I spent the past four nights here, and it was very quiet, dark, and peaceful. Quiet with the caveat that there was a TON of train noise. But if you like white noise, that might be a plus. This was the darkest campground I've ever camped at so far. The view of the stars was great. The cold was on another level. I wouldn't recommend tent camping unless you really know what you're doing. Theoretically, this campground has free showers, but they are closed for the season. I couldn't help but notice that the windows have been broken into and boarded back up. There was theoretically potable water, but it tasted a little funky. Most of the pumps were broken, which made it seem like maybe the rest are about to be determined to be broken soon. There was an electric outlet in the bathroom with a sign warning not to leave personal items. In site 25, which is reserved for PCT hikers, I found another sign warning that items are frequently stolen from the bathrooms, and to use the outlets hidden in the amphitheater instead. (There is also a Starbucks about fifteen minutes away in Shasta.) A trail behind site 25 leads to the PCT, but the trail was currently full of fallen trees and hazards. Another trail near Vista Point turned out to be a safer route to the PCT. A 2 mile trail leads from the campground to Vista Point, where you can either keep hiking, or take in the panoramic views of Mt. Shasta, Castle Crags, and the Gray Rocks. I chose site 38 to camp in, which was at the end of the line of sites that are currently open. The first two nights, I paid with the self serve envelope. The rest I purchased from the Ranger Station. Camping was only $25/night, half off with qualifying passes. So it only cost me $50 to stay here 4 nights. The spaces on the main road were huge, and very well spaced. There was a camp host on duty on site 20, and maintenance came through every day to clean the restrooms and empty the trash. I didn't see much wildlife except for a lot of birds. Wildflowers were just beginning to bloom on the trails. There isn't much to do near the campground, but I found this to be a great place to have some relative peace and quiet for a few days. read more

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We opt to hike up to the Castle Dome. It's a gorgeous hike especially the snow cap view of Mr.Shasta and the fall foilage! A must hike read more

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Another great visit to Castle Crags State Park. Well taken care of, clean, friendly rangers, reasonable entrance/day use fee, nice paved one way road with room to pull over to let another care pass. Clean outhouse line restroom, ample parking, dog friendly on some trails, .50 round trip hike with my dogs. Trail is accessible for strollers. read more

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Castle Crags state park was the gateway to a bucketlist hike of mine-the trail up to Castle Dome in to the "crags" themselves. It's located about 20 minutes south of Mt Shasta and the namesake granite rocks can be seen while traveling on I-5. You can be up amongst them via a steep and rocky hike that originates in the park. I visited on a weekday in June that had a forecast of highs in the 90's. If you're going up to Castle Dome, arrive early and bring more water than you think you'll need. What was supposed to be a strenous 5 mile hike, turned in to over 8, as they were doing tree maintainance at the Vista area trailhead which is the start of the shortest route up to Castle Dome. We had to start at the main parking area of the park and the ranger gave us a map showing us how we could use Bob's Hat trail to start from the bottom. While the Bob's Hat portion was boring (and added 1.7 miles one way of uphill hiking) once we made it to the Castle Dome trail and into Castle Crags Wilderness, the slog was worth it, The spires of rock formations and Mt Shasta views were spectacular. Bring poles for the the last portion of the hike to Castle Dome-lots of loose rocks that were challenging on the way down. My original plan included taking the spur to Indian Springs but because of the extra miles caused by having to start at the bottom, I opted to not add more. We brought a lunch to enjoy at the end of the trail and then headed back feeling accomplished, in awe and pretty exhausted. Worth every extra step. The park accepts the CA state parks Golden Poppy pass for entry. The main parking area has water and flush toilets. There's camping in the park as well as other hikes that don't require the big climb up. However the granite sharp peaks are the star of this park. I'd do the Castle Dome trail again but would start earlier (we started at 8:30 am) and only if I knew the upper parking area was open. read more

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Castle Crags State Park offers a variety of camping, picnicking, hiking, and fishing opportunities per the website. I just stopped real quick to take the small drive up to the easy, 10 minute hike that leads to the views of castle Crags mountain and Mount Shasta. It cost $8 to go in, but the road up there is easy tricky. Very small and you have to either back up or try your very best to squeeze by each other. Worth the time to check out. read more

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Despite the abundance of mosquitos and train honking all night, Castle Crags is a beautiful state park and has much to offer. There are multiple hiking trails with varying levels of difficulty ranging from, "I just had bypass surgery 2 months ago" to "grab my hiking boots and flashlight in case we get lost." We camped for 2 nights in the lower of the park. Be warned, the train tracks are right behind the lower loop and you will hear the train pass and toot all night long. However, I noticed many of the upper sites were smaller and not as flat as the site we occupied. Each site is equipped with a fire ring, separate grill and table. There are water taps, bathrooms and free showers available. One night we attended the campfire talk featuring a local animal rehab center. They brought a few animals and nature items for visitors to see and feel. Just outside the park is a small gas station and convinience store- just make sure if you need anything to get there before they close or you'll have to travel a few exits further to another gas station. I highly recommend visiting the view point. You can either hike up or take the loop to the top and walk the trail. From the view point you can see the Crags, Mount Shasta and the Grays Rocks. The view is breath takingly beautiful. I've already decided I'll be back next year for free kids fishing day at Mt. Shasta Hatchery and hope to explore more of the amazing town. read more

