Former MSTA board member and outdoor enthusiast John Soares has updated his guidebook on some great hikes in northern California. This book includes trails in the following areas: Sierra Nevada, Cascades, Klamath Mountains, North Coast and Wine Country, and San Francisco Bay Area.
This guide is loaded with beautiful color photographs and detailed maps to help you enjoy these trails. A good addition to your bookshelf!
Here’s a link to more information on the guide and how to obtain a copy: 100 Classic Hikes
Join us at 6:00 PM at the Sisson Museum for the Trail Association’s annual meeting where presentation will go over past accomplishments and future projects. Beer, wine and appetizers provided! Learn about the City of Mount Shasta being designated a Trail Town by the Pacific Crest Trail Association, and other exciting developments.
The Siskiyou Science Festival along with the Mount Shasta Trail Association invite the public including families on a hike set for Sunday, May 20th along the Sacramento River Trail.
This gentle 4.5-mile round-trip hike will start outside of the Castle Crags Park in Castella, go through a tunnel under the railroad tracks, cross over a suspension foot bridge and follow along the east side of the Sacramento River. The hike can be modified to 2.5 miles round-trip for those wanting a shorter hike. From this scenic path hikers will see whitewater, bedrock and rocky beaches. Several creeks flow into the river along the trail; crossed with bridges of different designs. The area is moist and green.
At the end of the trail is the site of the historical Castle Rock Mineral Spring Bottling Works. In the late 1800’s this famous water was shipped all over the country and abroad. The Venezuelan Consul in Panama City had a standing order of 50 cases per month! Eventually financial ruin from the 1906 earthquake ended plans to develop and subdivide the area. The company ultimately went bankrupt after the 1929 stock market crash. In 1934 the State of California purchased 925 acres of the Castle Rock Springs property, creating the beginnings of Castle Crags State Park. In 1895 George Washington Bailey operated a resort and hotel across the river from this site, known as Bailey’s Castle Rock Springs Hotel. A foot bridge provided easy access from the hotel to the spring. people traveled great distances, mostly by train, to visit the resort and try their famous mineral water, said to contain healing properties.
Meeting place is 111 Morgan Way in front of the Best Western Tree House at 9 am. Participants will carpool. Bring lunch and water. Expect to return at 2 pm. For questions, call Joan Roemer at 926-0647.
The Mount Shasta Trail Association is happy to announce that Glenn Harvey, another native son of California, has joined the Board of Directors. Born in Oxnard and raised in Camarillo, a small agricultural town near Santa Barbara, Glenn developed an early love for trails while hiking in Boy Scouts and from camping trips with his family. Scouting and family trips frequently included National Parks, so conservation and habitat restoration were a natural part of his early education.
Initially pursuing natural sciences in college, Glenn obtained a degree in Biology at San Diego State University, followed by an MS in Ecology from the University of Oregon at Eugene. Shifting to applied sciences, Glenn completed an MS in Chemical Engineering at Oregon State University in Corvallis before moving to Boise, Idaho for a job with Micron Technology. A job opportunity offered a move to American Microsystems, Inc. in Pocatello, where he worked and lived for 25 years. Retired in 2012, Glenn moved to Mt. Shasta with his wife Kathy Morter, where they continue to enjoy a combination of outdoor life and community service.
In addition to the Mount Shasta area, it includes dozens of trails in the Trinity Alps Wilderness, Russian Wilderness, Marble Mountain Wilderness, Lava Beds National Monument, Lassen Volcanic National Park, and the Redding area.
The book publishes May 1 and will be available at local bookstores, outdoor stores, and visitor centers shortly thereafter. You can preorder the book online now: here are the preorder options.
And here’s the main link on John’s Northern California Hiking Trails blog with more information on the trails covered and how to purchase the book:
Thanks to funding secured by the Forest Service, an accessible trail has been added to the Gateway Trail network on national forest lands.
Labeled the Lollipop Trail due to its out and back alignment, this new trail has a nice compacted surface at a gentle grade that can accommodate wheelchairs, baby carriages, and others looking for an obstacle free trail surface.
The Lollipop Trail begins at the Gateway Trailhead off of Everitt Memorial Highway. Its shown in red on the map below. The trail’s total length is approximately 0.6 mile. Check it out!
