Inspiring Views From Spires Near Mt. Shasta

Soaring above the upper Sacramento River Valley are sky-scraping spires of granite called the Castle Crags. From the lofty ramparts, hikers can look down upon forested slopes and up at magnificent snow-covered Mt. Shasta.

The Castle Crags were formed in much the same manner as nearby Mt. Shasta and the other peaks of the Cascade Range; that is to say, by volcanism some 200 million years ago. For the last million or so years, the Crags have been subjected to the forces of wind, rain, ice and even some small glaciers, which have shaped the granite into its distinctive shapes. Rising beside the spiky peaks is a round one, Castle Dome, which some mountaineers liken to Yosemite’s Half Dome.

In 1855, the territory below the Crags was the site of a struggle between local Indians and white settlers. The Indians, armed only with bows and arrows, were driven from their land in a one-sided battle that was chronicled by Joaquin Miller, “poet of the High Sierra.”

Mining--first gold, later mercury and chromite--along with logging were the chief industries around the Crags for 100years. During the 1920s and ‘3Os, conservationists worked to protect the Castle Crags, photographs of which were used to promote the idea of a comprehensive California state park system.

Crags Trail, with its steep elevation gain, is a real workout. Rewarding your effort are postcard views of the Crags and of Mt. Shasta. The trail crosses Kettlebelly Ridge, part of the old California-Oregon Toll Road used by settlers on their way west.

Directions to trail head: Castle Crags State Park is about 25 miles north of Lake Shasta (six miles north of Dunsmuir) off Interstate 5. Take the Castella exit and follow signs to the park. Follow the entrance road to the Vista Point parking area. The signed trail begins just down the road from the point.

The hike: From the signed trail head, the trail climbs west through a mixed forest of pine, fir and cedar. After a short time, you’ll pass a junction with Root Creek Trail, a mile-long path leading through the forest to its namesake creek. A little more climbing brings you to a four-way intersection. Here you meet the famous Pacific Crest Trail, seven miles of which lead through the state park. Your quiet contemplation of the notion of walking 2,000 miles from Mexico to Washington along the PCT will undoubtedly be interrupted by the sizzle of electricity passing through the high-voltage lines strung above the trail junction.

You continue on Crags Trail on an ever-more-earnest ascent for another half-mile to a short connector trail known as Bob’s Hat Trail, which drops a quarter-mile back to the PCT. (Keep this trail in mind as a return-trip option.) Crags Trail turns north and splits again in another half-mile. The left fork goes to Indian Springs, where cold water bubbles from the depths of the Crags. Your path climbs even more steeply, winding among boulders and over flat rocks. Trees thin with the gain in elevation, opening up ever-grander views over the manzanita and hardy heather of the Crags. Trail’s end is at the base of roundish Castle Dome.

You can climb rocks to your heart’s content around here, but exercise caution and don’t exceed your abilities.

Cascade Range. Crags Trail Where: Castel Crags State Park Distance: 5 1/2 miles round trip, with 2,200-foot elevation gain. Terrain: Pine and fir-forested slopes, granite peaks. Highlights: Inspiring spires of the crags; vistas of Mt. Shasta. Degree of difficulty: Strenuous, due to elevation gain. Precautions: Use care if you decide to rock-climb off the trail. For more information: Contact Castle Crags State Park, Box 80, Castella, Calif. 96017, (916) 235-2684.