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Beautiful park with a short, accessible trail to give you a great view of the Crags. There are other, longer and more intense trails if you are interested in that. The Crags are a unique rock formation that you can get some quick peaks of from the interstate, but these definitely merit pulling off to view via the state park. Picnic and camping areas are also available. read more

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There's a very nice, flat, short trail from the parking lot to a viewpoint with great views of Mount Shasta & Castle Crags. Highly recommend as a quick pitstop. It is very close to the highway, so I would not recommend camping here, because you can definitely hear the highway noise. read more

Castle Crags State Park - Mount Shasta - Parks Near Me - Castella, California

We camped at Castle Crags State Park in mid June, reserving campsite 38 for two nights. The online reserve process was straight forward and I appreciated that it noted the amount of slope for the parking area, as we planned on sleeping in our SUV. Camping check in was easy at the entrance station after giving them our reservation number. We had not been camping in a number of years and this would be our first time camping in the SUV as opposed to a tent (my wife's days of "sleeping on the ground" were at an end!). Site 38 is beautiful and private, especially for those with a tent, as the picnic table and tent area are down from the road, well spaced from the adjacent site. However, as beautiful as the site is it comes with a significant drawback: the bathroom is a steep hike up a hill to use the Upper Loop bathroom. For that first day my Apple Watch said I climbed the equivalent of 32 flights of stairs! My wife gave up and drove the car up to the bathroom and parked when needed. On the plus side the bathroom has flush toilets, a camping luxury in Siskiyou County, and showers, which are currently free. Later we drove up to Vista point, not a long drive but stressful - the windy, super skinny road climbs a steep hill and you just pray that no one is coming the opposite direction with a large vehicle. Alas, our prayers were not heard as we met a giant Roadtrek camper conversion on the way up and just barely squeezed by. Fortunately, we met this vehicle midway up; as you near the top numerous tight, blind curves make dealing with oncoming large vehicles scary dangerous. Once at the Vista point parking area, a trail leads to gorgeous views of Mt Shasta and surrounding mountains. As dusk neared, the bathroom turned out to be the least of our problems. We were nearly eaten alive by the mosquitoes! Evening and the following morning, once the heat of the day faded, the All You Can Eat Human Buffet was open for business. Fortunately we had mosquito netting to cover our face, but it was impossible to enjoy our dinner or breakfast (hard to eat through netting), a quiet evening, or morning coffee. The mosquitoes also drove us into our car without the ability to open all its windows and cool it down, making for a stuffy, sultry experience for the first several hours. The next day we enjoyed the Riverwalk trail and had a lovely picnic by the Sacramento river. However, in spite of the beauty of the park, we opted not for another night in Mosquito Land and bailed for a nearby hotel. The park is beautiful, the campground has some very nice spots; when mosquitos are not in season things could be wonderful! Otherwise not so much. read more

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Oh my gosh...this is so friggin beautiful! Just, wow. I first saw Castle Crags two years ago while driving I5 north. Sadly I didn't have a chance to hike then. Corrected that last week. It's fairly steep up and down but nothing more than moderate. No sticks or microspikes required. The views going up and at the top are spectacular! This will for sure be my go-to hike in northern Shasta county each and every time I visit the area. Go. You will not be disappointed. read more

