State Parks and National Parks

The Bizz Johnson Trail, extending for 25 miles between Susanville and Mason Station, is ideal for cross-country skiing in winter and hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding in summer.

The scenery is spectacular, especially along the Susan River canyon area. The hiking is moderate and there are 12 bridges and two unlighted tunnels along the trail.

The trail was born two decades ago after a flood destroyed a railroad bridge and the Southern Pacific abandoned the rail route. Congressman Harold T. "Bizz" Johnson, the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service all assisted in purchasing the trail.

The trail follows the old Fernley and Lassen Branch Line of the Southern Pacific railroad, extending 25.4 miles from Susanville to Mason Station five miles north of Westwood. For the first 16 miles, the trail follows the Susan River.

As it winds through the rugged Susan River Canyon, the trail crosses the river 12 times over railroad bridges and trestles and passes through two tunnels. The landscape is a combination of semi-arid canyon and upland forests of pine and fir.

The trail then follows existing roads an additional 4.5 miles into Westwood, where a railroad station type kiosk and a 25-foot carved redwood statue of Paul Bunyan mark the Westwood trailhead.

The Susanville Depot Visitor Center at 601 Richmond Road is open from May through October on the east end of the trail. The Lassen County Visitor Center on Third St. is open in summer.

Photo credits in order: Courtesy of Bureau of Land Management. Courtesy of Bureau of Land Management.