User-friendly Shasta

Sunset, August, 1987

User-friendly Shasta

"Lonely as God and white as a wintermoon' was how early California poet Joaquin Miller described Mount Shasta.

The most massive cone volcano in theCascade chain, Shasta juts abruptly from the landscape just north of Redding, dominating the region for a hundred miles. The 14,162-foot peak and its 12,330-foot sidekick, Shastina, even affect weather-- 70 inches of rain fall yearly on the wetter south slopes, only half as much on the north. Rivers are born here, fed by snowpack and a five-glacier wreath that slowly melts and percolates into the porous lava. Shasta has even spawned a crop of legends and mystics.

Its timber brought loggers and trains, andtowns sprouted beside mills and railroad junctions. Visitors find the area still sparsely populated, the towns slow paced (with jobs gone, some are fighting for survival), the high lakes and fishing streams uncrowded. Even busy Shasta Lake offers solitude in coves and draws.

Some wild areas once eyed by lumbermennow have protection. In 1984, the 36,615-acre Mount Shasta Wilderness and the 8,961-acre Castle Crags Wilderness were both declared. Before that, the Nature Conservancy secured 6 miles along the McCloud River.

A good late summer getaway right off I-5,Shasta requires little advance planning (except for houseboat rentals). Sitting above Redding's blowtorch heat, the area has temperatures that vary with elevation: an August day could be 90| at 1,070-foot Shasta Lake, 65| at timber line.

We outline a triangle tour from the bigmountain to Shasta Lake and the east-side parks, fishing streams, and small towns. You could fully explore the region in a week or more, based in a houseboat, campsites, or small area motels. Area code for telephone numbers listed is 916.

The "fire mountain' of lava and ice: day-hiking, camping, summit climbing

In 1875, John Muir climbed the mountainand wrote, "Shasta is a fire mountain . . . built by successive eruptions of ash and lava pushed outward and upward like the trunk of a knotty, bulging tree.' (Shasta nearly killed Muir; caught in a snowstorm, he saved himself by huddling near a boiling sulfur spring--freezing on one side, roasting on the other.)

Each year, 7,000 hikers attempt the summit,but that takes planning and conditioning. For an information packet, call the Forest Service: 926-4511 or The Fifth Season Climbing Shop at 926-5555.

Day-hiking on Shasta's shoulders is aneasier option. Carry plenty of liquids and dress in layers (cold winds can pick up). The Bunny Flat trailhead area, on the southwest slope at a cool 6,800 feet, is one good starting spot. A trail leads 1 1/4 miles through white pine and Shasta red fir to the Sierra Club's hut at 8,000-foot-high Horse Camp. From there, a causeway of giant stones leads 3/4 mile into Avalanche Gulch and great views of the valley below. The trailhead is 11 miles from the town of Mount Shasta on the Everitt Memorial Highway.

Another scenic hike is up Black Butte, aclassic cinder cone rising to 6,325 feet right next to I-5. A partly shaded 2 1/2-mile trail (see our cover) winds 1,800 feet up to its summit, where you have fine views of Shasta to the east, the Trinity Alps to the west. It's best tackled in the cool early hours; watch for rattlers. The route to the trailhead is signed from the Everitt highway; pick up directions and a campfire permit at the Forest Service office, 204 W. Alma Street, in the town of Mount Shasta (it's open 8 to 4:30 daily).

Hiking granite slopes, lazing along the Sacramento in Castle Crags park

A landmark off I-5 near Dunsmuir, thegray granite outcroppings of Castle Crags State Park are carved into snaggletoothed fins. If you're in shape, try the short, steep Crags Trail--2 3/4 miles one way, 2,250-foot elevation gain--that begins in shading pines, ends in waist-high manzanita; wear sun protection and carry water. The 8,544-foot Crags fromation is in the wilderness area beyond.

On hot days, plan to finish hiking bynoon; leave afternoons for fishing, swimming, tubing, or picnicking along the Sacramento River--a 2-mile stretch meanders through the park.

Rainbow trout draw fishermen to the upperSacramento. Besides the park's access, you can fish in Dunsmuir, where the river winds through City Park.

North of Dunsmuir at 3,280 feet, LakeSiskiyou is a bit cooler and is popular with families because of its sandy swimming beach, 50 picnic sites ($1 entry), and 299 campsites ($9 per night). It also offers a launch ramp, marina, and fishing for brown and rainbow trout and bass. It's off Barr Road 4 miles southwest of the town of Mount Shasta.

Eight miles farther up, on Castle LakeRoad, is tiny Castle Lake. Studied by limnologists from UC Davis for 29 years, Castle Lake now serves as a "control' for gauging the clarity and health of Lake Tahoe. In a granite cirque at 5,475 feet, it's a cool and pretty spot for picnicking under Douglas fir.

Secluded coves, water-ski fun at four-armed Shasta Lake