Castle Crags State Park - Parks Near Me - Castella, California

Such a lovely park with an array of different terrain as well as some breathtaking views of Mount Shasta and the beautiful Shasta Valley right behind it. Tons of hiking trails and several campsites in tow. I spent a day here hiking up to Castle Dome and back, and it definitely killed my body, but damn was it memorable. Whew!!! The hike up to Castle Dome is no joke! Definitely STRENUOUS! Something like Yosemite Falls-ish but without the falls at the end. But instead, you get these majestic 360 degree views with a little bit of anxiety mixed in from the heights. My body was completely sore after this hike, and my feet were on FIRE! But was it worth it? For the views, definitely. A worthy challenge for those who are looking for it. It costs $8 to enter the park. There's a small visitor's center where you can get maps, souvenirs, and where you can ask a ranger about specific information for hiking and camping. There are also restrooms to the left of the entrance. These restrooms are the cleanest and I'd recommend using these over three portable bathrooms that are located within the park. There are a few different trail variations that will get you up to Castle Dome. The most popular trail is the Crags Trail, and it's roughly 6 miles roundtrip. The starting point for this hike is located up high at the end of a windy one lane road at the vista point. From here, you'll take the Root Creek trail for about 1.5 miles until you reach the Crags Trail. If you're planning on doing this hike, bring waaay more water than you need and start as early as you possibly can. It gets hot super fast and you'll be climbing up most of the time until you reach the top. Also, bug spray is a must! I sprayed myself pretty generously and still got bitten up quite a bit by mosquitos. And of course, don't forget that sunscreen! The last two-ish miles are completely exposed and this is also where you'll gain the most elevation. The parking lot at the vista point is very small, and I got one of the last two spots left when I arrived a little before 8:30 am. The trail starts off meandering through a beautiful redwood forest. This part of the hike is pretty mild but it does mildly incline. It's shaded by trees for about the first 1.5 miles in. Once you connect from the Root Trail to Castle Crags, you'll start to gain elevation quickly. This hike gains 2,200+ feet of elevation. It is definitely challenging. After the first 1.5 miles, the terrain switches from forest to rocky and narrow. Sturdy hiking boots with good ankle support are a must. Hiking sticks on this section are also advisable, but if you don't have them, just be prepared to stop yourself from slipping in some sections. You'll literally be rock climbing in some sections. On the way up, you'll have some fabulous views of the dome and Mount Shasta in the distance. It's definitely motivating to see whilst you're climbing up the steep and rocky trail. Near the end, you'll reach a sign that reads "end of trail". From here, you can either continue up to the left or right to see the viewpoints. Warning: if going up to the left, you'll definitely be scrabbling up some tall and slippery rocks. And the view is beautiful but very scary. If you have any type of fear of heights, they will most likely be activated when you reach the top of this viewpoint. You literally have about a 1.5 feet of space to work with up there, and getting down is tricky. Luckily, there are some nice people at the top that can help you down if you decide to climb up there. But that view though! Worth it, worth it, worth it! The pictures honestly don't even do it justice. I wish I could have gotten so many more, but being that high up on annarrow ass rock stopped me from reaching my hands out any further to take more pics. Yeah... your girl was not trying to die that day! Thrill seekers might do more, but I'm happy with what I was able to see. The beautiful snow covered Mount Shasta right before my eyes! It's truly something beautiful. Although this hike murdered me, it was such an exhilarating experience. I probably wouldn't do this same hike again because it was very taxing on my body, but I'm so happy that I was able to do it. I would definitely come back to hike some different trails in the future, and maybe even camp here one day. Would highly recommend a visit! read more

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This is a beautiful drive there is some road signs that say private property but I don't think it applies to the road as there is a small camping area with fire pits and one outhouse that was clean near boxes. Nice access to the water and some good fishing spot. Although I am not sure if this is a local place to hang out and there was a syringe in one of the fire pits and a little bit of graffiti. Other than that I would come back here to fish. read more

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Came here over President's day weekend to hike the Castle Dome trail (~6 miles)! At the bottom of the mountain, it was nice and shaded with no snow. As we hiked in higher elevation, snow covered the trail so it was slippery at times. I would recommend bringing trekking poles! Overall, I'd say this was a moderate hike considering the snow covered trails. The views are worth it! read more

Castle Crags State Park - Parks Near Me - Castella, California

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This is our first time here camping. We made our reservation about 6 months ago, prior to coming here. It's not required, since most people camp here only overnight as they are passing through to their next destination. For those who have trouble sleeping at night with any noise, I recommend you buy high decibel ear plugs. The campground is right next to Interstate 5 freeway and near the Railroad tracks, which is used multiple times throughout the day and night. With our ear plugs, my wife and I have had no problems sleeping. The campers are generally very quiet and go to bed early in the evening (9 pm ish or so). It's definitely not a party campground. The campsites are generally spacious, partially to fully shaded and have enough room to park 3-4 cars with in the campsite. Although, each additional vehicle must pay $8 per night. It can be quite warm here during the summer months though. Also, you must be sure to store all your food in the bear lockers. And keep a tidy campsite, so you don't end up with unwanted critters or bears. They have 3 different bathroom locations and two of them have showers available. Must purchase tokens from the check in station. It cost $1 for 8 minutes of shower time. A really good deal, especially after hiking all day. This is an ideal location, with many hiking trails, scenic views, waterfalls, Sacramento river and lakes near by for fishing and swimming. read more

Castle Crags State Park - Parks Near Me - Castella, California

We stopped here for car camping while traveling a distance on the I-5. We camped in site 19, which is fairly private compared to other sites. It sits along a creek bead, and the mosquitos were vicious! Our 8x8 tent fit comfortably, and the tent pad is fairly flat. Most sites in this park have good shade. You could hear the freeway from all sites, but it was noticeably worse in the lower loop. Showers were token operated and in decent shape. Staff was friendly. Dogs allowed in the campground but can not hike in the oarkWe didn't get a chance to do any hiking but from what we could tell this would be a great place to spend the weekend or to use as a jumping off point to explore Shasta. I recommend making sure you have all the supplies you'll need before arriving (except firewood). My partner tried to buy basic groceries in the camp store, and said it was "worse than useless" because the store has not been restocked and contained only a few random items. It had plentiful alcohol, though, and appeared to be a pick up point for PCT hikers' supply boxes. read more

