State Parks and National Parks

The 403,000-acre Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area was established in 1965 to preserve the recreation opportunities at reservoirs created by the Bureau of Land Reclamation's Central Valley Project.

The Trinity and Shasta Units are administered by the U.S. Forest Service. Shasta Lake is the largest manmade reservoir in California. Both Shasta and Trinity boast vast expanses of undeveloped shoreline and forest land.

The Whiskeytown Unit, administered by the National Park Service, is an idyllic spot for water sports. In all three units, visitors enjoy fishing, boating, swimming, waterskiing, sailing and canoeing. Camping, picnicking, hiking and horseback riding also are popular.

The Whiskeytown Unit also contains some of the best mountain bike trails in northern California. The trail from the lake's shoreline at 1,210 feet elevation to the top of Shasta Bally Mountain at 6,199 feet is one of the most challenging in the state.

Visitor use fees are charged at all three units.

Photo credits in order: Courtesy of National Park Service. Photo by Fred Mang Jr., courtesy of National Park Service. Photo by Fred Mang, courtesy of National Park Service.