Castle Lake is one of the true gems of south Siskiyou County. This swimming, hiking, and kayaking destination has become extremely popular. It has pristine, deep waters, majestic rock formations, and scenic trails to several other lakes, including Heart Lake with its spectacular views.
The trail from Castle to Heart Lake, however, suffers from steep inclines and significant erosion. About halfway up, the trail diverges into a system of braided footpaths, confusing many visiting hikers and damaging sensitive plants.
The Wilderness Land Trust, a nonprofit conservation organization, recently acquired a privately owned parcel containing much of this trail. They will transfer the parcel to public land to be managed by the US Forest Service sometime in the next year or so to preserve it in perpetuity.
The Mount Shasta Trail Association has a unique opportunity in a brief window of time to improve and clearly identify the trail nearly all the way to Heart Lake. After the trail becomes public land, it will be more complicated and expensive to make these upgrades.
Please become a part of the effort to make the route from Castle Lake to Heart Lake easier, more sustainable, and better defined. Give a gift to nature and to all who want to enjoy this beautiful trail: donate on Giving Tuesday to MSTA for the Heart Lake Trail or donate on this website.
