Mount Shasta Trail Association
Inspire • Create • Conserve
Four volunteers joined Bryson Schreder and Renee Casterline (SORA) along with staff from the Forest Service’s Fuels Crew and a bunch from Americorps to brush out narrow segments on the Gateway Trails (between Moon Doggie and Sisson). We got an amazing amount of work done in 3 or 4 hours. There were beasts on this crew! Yeah, MSTA didn’t have to wield any chainsaws (all Americorps).
Thanks to Keith McKinley, Davis Bowden, and Chris Carr. And thank you, USFS and Americorps.
Meet tomorrow at 8 am at the Gateway Trailhead on Everitt Mem Hwy. We’ll drive through the green gate and up about a half mile, park, and walk about 5-10 minutes for brushing of partially overgrown trails. Leave anytime you want. The weather will be much cooler and the work will be mainly lopping and dragging branches—so what’s your excuse? Come and help us, for dog’s sake.
Let’s keep these often-used trails open for all.
The Mount Shasta area has so many great parks and trails it’s easy to forget how lucky we are! See this link for an article comparing the Castle Crags to the Italian Dolomites!!
As luck would have it, we feature the Vista Point Trail at Castle Crags on this year’s Mount Shasta Trail Challenge. The Vista Point Trail features gorgeous views of both Castle Crags and Mount Shasta. Castle Crags is at a lower elevation which helps during the winter or maybe if wildfire smoke is higher up. The Vista Point Trail is a short, easy, and extremely accessible paved trail. This might be perfect for folks with a new baby stroller or maybe a friend who has difficulty walking. Root Creek Trail is directly connected and another easy trail if you want to extend your hike.
Some logistics on Castle Crags State Park: link. There is a fee to enter the park but you can get a free pass at your local library. The Soda Creek Trailhead off I-5 is currently closed for fire protection work. Kids will love this easy hike but dogs are not allowed on hiking trails. Restroom facilities and cel phone coverage are pretty good.
All the information you need for the Mount Shasta Trail Challenge can be found here.
Seventeen of us who love the Heart Lake Trail pitched in Saturday morning to cut back brush, obliterate excess user trails, and define the true trail. Bryson Schreder was a monster with his chainsaw, cutting down dead trees to block the wayward routes and removing several trees that fell across the main trail. Some new volunteers showed up, three of whom are new to town within the past year. The group had fun getting to know one another. Sorry the rest of you missed this perfect day at the lake and in the forest (don’t miss the next one!).
Check out the fantastic photos taken by Bryson Adams at this link:
https://indecreative.pixieset.com/castlelaketrailwork
And here are two more:
If you love the Heart Lake Trail, come help us improve it tomorrow morning at 8:30 in the Castle Lake parking lot. Don’t be a slacker and leave it to others. This is a super-cool place to do trail work.
See you there.
The seasonal bridges just went up and the Lake Siskiyou Loop is a perfect trail for these hot temperatures. The 2025 Mount Shasta Trail Challenge once again features one of our favorite trails and it’s easy to see why. Stunning views of Lake Siskiyou and Mount Shasta. The iconic Wagon Creek bridge and Box Canyon Dam. Nearly a perfect 10k, 6.5 miles, around the lake. Several access points with plenty of parking. Dogs on leash are ok. Plenty of restrooms. Kids love this trail and can even pick up an ice cream at the Lake Siskiyou Resort. The trail is fairly flat and has many paved sections making it a great one for strollers and mobility devices.
If you’re waiting to dip your toe into the Trail Challenge, then we have an excellent opportunity for you next week. Dignity Health has recently started a “Walk with a Doc” series and the featured trail on July 16 is a 2 mile walk on the Lake Siskiyou Trail to the Wagon Creek Bridge. Here is a perfect opportunity to get your Trail Challenge off to a safe start. Yes, completing this shortened version of the Lake Siskiyou Loop checks this trail off your Trail Challenge Passport.
The Mount Shasta Trail Challenge is always FREE and you can get your passport and all the information you need right here.
Well Trail Challengers, there is both good and not so good news from the featured trail on Spring Hill. The good news is the trail is open again and the firefighting efforts kept the fire almost entirely off the trail. The not so good news is the middle half of the trail is now one dozer blade wide, and the ridge is pretty bare. Surprisingly, the byproduct of these control lines are some much improved views along the trail and ridge.
Check it out and see for yourself. The trail is safe and has been released for use by Mount Shasta PD but watch your footing as dozers have upended rocks and roots. The surface is pretty loose and very dusty. Try to stay on the original tread of the trail and then take the Rocky Point loop near the top. Avoid hot afternoons as a lot of the shade is now gone. If you like hiking with dogs take extra caution as the surface will get hot for their paws. If you want to skip Spring Hill on the challenge this year you can replace it by walking a nice big circuit around Mount Shasta City Park just across the street!
Speaking of hiking with dogs here are a couple great new programs. Right next to Spring Hill is the Siskiyou Humane Society where they have a wonderful “Doggy Field Trip” program. The Mount Shasta Visitor Center right in downtown has a fun new “Bark Ranger” program to check out.
Lastly, the Lake Siskiyou seasonal bridges just went up last week and you can now do the full loop for the Trail Challenge.
After arriving at the Nordic Center, eating donuts, sharing some MSTA swag, and suffering through my boring safety talk, we split into four teams. Pat Titus and Tim Loughlin (pronounced Locklin, dammit) generously offered to take the hazard tree, the worst access road, and the climb up Everitt Hill (thus sparing my vehicle and my decrepit knees). Bryson Schreder and Rick Cory went southwest to cut the biggest trees (see photo). Renee Casterline, Christine Lewin, Jim Wrona, Arielle Saryon, and Eric Blomberg set out to rake and lop the northwest section of Huckleberry Loop. Brian Ellis and yours truly focused on downed trees north and just south of Road 31. The morning was cool and beautiful. Everything got finished by or before 12:30 (oh, and we added some new signs as well).
Too bad you missed it. We had fun and got dirty. I mean actually dirty, not the other thing.
I’m scheduling trail workdays until everyone hates me. But now is the time to get things done before it’s 105 degrees and bone dry. So let’s get after it.
Let’s meet again up at the Nordic Center this Thursday, June 19 at 8:30 am. We’ll split the volunteers into two groups: sawyers and swampers will drive (or bike, we’re not sure and we’ll let you know before Thur) to the many downed trees in the Learning Zone; the second group will walk up Huckleberry Loop to finish treadwork and lop “face-slapping” branches out of the trail.
Bring water (don’t forget) and a snack. Maybe there will be some MSTA hats and t shirts for those who show up(???). Stay only as long as you want, but in any case, I expect to be done by or before noon.
OH, I ALMOST FORGOT THE GOOD NEWS: THE LEARNING ZONE HAS BEEN APPROVED BY THE USFS FOR US TO START HIKING, BIKING, ETC.!
Hey, 13 of us attacked the rough trail in the Learning Zone Saturday, smoothing it and lopping out branches. We completed ½ mile in 2 hours! It was like the road crew in Cool Hand Luke.
We’re planning another workday this Thursday, June 19 to buff up a couple other segments and cut out some downed trees.
More info to follow tomorrow.