Castle Crags State Park - Camp site 19 is large and shaded, and accommodates an 8x8 tent comfortably. - Parks Near Me - Castella, California

If you just want to pull in and park for a few minutes, there are restrooms and a couple of picnic tables to the left of the ranger station. You can do that for free but you can't see anything from there. We forked over the $8 for a day use pass, so we could drive up to the vista point parking lot. Here is where I had to throw a star off to the side of the road..err, cliff. The roads in this place are barely roads. They are more like slightly paved trails. We were in a little tiny car and I was freaking out. When we came upon a sign that said: "1 way road ahead", I guffawed and exclaimed, "They think what we are on is a two way road?!?" Bring a change of shorts if narrow roadways, drop-offs, and no shoulder except a nice long tumble down the cliffs make you nervous. I couldn't believe how fast people were driving up and down the perilous road up to the vista point parking lot. Once we were parked safely and I crawled out of my safe place, we headed towards the short trail to the vista point. They have done a great job making it accessible to all. The bold and the brave have blazed a short-cut straight up the hill but I found the nicely groomed trail to be a beautiful stroll and didn't mind a few extra steps. There are a couple of picnic tables and benches, plus a telescope for you to view the mountain or castle crags. We had a wonderful lunch in a gorgeous setting. I would definitely return but it would only be to park myself in a camping spot and hike around the area on foot. read more

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This park is enigmatic and mysterious. The rocks that crown the park are unattainable, and you can reach the bottom of these formations though a challenging trail. If you want a more leisurable experience, go to the Vista Point and take one of the several trails around there. The climb to the Vista Point is challenging as it is. This is a quiet place where you'll see all sorts of nature. read more

Castle Crags State Park - Parks Near Me - Castella, California

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You can either camp here or choose to go on a variety of hiking trails on site. The fee was $8. I went to vista point and it was a short hike. I will be going back in a couple of days to do the 6 mile hike. I would recommend bringing glasses and coolibar mask to protect against sun, bugs & smoke (at this time). I love this park and would camp here in the future. read more

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OMG!!!! This place Just BEAUTIFUL!!!! Large camping sites, clean restrooms, convenient to walking paths. Cant wait to go back!

This is a small state park in Northern California just east of.the small town of Castella. The park offers tent and small trailer overnight camping for a fee along with multiple hiking trails that are both enjoyable and offer beautiful sites and views! read more

I did the roughly 6 mile round trip hike up to the Dome and it was gorgeous! The views were incredible, and the trails were well marked and maintained. The hike itself is not very difficult terrain wise, but for some I'm sure it is a slight huff and puff if you're not used to hiking. The greatest part was making it to the Castle Dome and climbing around on the rocks. Definitely worth the views and memories. read more

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Now that we live in the country away from family, date days happen fewer than we would like. However, recently we were able to spend three days, two night alone without our 4 kiddos. We love hiking so we planned our trip around visiting Castle Crags State Park. "Of all the walks we've taken together, this one is my favorite." Castle Crags Trail: Hubby and I got the inspiration to come up here and do this amazing hike from http://visitcalifornia.com. Visit California wrote about 7 castles in California and this was one of them. We could not wait to see the oldest standing castle in California. As we hiked up 2.7 miles with an elevation gain of 2200, we felt as if we were ascending up onto the castle which was placed here on purpose. A castle which is hard to reach. Unlike the other castles which you see in California this one you are able to enjoy for yourself without a huge crowd. This is a strenuous hike but worth every bit of it. You will see views of Mt. Shasta and the spectacular granite peaks of Castle Crags tower. This is a 5.6 mile out and back hike. On the way back we stopped by Indians Springs and enjoyed some refreshing and pure spring water. If you stop by the Indian Springs then this hike will be 6 miles long. The entrance fee is $10 and no permit is required. The trailhead address is 20022 Castle Creek Road, Castella, Ca 96017 read more

Castle Crags State Park - Parks Near Me - Castella, California

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We hiked to Indian Springs and then Castle Dome for a 6.3-mile round hike. Only going to Castle Dome is 5.9 miles roundtrip from 2600' to 4700'. Hiking only to Indian Springs is 4.6 miles with a 900' elevation gain. The entrance is close to I-5 and costs $8 per carload to enter the park. Drive past the campground on the one-lane paved road to the Vista Point parking lot with outhouse. Follow the Crags trail through the forest. This trail branches off to Root Creek, Pacific Crest Trail, Bob's Hat, and Indian Springs. Indian Springs is a quick and worthy diversion with trickling cascade through moss-covered rocks. The steepest part is between the junction to Indian Springs and the top. This section has less tree cover from the sun on hot days but also means better sightlines with recurring views of the nearly vertical rock layers of the Crags and the snow-covered Mount Shasta. The reflective white sand also increases the heat. The trail goes to the base of Castle Dome with a clearly marked "End of Trail" sign. Although we didn't scale the 300-foot Dome, the area can be wandered for better views - like rock scrambling to the granite saddle. read more

