Root Creek Falls
Enjoy the trails of Castle Crags State Park while you can – it is one of the California State Parks slated to close. Castle Crags has a number of spring waterfall hikes that boast wildflowers and great views of the granite of the Crags.
The Castle Crags were formed in much the same manner as nearby Mt. Shasta and the other peaks of the Cascade Range-by volcanic activity some 200 million years ago. For the last million years, the Crags have been subjected to the forces of wind, rain, ice and even some small glaciers, which have shaped the granite into its distinctive shapes. Rising beside the spikey peaks is a round one, Castle Dome, which many mountaineers liken to Yosemite’s Half Dome.
Hikes you shouldn’t miss:
Castle Dome and Indian Springs
Indian Springs and Flume Trail
The River Trail
Burstarse Falls
Photo courtesy of Steve Lewis, author of Climbing Mt. Shasta
The Burstarse Falls hike is a spring classic here in Siskiyou County. There are many reasons: first, it’s one of the earliest trails to melt out, secondly the trail is quite pleasant, and the Falls are beautiful. Burstarse Falls is located in Castle Crags State Park, south of Dunsmuir, and the trail gets plenty of sun on the 6.4 mile roundtrip hike. May is the time to see the falls flowing like this – much later than May and the stream slows down a lot.
You can access the trail from the State Park, or drive a bit farther back on Castle Creek Road to the Dog Trail trailhead. From there you make a short, steep uphill climb to join the Pacific Crest Trail (turn left onto the PCT) then enjoy the mostly flat hike to the lower falls. You’ll have to scramble to get above the trail to the upper falls seen here. Come prepared with good hiking shoes, food and water, something in case it cools off and a camera.
The folks at Mt. Shasta Trail Association have a good description of this hike, and you can talk with the staff at Castle Crags State Park. Keep in mind that if you enter from the SP you can’t bring your dog, but if you enter from the Dog Trail, which is outside of the park, then you can.
This is a great half day outing – or longer if you hang out and hike around the falls. It’s a spring favorite of locals and not to be missed if you’re visiting the area in May.
Check out the late winter/early spring hiking schedule of the Siskiyou Wanderers. You’ll see that this local group mixes hikes along roads that are likely to be clear this time of year with snowshoe/cross country ski trips. Here’s a bit about the Wanderers from their website:
“Who Are the Siskiyou Wanderers?
The Siskiyou Wanderers are a great group of active folks who hike and explore the trails of Siskiyou County every THURSDAY, rain or shine. We range in age from our 20′s to one gentleman who is 83 but generally we’re comprised of early retirees who love the outdoors and enjoy the company of other active friends.
The group can range in size from 6 or 8 up to 30 (on particularly popular hikes or when food is promised!) We generally meet at one of four locations, consolidate into carpools and form a caravan to the trailhead. The hikes can range from 3 to 10 miles (round-trip) and they vary in level of difficulty. The schedule gives an idea about total mileage and total altitude gain. Halfway we stop for a sack lunch at a stunning mountain lake or scenic outlook and then head back to our cars.
In the winter and earlier spring, hikes are scheduled closer to home — often in the Shasta Valley or around Lake Siskiyou to avoid nasty snow conditions. In the spring, we schedule some amazinghikes where we can experience a wonderful show of wildflowers. And in the summer, we drive further — out to some pretty obscure forest service roads in the Marble Mountains or Russian Wilderness.”
Check out the
website for more info about hikes, how to contact the Wanderers, what to bring and where to meet.
Terrace Lake above Cliff Lake
Fall is a wonderful time for hiking, and with the comfortable, warm days we’ve been experiencing, it’s definitely time to get out for a hike. In South Siskiyou County there are a number of mountain lakes to enjoy a day at. One of the classics is Castle Lake with the hike up to Heart Lake. Once a local secret, Heart Lake has become well known after the attention it received in Sunset Magazine. If you haven’t been, it’s one to put on your list. To find your way, read up first on the Mt. Shasta Trail Association website, and then watch for cairns as your making your way up around Castle Lake to Heart Lake.
You can learn more about the mountain lakes by stopping in at the Mt. Shasta Ranger Station on Alma Street in Mt. Shasta. You can talk with staff about various hikes in the area and take a look at the Forest map to get a sense for number of lakes in the area. Some lakes are on Forest Service land and well marked, while others may be on private land or simply hard to get to. You’ll want to get clear instructions on these lakes, like Cliff and Terrace Lakes or Grey Rocks Lakes, before heading out to find them.
