Westwood's Trailhead Is Also Its Town Square: Third Street From Trunk or Treat to the Light Parade

The Bureau of Land Management lists the Bizz Johnson Trail's Westwood Trailhead as a simple kiosk and bulletin board. It stands in front of the Westwood Community Center on Third Street, beside the big statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. On the Westwood Area Chamber of Commerce's 2026 calendar, that same building and lawn host nearly every gathering between now and the first Friday in December.

So the trail season and the holiday season both start from one block in Westwood. The trail itself ends more than four miles out of town at Mason Station. The town's own gatherings stay close to Paul Bunyan, and the next six weeks follow the same pattern.

A lawn that has worked all year

The Community Center lawn has been busy since June. The Chamber's rules for the Westwood Friday Night Market put vendors on that lawn on Fridays from 4 to 7 p.m., from the first Friday in June through the last Friday in September. Then the Fall Harvest Festival took over on October 2, with a town-history hayride, a pumpkin patch and craft vendors at the Community Center.

The building now moves indoors for the cold months, and the trail kiosk out front stays where it is. The Rails to Trails Conservancy's August 2026 Trail of the Month feature reports that about 132,000 hikers, bikers, anglers and other visitors used the Bizz in the year ending September 2025. The same article notes that Stan Bales, the BLM recreation coordinator who first walked the abandoned rail line in 1976, retired in spring 2026 after 50 years at the Eagle Lake Field Office. Adam Butler, a Susanville native, now holds the position.

The calendar, block by block

Here is the Chamber's late-fall schedule for 2026, with where each event happens. Most of it is within a short walk of the statues.

Trunk or Treat is on Birch Street, one block over from the Community Center. Buffalo Chips Pizza is listed in the Chamber's member directory at 322 Birch St., right on the block where the cars will be lined up. The restaurant's own menu page says it is "Now Serving" pizza, sandwiches, soups and salads. It doesn't post hours, so calling (530) 260-2412 before you go is the safe plan.

The Holiday Shopping Tour covers the whole basin, and the Lake Almanor Area Chamber's tour page lists Westwood and Clear Creek among the stops. As of mid-October, the list of participating businesses still says "Coming Soon."

Thanksgiving weekend pairs two events. The Chamber's Holiday Bazaar listing describes a two-day Christmas craft fair that runs alongside Small Business Saturday. Small Business Saturday falls on November 28 and the bazaar on Sunday, November 29, at the Community Center, so together they fill November 28–29.

What keeps the building warm between the big dates

The weekly schedule matters more than the headline events, because it fills the weekdays between them. The Chamber's October 2026 calendar lists line dancing on Mondays from 1 to 2:30 p.m. and cornhole on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 to 4 p.m., both at the Westwood Community Center.

Some of the town's other regulars meet a few blocks up Ash Street:

• Crossroad Ministries serves a free lunch every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from noon to 1:15 p.m. at Assembly of God Church, 624 Ash St.
• Westwood Family Resource Center holds food giveaways on the second and fourth Fridays of the month from 2 to 4 p.m.
• The Westwood Museum at 311 Ash St. keeps photos and exhibits on the town's logging history. The museum's number is (530) 256-2233, and calling ahead before a winter visit is the reliable way to check hours.

The trail outside comes from the same logging era as the museum's exhibits. It follows the old Fernley and Lassen Branch Line of the Southern Pacific, which the Rails to Trails Conservancy describes as an abandoned logging line.

From the kiosk to the end of the line

The town-side kiosk is a starting point. The BLM brochure's directions turn it into a short drive:

1. Follow Ash Street 1.2 miles north to the junction of Highway 36 and Lassen County Road A-21.
2. Continue north on the paved road for 2.9 miles to Lassen County Road 101, just before the railroad tracks.
3. Turn right and follow the dirt road 0.4 mile to the Mason Station Trailhead.

The brochure says Mason Station sits in a scenic pine grove with picnic tables, fire pits, grills, a vault toilet and a water spigot at the upper parking area. The BLM brochure was drafted in 2021, so think of those amenities as BLM's description rather than a report on this week's conditions.

The trail starts gently from that end. According to the brochure, many riders begin at Mason Station and climb 300 feet over 7.5 miles, then descend 1,355 feet over the remaining 18 miles to Susanville. BLM's map puts Mason Station at 5,280 feet and Westwood Junction, the trail's high point, at 5,580 feet. If you plan a one-way ride, the brochure notes that Lassen Rural Bus has a stop at the Highway 36 and A-21 junction for bike shuttles.

The river canyon, the trestles and the tunnels that bring visitors from far away are mostly at the other end. On BLM's trail page, the route runs 25.4 miles from Susanville to Mason Station, and for its first 16 miles it follows the Susan River, crossing it 12 times on bridges and trestles and passing through two tunnels. The Westwood end is upland pine and fir forest: quieter, higher and closer to home.

"In the fall, the colors are turning, and in the spring the trees are getting their leaves."

Amy Holmen, executive director of the Lassen Land & Trails Trust, told the Rails to Trails Conservancy that the trail's look shifts with each season.

When the snow arrives, the Westwood end gets busier

In the same article, Bales named a favorite moment on the trail: right after a winter snow, when it becomes a picture-perfect spot for cross-country skiing. BLM recommends skiing on the upper 18.5 miles of trail west of Highway 36 and Devil's Corral, at elevations from 4,760 to 5,500 feet. It lists Mason Station as a ski access point and advises checking local weather first. The Lassen Land & Trails Trust also points skiers and snowshoers to the higher, shadier sections west of Highway 36.

Mason Station, the closest access point to Westwood, sits inside that recommended ski stretch. None of the BLM or trust pages say whether the Mason Station lot is plowed, so check access after a storm before you load the skis.

Hunting season also overlaps with these weeks. The BLM brochure says hunting is allowed off the trail under state rules, and shooting is prohibited on or across the trail and at trailheads. Bright colors on a November walk out of Mason Station are a sensible choice.

December 4 brings everyone back to Paul Bunyan

The Light Parade starts from Westwood Park at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, December 4, and heads down Third Street. The Chamber's listing invites everyone to the Community Center afterward for hot chocolate and cookies. At 6 p.m., Christmas in the Mountains begins in the same building. Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive by fire truck, and hot chocolate and cookies are free.

That puts the parade route, the after-party and the trail kiosk on one stretch of Third Street on a December evening. Before then, the Community Center hosts the Holiday Bazaar, Monday line dancing and Tuesday and Thursday cornhole, and the kiosk out front is where the drive to Mason Station begins.

If you'd like to talk about which Westwood and Clear Creek streets are a short walk from the Third Street lawn, or which homes are a quick drive from Mason Station, the team at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Lake Almanor Real Estate knows these roads in every season and is glad to help. Discover Lake Almanor Homes.