show, destruction derby and a concert every year at the fair. Also held at the fairground are the races. They take place on a dirt track. They have several divisions.
Buy
The easiest place to find things in Yreka is at Walmart. It is at the south end of town.
Eat
Eat Casa Ramos
A sit down Mexican restaurant. They have a variety of Mexican dishes. The service is good.
Eat Black Bear Diner
Black Bear Diner is also a sit down restaurant with good service.
Drink
As far as night life goes, there isn't much of it in Yreka. There are a few bars: The Rex Club and Jolley's Club.
Sleep
There are several motels in Yreka. There are almost always vacancies with several of the motels. One thing that does fill up the motels is that every few years Siskiyou Summit on I-5 gets shut down due to stormy conditions and severe snow. When this happens traffic is stopped at Yreka. There is not another safe way to go north from Yreka so the motels will fill up pretty quickly. Many people will sit on I-5 hoping to wait out the storm. It is important to exit I-5 and find a motel as soon as possible because they WILL fill up. Sometimes conventions are held in Yreka which will also affect availability. Prices for motels are fairly competitive in Yreka.
Nearby
Hornbrook
City / town · 3 listings · 13 mi away
Klamath River
City / town · 2 listings · 13 mi away
Etna
City / town · 7 listings · 23 mi away
Weed
City / town · 18 listings · 25 mi away
Callahan
City / town · 1 listings · 30 mi away
Ashland
City / town · 59 listings · 32 mi away
Mount Shasta
City / town · 6 listings · 33 mi away
Macdoel
City / town · 33 mi away
My experience
Write about your trip here. Notes save automatically in this browser as you type; back them up from My journal.