Some lakes that are easily accessible from the Pacific Crest Trail are Deadfall Lakes and Seven Lakes Basin. Deadfall Lakes provide a great family hike that just about anyone can get to. The trail is mostly level and just around an hour walk in to the main lake. From there, smaller lakes above and below Deadfall Lake offer additional hiking, and if you like summits, you can take the trail up the the Mount Eddy summit where you can watch the clouds play on Mount Shasta and enjoy a spectacular view. The Deadfall Lakes trailhead is approached from north of Weed, while Seven Lakes Basin requires a drive up the South Fork Road outside of Mt. Shasta to the Gumboot Summit. At the parking lot at the summit you’ll head southbound on the PCT to reach Seven Lakes Basin. You can see them from the PCT and you’ll see the cairn marking the trail down to the lakes. Once you get down into the Basin, hike around to see if any of the pond lilies are still blooming and pick a nice spot for a picnic lunch.
I love it when the Shasta lilies start blooming out along Lake Siskiyou. I first noticed them last night when I was paddle boarding (something you can do at the Lake Siskiyou Camp Resort). Usually I smell them before I see them, so as I was enjoying the wonderful scent when I started spotting them along the lake shore.
So, Saturday morning my old dog and I went to the Lake Siskiyou Trail on the south side of the lake (across from the Castle Lake road) to look for more. I found these two in bloom and saw some more on their way.
The Lake Siskiyou Trail was so pleasant this morning. At 9:30 am I saw very few people and just a few boats out on the lake. It was so peaceful. I urge you to walk the lake trail sometime. There are three main sections: the south side that I was on this morning (locals call it Cable Beach), the North Shore trail and the far section off the South Fork road across from the archery range. That last section is where you’ll find the most Shasta lilies. You’ll see them as you walk down the old logging road from the South Fork road, and then when you turn left on the trail that goes up the South Fork you’ll see more as you walk through the woods. There is a new bridge on that trail where there used to be a bunch of Shasta lilies. Looking for wildflowers is a great thing to do when you’re out walking, and the Lake Siskiyou Trail certainly offers lots of opportunity. Enjoy!
Squaw Valley Creek Trail photo by John Soares
If you’re visiting the Mt. Shasta area in early July this year and want to go hiking, you’ll need to do some research and plan to stay low. With such a big snow year the upper elevation trails are still snow-bound, so you’ll want to find trails at lower elevations or else go post holing through the snow (not so fun). The Mt. Shasta Trail Association has wonderful descriptions of area trails. So this July, you’ll want to look at trails in the McCloud and Castle Crags areas.
The photo to the right, posted by hiking book author John Soares, is of the Squaw Valley Creek trail outside of McCloud, where the Mt. Shasta Trial Association assisted in work to complete the trial. Also in that area you’ll find the McCloud River Trail, which takes you past waterfalls and through beautiful forest. If you really want to get out in the wilderness, the McCloud River Preserve Trail is way out in the woods where you’ll walk along the gorgeous river. On my hike out there we saw butterflies and tiger lilies in bloom and took a dip in the chill, crystal clear waters of the McCloud.
To the south, the Castle Crags area offers many trails, some in the state park and others outside of it. The Burstarse Falls trail is quite popular and the falls may still have quite a bit of water in early July. Indian Creek and Flume Trials offer a nice hike through the woods and connect with the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) for more mileage. You’ll find thorough information about these trails both on the Mt. Shasta Trail Association website and on John Soares’ Northern California Hiking Trails blog.
If you’re interested in hiking sections of the PCT you’ll want to check in with the Forest Service (Mt. Shasta Ranger Station: 530.925.4511 or McCloud Ranger Station: 530.964.2184) for trail conditions. Aside from heavy snow, there has also been some tree fall due to heavy storms and some of the trails still have significant debris down on them. Castle Lake and the trail to Heart Lake still have snow on them in early July to the degree that you’ll want to take snowshoes if you want to attempt to get to Heart Lake. All of these things are true for the trails on Mt. Shasta as well.
If you’re thinking about backpacking trips, the Shasta Trinity National Forest just released a 13-page report on snow and debris conditions in the Trinity Alps Wilderness. You can find the report and trip descriptions on Northern California Hiking Trials.
Dunsmuir, Hiking/Backpacking, Recreation | Visit Siskiyou May 22, 2011 | 
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