If you could give 5 stars to a bunch of rocks, then Castle Crags would be those rocks. It's not that the rest of this state park isn't interesting. It is. But the Castle Dome Trail, which departs from the Vista Point parking area and climbs around 2000 feet beyond the wilderness boundary to the base of the granitic monolith known as Castle Dome, is hands-down a must-see, bucket list sort of hike that all Golden Staters must do, or dream about, in order to appreciate the full range of topographies that California has to offer. The thing about the Crags is that: (1) it's too close to the interstate (I-5) for its own good; and (2) nearby Mount Shasta kinda steals its thunder. Too bad. The Crags are impressive all on their own, but to appreciate their immensity and awesomeness, you must hike to them; they will not hike to you. I've snowshoed here in January and admired the deep snows and granite bleakness. And in times of drought (like January 2015), I've hiked to the very top of the Crags trail and basked in sunshine, exposed stone, and the reflected light of distant Shasta. Think of it as Yosemite high country that is accessible in mild winters. Drive to the Vista Point, but don't stop there. Shoulder a daypack, bring a pair of trekking poles, and head out from Castle Dome. Is it steep at times? Yes. Will you feel slightly tired by the effort of reaching the Crags? Sure. But that's fine. This is a special spot, and you'll be glad for the effort: jagged spires of rock, soaring Shasta views, and lots and lots of solitude. It's similar to Pinnacles National Park, but with more snow and pine trees rather than chapparal and penetrating sunshine. Outside of the Sierra high country, rocks rarely are as expressive as these. The Crags were considered sacred space by native peoples for generations. Spirits migrated here to seek solace. In the right light, with winds blowing in your face and snow shining from Shasta, you'll realize that, even in today's WiFi world, they still very much do! read more

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There I was: It was getting dark. I'm driving down I-5 from Oregon. I keep seeing camping signs, but then they turn out to be RV parks. As a tenter, I try to avoid RV parks. Finally, there it is: Castle Crags State Park. I've passed by this too many times to remember, but never stopped in. It's 11:00 pm, so no one is at the gate, but they have the usual self-registration set up. I look at the map and find the circle that looks best (near the bathroom with showers--8 hours in a car without the AC on encourages one to look for showers). Not wanting to disturb everyone by flashing headlights all over the place, I take the first site I can find. It's not bad. The area that looks like the tent area is on a bit of a slope, but that's what I get for arriving way after dark. Downside: You can hear the trucks passing on I-5 all night, but you're far enough away that it's not too loud. In the morning, I check out the area. It's quite nice. Basic campground under the pines, but NO RVs in sight! The place wasn't full, but there were quite a few campgrounds with tents. The "Upper Loop" seems to be more tent friendly than RV friendly. I don't think I saw any "pull throughs" on this loop. Later I explored the "Lower Loop" and found two groups with boats on trailers. I suspect this loop is the one used by larger vehicles and trailers. I was in a bit of a rush, so I didn't hike around the park much, but there were plenty of trails, and you can check out an "Adventure Pack" for kids (some sort of a nature/environment pack with stuff to help the kids learn about the park). I drove up to the Vista Point--the drive is a narrow one-lane road, I was glad I was on it early in the morning and didn't have to negotiate passing a car coming the other way. Nice view of the Castle Crags from the Vista Point. They are building an ADA accessible path from the upper parking lot to the view point, so I bet this will be open by Fall 2008. All in all, looks like a great campground. Wish I had more time to spend there. read more

Castle Crags State Park - Castle Crags State Park; Upper Loop Campground - Parks Near Me - Castella, California

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I had the joy of coming Camping here for memorial day weekend. My boyfriend and I were lucky enough to get a spot right on the river. While you can make a reservation for the campsites online you cannot pick a spot. So come here early if you want to spot by the river. The park is divided into two parts there's the upper loop which is closer to the forest and the crags and then there's the lower loop. Then there's a whole another section under the freeway by the river. I would've never realized this unless my mom had reminded me to talk to the Rangers about that. I guess we stayed here when I was a kid and I had no idea! Anyways the campsites are a little bit small but they definitely have beautiful views. The Rangers were super helpful and I didn't ever feel like the campsite was lacking in anything. It has clean bathrooms and nice river access, fire pits and an even old-school stone oven. The price to stay here a night is about $25. How can you beat that? I will say that the train runs through right by the river spots so if you're sensitive to noise you'll probably not enjoy that. I however am not sensitive to noise so it wasn't a big deal to me. We really enjoyed our stay here and I can definitely see results coming back. read more

