California
Bizz Johnson Trail Activities and Events
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Each year in the early Fall, visitors and residents flock to the Susanville Depot, 601 Richmond Rd, for the Rails to Trails Festival. This is one of those events that will draw families and enthusiasts year after year so be prepared to get "hooked." Come prepared for weather changes and you will thoroughly enjoy yourselves!!
Schedule for 2008 Festival
October 3: BBQ Dinner 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. or until the food is gone; Railroad Handcar rides $1.00, 5p.m.´till dark; beverage booth; live music; free caboose tours.
October 4: Railroad handcar racing all day; Chili cook-off & salsa contest and tasting - judging at noon; Arts & Crafts fair - live music.
October 5: Mountain Bike Rides on the Bizz - 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Shuttle Bus fee $6, $7 or $10 --- ride 7, 18, 25 or 30 miles.
For more details, contact the Depot at (530) 257-4323 or the Eagle Lake Field Office at (530) 257-0456
OTHER SPECIAL EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES (530) 257-0456/4323 for additional information:
Fall Color Bike Rides Saturday October 25, 2008, 8:30 and 11:00a.m Call above phone numbers for bus shuttle.
Whistle Stop Lecture Series at the Susanville Depot
Presentations on a wide range of historic, natural resource and human
interest topics. For a current listing, call Lassen Land and Trails Trust,
(530) 257-3252.
TRAIL MUSEUMS
Susanville Depot Trailhead Visitor Center and Museum
601 Richmond Road, Susanville - (530) 257-3252
This is the main trailhead and visitor center for the Bizz Johnson Trail. The Depot provides trail information, interpretive displays and videos and includes a bookstore and gift shop. Bike rentals are also available. Trail information is posted outside the depot for year-round use. The Bizz Johnson trail starts at the Depot and follows the railroad tracks west across Richmond Road and into Susan River Canyon. The railroad tracks end 1/4 mile west of the Depot, where the trail becomes a smooth old railroad bed.
The Depot will be open:
9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily May-September
9 a.m.-4 p.m. M-F winter hours
Westwood Museum
311 Ash Street, Westwood, CA 96137 - (530) 256-2233. It's best to call to confirm hours of this all-volunteer museum. The Red River Lumber Company, was once the largest pine lumber mill in the world - and the main user of the rail-trail that now offers recreation to many. Stop in at the Westwood Museum to see photos of the company's mill, the town and the Fernley and Lassen Branch Railroad. Formed in 1914 to carry lumber from Westwood to the Southern Pacific main line at Fernley, Nevada, the Fernley and Lassen Railroad was the key transportation link that made the lumber company's mill in Westwood possible.
The mill gradually declined and the railroad branch closed in 1956. Abandoned for 20 years, 25 miles of the railroad bed
were then reborn as the Bizz Johnson Trail.
Lassen County Visitor Center
Westwood Station
462-885 Third Street
Westwood, CA 96137
Located in a replica of the historic Westwood Railroad Depot, this new facility provides visitor information about the Westwood area and Lassen County. Monday - Friday, 9a.m. to 1p.m. Call (530) 256-2456 for more information.
A bus that will carry bikes runs between Westwood and Susanville Monday through Friday. For current schedule and bus stops, call Lassen Rural Bus at (530) 252-7433. On weekends or at times not served by the bus, you may be able to arrange for a van shuttle. Call Susanville Express at (530) 257-5277.
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