State Parks and National Parks

The 2.1 million acres of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest contain Shasta and Trinity lakes, five wilderness areas, four wild and scenic rivers and 1,300 miles of hiking trails.

Much of the Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area is within the national forest.

The 130-mile Trinity Scenic Byway and the 104-mile Trinity Heritage National Scenic Byway offer outstanding forest views and recreational resources.

Shasta Lake, the largest man-made reservoir in California, offers boating, fishing, swimming and water skiing. When full, the lake's 370-mile shoreline exceeds that of San Francisco Bay.

The massive Shasta Lake region is broken into distinct areas, each with its own moods and recreation specialties. In the Jones Valley Area Area, bald eagle, osprey and human anglers all fish for bass.

The Lakehead Area offers a faster pace and easy access. Visitors can choose between campsites or resort cabins, a campfire supper or a full-course restaurant meal.

Trinity Lake's vast expanses of undeveloped shoreline and forest land encircle a more remote recreation area. It offers excellent smallmouth bass fishing. Catfish, kokanee, largemouth bass, rainbow and brown trout are abundant.

The rugged Mount Shasta Wilderness Area, a land of glaciers and waterfalls, surrounds Mount Shasta. Elevations range from 4,300 to 14,000 feet. It is snow-covered most of the year and hikers need crampons and an ice axe to scale the mountain.

The forest also provides trail access to the south and east side of the Trinity Alps, the second-largest wilderness in California.

Photo credits in order: Courtesy of USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region.