We visited the park over valentines weekend. The park is exceptionally beautiful. We hiked the short visit trail which had amazing views of both the castle crag rock formation, as well as an awesome view of Mount Shasta! Next we hiked the root trail. Which was very nice, the hike was rather flat. But it was surrounded by a gorgeous forest of mixed evergreen treen. Pine, fir, and cedar. I was able to amaze the wife, by showing her how to I.D. Each of these tree species by their needles, using her smart phone to reference pictures of each ones needles. Never the less, we made it to the end of the trail (well at least for us) and we explored the root creek. It was extremely beautiful, I highly suggest this one!! The water was cascading over all the mossy rocks so beautifully!!! read more

Castle Crags State Park - Mossy stump, root creek trail. - Parks Near Me - Castella, California

Try to get there early so you can scope out the campsites. We got there in the early afternoon on Labor Day weekend (with a reservation) and were glad that there were still many sites available. Some of the sites are right on top of each other with no tent space, and a fireplace/grill instead of a fire ring/pit. We opted for the lower loop, where the sites were more spread out and there were less sites altogether. (I think we were at site #17) I was afraid being so close to the highway noise, as mentioned by the previous reviewers, but honestly, it never bothered me or my friends. Maybe because we're used to city noise? Who knows. Anyway, if you're sensitive to sound, bring ear plugs, which is what I always do anyway when I'm camping. Compared to the other parks I've been to, Castle Crags is not as well-maintained but it's fine. I was pleased with the fact that it wasn't crazy crowded, despite the holiday weekend. The hike to the dome is amazing. Definitely drive up to the trailhead -- it's a long, long walk from the campground. We also did a little hike along the creek/river, which was cool once you got past the main road. read more

Castle Crags State Park - On the way up to the dome. Mt Shasta in the distance. - Parks Near Me - Castella, California

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Camped here for a weekend and there is SO MUCH to do. Hiked the Castle Crags trail to the Dome and it was full of breathtaking views. It's a hike I will remember for a long time. The hiking trails were extremely well maintained and marked appropriately. The rangers were helpful and the camp host was very kind. They have a park newspaper with a "Discovery Quest" scavenger hunt. If you complete it and return to the station, they give you that years Castle Crags patch. The quest is fun and gets you around to all of the park attractions, like the river trail and vista point. Also some great items for reasonable prices in the gift shop!! The only room for improvement here would be in the campground. It's lovely, but pretty close to the interstate so you can't escape the sound of cars driving. This weekend there have been some big groups but generally the sites stayed pretty quiet after 10:30 PM. read more

I had never been camping before so I didn't know what to expect, but I don't think I could've had a more amazing experience. Castle Crags was beyond beautiful and camping there was such a privilege. Everyone was extremely nice and helpful, especially Beth our camp host. We ended up setting up camp on the river side campsite. We hiked only a couple of trails, but Vista Point is a must! We also checked out Castle Lake, Siskoyou Lake, Cantara Loop, downtown Dunsmuir, and a few other really cool places that were easy to drive to from Castle Crags if you want to explore outside of the park. I really can't wait to come back to Castle Crags and hope that my next camping experience can live up to my first there! read more

Castle Crags State Park - Parks Near Me - Castella, California

Love this gem of a park! Camping: The roads were recently repaved, and the showers are free! Was a pretty quiet campground, no loud/partying campers. We stayed over by the creek and loved it. -Prepare for the mosquitoes! They were out all day long, and on every trail. We averted them by using spray (sorta effective), and keeping a smokey fire worked great at keeping them away (one log barely burning at a time). Next time I'll bring our mosquito incense sticks so we don't have to put out a fire each time we want to leave. -The fire pit walls are unusually high and mostly filled with ash. You can't see the fire unless you're either right next to it or have a big fire going. -There were water spigots all around and no problem with water availability -There's a sink station outside the bathrooms -Had good AT&T service (not sure if that's a pro or a con when you're trying to get away from it all) -The traffic noise wasn't a problem for us, at night it quiets down a lot and the train horn is kind of endearing, it happened more in the evening than any other time. Never noticed it in the night though--slept great there. Hiking: The Castle Dome hike was awesome!!! All up hill on the way up, I'd call it an easy-hard hike. About half is in the forest and the rest is climbing the rock "steps" under the sun. The trail ends at the base of the crags and turns into "choose you own adventure". Climbing around and exploring was the best part, the views inside the bowl of the crags is amazing. We also did Indian Creek and Root Creek trails, both easy and both enjoyable! A note on Ammirati's Market (at the Chevron station): The owner has posters of half naked women all over the ceiling. It looks like a trashy dive bar instead of a market, it's so degrading to women and not appropriate for kids. There's an alternate store 2 exits north on 5. I'm surprised CA State Parks promotes a business like this in the Castle Crags newspaper. Overall, I highly recommend this park! It was an easy 3 hours from Sacramento and climbing the crags will probably be one of my favorite outdoor memories of the year. A great state park! read more

