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Castle Crags State Park is located 6 miles south of Dunsmuir or 48 miles north of Redding along I-5; exit 724.
It's not a good idea to hike when the temperature is over 100 degrees. The dome resembles a smaller version of Half Dome. While you can venture around the large rock to some extent, there are no official trails beyond the "trail end" sign. The Indian Spring located halfway is a lifesaver if you run out of water. The view of Mt. Shasta alongside the dome is truly breathtaking.
Words really can't explain this place. It is one of the most incredible views Northern California has to offer! To see the peak of these ancient volcanic monuments with Mt. Shasta on the horizon is truly breathtaking...
We got lucky and got a tent campsite right next to the river and privacy, it was beautiful. All the sites are a little close together so, mind your own. The sites had a table, fire pit and a lock box to store food or ect from wild life. The restrooms, trash cans and recycling bins were in a convenient yet safe distance from the campsite. The showers and restrooms were very clean and most of the crew members were very pleasant and welcoming. The trails are pretty moderate for hiking. Beware there is poison oak in a lot of places. Overall the park was definitely a nice weekend getaway. We'll definitely return to this area.
Beautiful, Woodsy camping ground. We hiked up to the Vista point area, it was a steep climb about a 2 miles up that wraps around. Nice park staff, very helpful. They let us know there are bears at the park and when they usually come.
I would give it more stars but the bathrooms and showers were very dirty and need to be remodeled, and we camped at site #13 because of the secluded corner section but I could not sleep all night due to the closeness of the 5 frwy..All I could hear was the fast freeway traffic at night.. I felt like I was going to be hit by a car, lol.
My recommendation would be camp in the upper areas of the campground ( upper area was closed on our weekend, not sure why)Also Dunsmuir is such a cute town very close by, go check it out as well. We did!
Saw the Crags on the way to a different hike, which ended up being inaccessible due to snow, so we turned around and did this one. GET THERE EARLY! We had to park at the bottom, and hiked up Bob’s Hat trail to meet the Crag Trail. This adds two miles to the trip and another 750’ to the hike over all. It’s not that bad as it is mostly an old service road. I do recommend All Trails or some sort of map to make sure to make the right turns, but it is marked so don’t worry if you do not.
The hike is an amazing trail, and I would not say it is hard, but challenging. The last mile and a half is rocky and larger step up but we did meet an amazing family from Texas who was carrying their baby in a Bjorn. Glad to see folks getting the little ones out early!
Overall, what a great day! There is so much to explore up here and the views are breathtaking. Enjoy!
