Scott Valley Guide

What's So Right About Scott Valley?

California's largest peony farm, legendary cattle ranches, a craft distillery, an 1872 brewery, and a valley most travelers drive straight past.

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Most visitors to Northern California turn left at Yreka and stay on I-5. The ones who turn right on Highway 3 — heading west over the Siskiyou divide and down into Scott Valley — tend to wonder why they waited so long. A wide agricultural basin ringed by the Marble Mountains and the Trinity Alps, Scott Valley is gold rush history, working cattle ranches, ancient rivers, and — quietly, in recent years — a food and drink scene that has no business being this good this far from anywhere.

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The Farm

California Peony Company

10703 S State Highway 3, Callahan · californiapeonycompany.com · Open May–June annually Brent and Anne Hilton planted ten acres of peonies outside Callahan in 2019 — a dinner table dream turned into the largest peony farm in California. In May and June the fields open at peak bloom: thousands of plants in coral, blush, white, and deep rose against a backdrop of the Trinity Alps. Fresh cut stems and potted plants available at the farm stand. $5 per vehicle. Check their website and Instagram before visiting

— bloom timing shifts with the season. The farm is closed for 2026 and reopens May 2027.

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The Ranches

Scott Valley has been cattle country since the Gold Rush. What's changed is how some of its most established families are selling — directly to consumers, with full transparency about how the animals are raised.

Jenner Family Beef

Etna, California · jennerfamilybeef.com · Direct-to-consumer beef boxes & bulk shares

Six generations on the same 3,600-acre ranch in Etna since 1872. Black Angus cattle born, raised, and finished on the ranch — a closed herd that never leaves. They graze native pastures and finish on homegrown barley. Ships direct in curated boxes or bulk freezer shares. Sign up for their newsletter for presale notifications.

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StarWalker Organic Farms

Scott Valley · starwalkerorganicfarms.com · Direct-to-consumer online shop

The Walker family has farmed 7,000 acres beneath the Marble Mountains for over fifty years. Today they hold a distinction few farms anywhere can claim: the first and only Regenerative Organic Certified beef and pork operation in the United States, and the largest certified organic pork producer in the country. Scottish Highland cattle, heritage pigs, and Angus — raised in a closed-loop system with their own USDA-inspected processing facility. Ships nationwide.

The food and drink

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Denny Bar Company & Distillery

511 Main St, Etna · dennybar.com · Northern California's first craft distillery

A 300-gallon copper pot still behind plate glass in a restored 1880s brick building. The spirits list runs from Hearts Creed Bourbon and Roosevelt Rye to Blackberry Gin and Barrel-Aged Gin. The kitchen runs on a wood-fired Mugnaini oven — pizzas, seasonal plates, locally sourced. Distillery tours available.

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Etna Brewing Company

131 Callahan St, Etna · etnabrewing.com · Founded 1872

One of the oldest breweries on the West Coast, back under local ownership and better than ever. Blackberry Blonde, Heli-Hazy IPA, seasonal Sno-Wooki stout. Outdoor seating looking at the Marble Mountains. Full pub menu, plus their own house-brewed root beer.

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Five Marys Burgerhouse

11825 Main St, Fort Jones · fivemarysburgerhouse.com · Tue–Sat from noon

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The Heffernan family raises barley-finished Black Angus, Heritage pork, and Navajo Churro lamb five minutes from this restaurant. Every burger, every cut on the menu comes directly from the ranch. Historic bar setting, Five Marys' own single-barrel whiskeys, and a Bourbon Bacon Burger with a serious following. The farm store next door sells cuts to go and ships nationwide.

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The Callahan Emporium

Callahan, California · Gold rush-era bar and general store right down the road from the peony farm. Cold pints, ice cream, pool on Friday nights, and the kind of general store that still sells a can of worms before a fishing trip. The California Peony Company recommends it without reservation as the post-farm stop — and they're right.

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Scott Valley sits about an hour west of Mount Shasta City over Highway

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Mount Shasta Escapes includes the valley on our Taste of Siskiyou tour. But for any visitor with a free day, it's worth the drive on its own.

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