Really beautiful views, but we only stopped to take a look and didn't do any hiking. This is definitely a major contender to come back and do a camping trip. The camp sites looked great and it wasn't crowded (at least it wasn't mid-Saturday). I'll update my review once we've done some actual camping and hiking. read more

This is a real gem of a place that few seem to know about. The trails are good, and the views are wonderful. Access is primitive. HOWEVER, the lack of water makes things problematic: take PLENTY! For climbers: some routes are as if they are in the Valley ( Yosemite, that is ), smooth and polished, but much vegetation is to be expected and the cracks can be crumbly. The advent of chocks really suited this area. The old bolts and hangers need to be checked carefully for wear. The entrance fee may seem steep, but maintenance here is tough, and I think that it is the most reasonable of all the fees in parks. And, if you think that roads are scary now, well, you should have seen this place in the mid-70's! ( By the way, there used to be some remnants of the very old spring water bottling "plant" at the foot of these crags. If you do come across them, please leave things in situ for historians. ) read more

Castle Crags is breathtaking; but this review is actually for Castle Creek. Sorry locals to let your little secret out of the bag... At mile marker 2 on the south side of the road, look for a trail that heads to the creek. You'll find the most gorgeous swimming hole with a nice beach It's beautiful! read more

Castle Crags State Park - Mile Marker 2 swimming hole - Parks Near Me - Castella, California

The husband and I camped at Castle Crags State Park at the end of August. We had originally planned this trip in order to hike/summit Mt. Shasta. Unfortunately, fire season in California in 2014 was absolutely awful, and we found ourselves in far Northern California in some pretty awful smoke choked conditions. Suffice it to say, our plans for hiking fell apart. Though I was bummed about not being able to cross Shasta off my hiking bucket list, Castle Crags State Park provided a great weekend of camping and a great base camp from which to explore the State of Jefferson. Campground: I made a camp site reservation ahead of time via the State Parks website at $30/night (at the time of this review), however, you can't reserve specific sites. When you arrive at the Park, you check in with the ranger, and then you can drive around the two campground loops and select any of the open spaces. We ended up choosing spot # 26 in the Upper Loop, a spacious site, which backed up to an open area (no other campsite behind us). There was a large bear locker (big enough to fit our cooler, kitchen stuff, etc.) and picnic table provided. The site was also near a well-kept restroom. Though we were there during prime camping season, there few other campers near us. It seemed that most of occupied sites were in the Lower Loop. The campground is right off of I-5 and traffic noises could be heard all day. Honestly, the traffic was either not that bad or I just tuned it out after a while, because I didn't really hear it most of the time during the weekend. Park: The Castle Crags are a prominent feature of the park, and were visible from almost anywhere we ventured. They really are beautiful and a departure from the landscape features of this area. There is a vista point from which to view the crags, unfortunately the day we drove up to the point, we were unable to see the crags due to the smoke. The Park features about 30 miles of hiking trails, some of which venture into the adjoining Castle Crags Wilderness. We hiked and ran on several of the trails including Bob's Hat Trail, Crags Trail, Root Creek Trail, a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail, Indian Creek Nature Loop, and the River Trail. The trails were maintained well and for the most part, well signed. A portion of the park is across from I-5, along the river. There are also several campsites here, which we didn't know about beforehand (next time, we'll definitely be camping in one of these spots). We spent a lot of time fishing and hanging out by the crystal clear waters of the Sacramento River. There is a trail that runs underneath I-5 that connects the main park to the riverside section. Once you cross under the interstate, you have to walk down the frontage road for a bit and cross the train tracks. Once you pass the tracks, there is a really cool suspension bridge across the river! We spent a couple of early mornings & late afternoons/early evenings fishing on the river. The rainbow trout, while not plentiful, were biting. Services: There is a small and hugely overpriced gas station and store right outside of the park entrance. For more sanely priced services you can drive about 4 minute north on I-5 to the charming town of Dunsmuir. You can find groceries, gas, and other necessities here, including the very excellent Dunsmuir Brewery Works. All in all, Castle Crags is a really lovely jewel in the State Parks system. It is much less crowded than other parks I have visited, and the scenery, hiking, and fishing are absolutely wonderful. I will definitely be back! read more

