Hike to Castle Crags — Sunday May 19, 2019

Castle Crags

The Siskiyou Science Festival and the Mount Shasta Trail Association invite the public on a strenuous and sometimes steep, 5.5 mile round-trip hike to the sky scraping granite spires called Castle Crags on Sunday, May 19th.

The elevation gain is 2,200 feet. Participants will first walk through the forest to Indian Springs and then hike out in the open, amid the granite slabs and pinnacles where the postcard views of Mt Shasta and the Crags become more and more spectacular.

Castle Crags are actually part of the Klamath Mountains, not the Cascade Range, and are much older. They were formed by granite magma slowly cooling underground  ( as a “pluton”) and subsequently becoming exposed at the surface through uplifting and erosion.

This is the same way that the granites of Yosemite formed. In fact, the Klamath Mountains  broke off from the Sierra Nevada about 60 million years ago. Mt Shasta, in contrast, was formed by relatively recent surface eruptions (within the last several million years) and its rock is andesite (a type of basalt).

Meeting place is 111 Morgan Way in front of The Best Western Tree House in Mt Shasta at 9:00 am. We will carpool  to Castle Crags State Park. Bring lunch, water, and sun protection and expect to return about 4:30 pm. For further questions call Joan Roemer 530-926-0647.

Siskiyou Science Festival Sacramento River Trail Hike — Sunday May 20, 2018

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.

Sacramento RIver

New Guidebook — Day Hiking Mount Shasta, Lassen & Trinity Alps Trails

Our own John Soares has a new book coming out in early May entitled Day Hiking: Mount Shasta, Lassen & Trinity Alps RegionsIt’s a book you’ll want to include on your bookshelf.

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:

https://northerncaliforniahikingtrails.com/blog/day-hiking-mount-shasta-lassen-trinity-alps-trails/