Castle Crags State Park, California

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I had seen the peaks of Castle Crags rising out of the Northern California forest one time before, from the summit of 14,170 foot Mt. Shasta back on my climb there in 1996. More than a decade later, on my way up to Ashland last April, I figured it was time to see that sightline in reverse.

Castle Crags State Park rises amongst the steep valleys and tight curves of the Sacramento River valley as Highway 5 winds its way up to Dunsmuir. The steepness of the landscape provides only glimpses of the crags themselves through the forest. To see them in all their glory, you need to enter the park and wind your way past the visitor’s center and the campgrounds up to the high perch of the Vista Point parking lot.

Vista Point itself is aptly named. A looping quarter mile trail reaches the top of this forested hill from the parking lot. A few picnic tables dot the summit and the surrounding trees open for three excellent views. To the west rise the rocky and snowy Trinity Alps, the 7,000 foot Grey Rocks in particular facing directly towards you. To the north the Castle Crags themselves jut out of the surrounding highlands, reaching heights of 6,500 feet. And to the east looms Northern California’s great white sentinel, Mt. Shasta and its conjoined companion Shastina.

One short hike; three magnificent views.

For a longer hike through the pine forest and along some of the exposed faces of the crags themselves I headed back down to the parking lot and caught the Crags Trail. The mix of deciduous and evergreen trees at this elevation, and during this spring season full of freshly budding branches, provided a multitude of differing green tones to the forest. Although the deciduous trees notably and abruptly dropped off as I continued the gain in elevation. I did not make it the full three miles up to the base of Castle Dome, where the trail terminates. The forested switchbacks were managed without too much difficulty, but the blazingly sunny rocky ones up within the crags themselves managed to deter me. Instead, I found my way along the base of the crags along the short Indian Springs Trail. A forest of stone pinnacles rose above me with odd nooks and crannies where vegetation, and the odd tree, was able to make tenuous footholds.

The Indian Springs Trail leads, surprisingly, to Indian Springs, which is an amazing thing to see. Not only is water flowing through an otherwise dry and rocky landscape, but the water is bursting forth directly out of cracks in the sheer rock faces of the lower Crags themselves. It is a near biblical sight to behold, water from the stone. I did not drink the water, I stuck with what I carried with me, but this flowing clear stream appearing out of nowhere was refreshing simply by the sight of it alone. This upper level of the crags trail was less wooded than the lower portion but with ample scrubby hardwood Manzanita, which is one of my favorite Northern California native plants. Down the hollow of Indian Spring however, moss, deciduous trees and vegetation of all types burst forth with the proximity to the water.

Longer-term visitors can enjoy camping, fishing, and swimming down in the Sacramento River which runs through the eastern end of the park. I had a date to keep up in Ashland however, so I cut the hot afternoon short, and got myself back onto Highway 5 heading north. If the state of California can manage to keep its park system open for any reasonable length of time, I’ll be back to explore higher and further into Castle Crags.

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Photos

Grey Rocks
Trinity Alps

Mount Shasta
and Shastina

Up closer to the Crags
and hardy trees

Castle Creek Valley
with Spring colors