Edit Jan 2013: Castle Crags has reopened... (it was closed from June 2012 to ?) Wow. I can't believe this campground rec'd such good reviews. Maybe I'm just picky, maybe it's a sign I'm getting older, maybe it's just the late hour at which I'm writing this review (not!). NOISY: We stayed there for one night, on our way back from Oregon. A previous reviewer mentioned the sound coming from I-5. Well, let me tell you that it kept me up almost all night. I heard bigrigs braking and generally just trucks out on the interstate. I am a light sleeper, so that doesn't help. But we were in a travel trailer, and that provides some sound buffer. Apparently, not enough for me. My husband was bothered by the noise as well, and he can sleep through a nuclear bomb (and that's noo-klee-arr, not noo-cue-loor). OUR SITE: The horrendously loud noise coming from I-5 might have had something to do with our site (Site 26 I think); it was located at the start of the campground, to the left, before any other sites. It was also about the same elevation as I-5, and the wind may have grabbed the noise and transported it right to our campsite. lucky us. :-/ We had a pull-thru site, and I remember seeing one other pull-thru. None are very long, so bigger RVs beware (our TT and TV are 40' total and barely fit in our site). To be fair, I think there were better campsites, especially if you're tenting it. Ours was not in any sort of loop, and those campsites in the upper and lowers loops seem to have been the better sites. We got there so late that hookups would have been a waste of money, but just in case you don't know, there are no hookups there. The restrooms are decent - well, at least they have flush toilets. That's better than pit toilets. RANGERS: The rangers seemed normal. No issues there. I have actually very happy to have one onsite and working when we arrived so late. Without him, I don't think we would have found a site that accommodated our trailer; as I said, the length of the sites are pretty darn short (but for you tenters out there, no worries--I'm just trying to warn the Rvers). TRAILS: The ranger, when we pulled in at 9pm, gave us a map and a list of hikes in the park. We took the shortest hike the following morning, which was the one long the railroad (my 2.5 yo son loves trains), and we got out to a local road and then lost the trail. The weeds were so high that we couldn't see where the trail led. So we ended up walking back to camp and leaving. Because we didn't hike any of the other trails, I can't comment on those. Speaking of trains, we heard a couple the night we were there. They are LOUD. I can't remember if I heard any while I was "sleeping," but it's not an unpleasant sounds. Much better than jake brakes. :) BEAUTIFUL: Needless to say, one can see some of Castle Crags from I-5 and it IS remarkable. COST: For $25, the campsite was safe and I was glad we stopped to sleep that night. I was also happy they had 1st come 1st serve sites, and some available in early June on a Friday evening. Phew! OVERALL: Would I go back to stay longer? No. Would that be a stop coming back from Oregon in the future? Probably not. I think I'll try another place next time. If I do go back, I'm bringing earplugs. read more

Wonderful time. Less one star for the mosquitos, bees and wasps, which one of us is deathly afraid of. We loved the campground hosts, Ed and his wife. They were our neighbors and they took great care of us with the best recommendations and bug spray we could ever ask for. The water there is incredible. Dunsmuir town is actually cute but it was eerily empty (July 4 weekend) and resembled a ghost town. We did the Castle Dome hike which was strenuous but so rewarding and gorgeous. We didn't love the ranger that helped us check-in. He was rather odd - but I think that and the insects were the only negatives. Wonderful magical place. The bathrooms are even somewhat clean, very nice for campsite bathrooms. I even took two showers. Be sure to take quarters with you and accept that you will not be alone - there are little critters everywhere! I have not seen so many insects in my entire life. For the outdoors lovers, this is the place for you. I don't like Mt Shasta city - it lacks personality in my opinion, unless you are a fan of magic and gnomes, so head towards the arty Sacramento street of Dunsmuir instead. Thanks again to Ed for all his great recommendations and help! read more

Our campsite was in the Upper Loop. Recommend sites 63, 64 as they are spacious and not on any incline like the rest of the Upper Loop sites. Bear lockers a bit smallish compared to lockers in Tahoe or Yosemite. Rangers super nice as usual. Facilities clean and well kept. Showers cost quarters--4 quarters = 12 minutes. Lots of trees to cover from the afternoon sun. Crags Trail is a great hike and not easy. Beginning of trail smooth but top of the trail gets very rocky. Stop by Indian Springs and fill your canteens. Believe me. We needed the extra water. Took us several hours to reach the top and a couple hours coming back at a purposeful slow pace. Unfortunately, I would not come back to this campsite for one reason. The trains and other highway sounds echo throughout the night. The one night when I got decent sleep was the night after our big hike. I was so exhausted I did not hear anything and slept like a baby. Otherwise, the train horns booming in the night kept me awake most nights. My brother said the ear plugs helped, so he had no problem sleeping. So bring ear plugs (as recommended by other reviews) if you still decide to camp here. read more

This is the longest hike I have ever done, but it was well worth it. Its a 5 mile up and 5 mile down. It's going uphill all the way till you reach the top. As you get higher and higher you'll see amazing views. read more

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If you're ever on the 5 going north from CA into Oregon, stop by for this hike. The hike can be strenuous but should not be for people who are more accustomed to uphill hiking. As you go up you have to navigate a little bit along the trail, and at every turn with an open view you get to see the forest below. I even saw a few mountain climbers try to tackle the sheer rock face of Castle's crag. Up at the top is really where it pays off. You get a lot of cool views and things to climb. There were people camping out along the rocks along the way and I wish I could've joined them. The stars at night must be amazing, last time I was that high up at night I must've counted at least 20 shooting stars in the night sky. Castle's Crags reminds me of how the Yellow Mountains look like in china. All those jagged cuts in the rock formations provide for quite a sight. read more