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4.5
101 votes

Castle Crags State Park

20022 Castle Creek Rd., Castella, California 96017 USA

Closed Now
Opens Thu 6a
  • Independent
  • Credit Cards
    Accepted
  • Pet Friendly
  • Not Wheelchair
    Accessible
  • Public
    Restrooms
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“6,000-feet tall glacier-polished crags”

Majestic Castle Crags have inspired enduring myths and legends. More than 170 million years old, these 6000-feet tall granite spires in the Castle Crags Wilderness border the northwestern edge of Castle Crags State Park. Castle Crags State Park offers a variety of camping, picnicking, hiking, and fishing opportunities. The park has 76 developed campsites that are each equipped with a picnic table, food locker, and a fire ring. Flush toilets, showers, and drinking water are available near each campsite. Picnic sites are located along the Sacramento River and at the awe-inspiring Vista Point. River Trail imageWith 28 miles of hiking trails, everyone can enjoy a mild stroll or an invigorating adventure. From the Vista Point parking area, a quarter mile accessible trail leads visitors to Vista Point where there are dramatic views of Castle Crags, Mount Shasta, and nearby Grays Rocks. Gentle and shaded, the mile long Root Creek Trail guides hikers along an accessible path to a year round flowing creek. The most popular and challenging route is the Crags Trail which leads adventures to the base of Castle Dome where the views are simply breathtaking. The Pacific Crest Trail winds through the Park as well. Castle Crags State Park is often a respite for the weary hikers of this 2,650 mile trek from Mexico to Canada. The Sacramento River flows through the park and has several access points that allow for fishing and hiking. Facilities at Riverside include camping and picnicking sites as well the famed pedestrian suspension bridge that crosses the Sacramento River. Please note that dogs are not allowed on hiking trails. Castle Crags State Park is an excellent place to use as home base to experience Shasta and Siskiyou Counties. The park is 14 miles south of the City of Mount Shasta, 6 miles south of historic Dunsmuir and 21 miles north of Shasta Lake. Location - Directions Castle Crags State Park is located 6 miles south of Dunsmuir or 48 miles north of Redding along I-5; exit 724. The entrance station is located at: 20022 Castle Creek Road Castella, CA 96017 Seasons/Climate Recommended Clothing Summer and spring are warm; fall and winter can be cool. Layered clothing is advised. ew of California’s State parks display impressive monoliths adorned like a castle with towering spires and few permit rock climbing. Castle Crags State Park is an exception. The scenic beauty is best enjoyed from a distant vantage point where one can see the range of surrounding landforms. The monolith and its surroundings are a microcosm of the Klamath Mountains where many such monoliths intrude and stitch together a crazy quilt of much older rocks. The surrounding rocks include the Trinity ultramafic sheet, the largest exposed body of ultramafic rock in North America. The ultramafic rock is often interpreted to represent an ancient ophiolite – a slice of the oceanic crust.

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Reviews of Castle Crags State Park

26 people have reviewed this location

Ratings Summary

4.4 Access
4.3 Location
4.1 Cleanliness
4.0 Site Quality
2.4 Noise

Cell Coverage

Verizon 4G/5G

Confirmed by 6 users | Last reported on August 05, 2023

AT&T 4G

Confirmed by 4 users | Last reported on June 09, 2022

T-Mobile 4G

Confirmed by 1 users | Last reported on May 07, 2019
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  • Road Warrior
  • 78 Reviews
  • 183 Helpful
May 13, 2014
Rated

The most rewarding hike of our trip. We opted for the Castle Crags Trail that leads to Castle Dome. You ascend 2200 feet in three miles (talk about sore legs the next day). You will need 4-5 hours to complete the hike because of its challenging climb, but the views are unmatched for the effort.

3 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by
Krystal Bailey

  • Road Warrior
  • 19 Reviews
  • 89 Helpful
August 28, 2014
Rated 4.0

We were on our way back from Castle Lake when we thought we'd stop and see the crags. I wasn't expecting an $8 fee to get into the park so we kind of cheated seeing as we had no cash on us. We kept driving up the road and it went up a hill and we had a beautiful view of the crags. I also go to pick wild black berries. Judging by the scat in the area, I'd warn you there are bears around.

1 person found this review helpful

Reviewed by
davidvanhandel

  • 30 Reviews
  • 0 Helpful
June 09, 2022
Rated

Stayed here while supporting a PCT hiker in early June ‘22. Staff were extremely helpful and accommodating where possible. I had a FedEx package delivered here and I needed to stay an additional night beyond my reservation so had to shift campsites. Not really suitable for trailers over 25’ and leveling is required in most spots. There are a couple of pull-thru spots but small so still had to work trailer a bit to fit. There is freeway noise and more so in the lower section. There was very poor solar due to dense trees and I had to run my generator part of the day to keep up after the first couple of days of cloudy weather and rain. There is a gas station with a minimart within walking distance; not much else around. Lots of hiking trail access (Castle Crags) and vista point access at the end of the campground.

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Nightly Rate: $25.00

Days Stayed: 4

Site Number: 37 & 64

4 Access
4 Location
5 Cleanliness
3 Site Quality
3 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

AT&T 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

August 05, 2023
Rated

The staff here is awesome and worked hard to accomodate our desire to arrive a day early. The campground is in a couple sections, with those by the Sacramento River nicer and further apart. However, an active train track is 30 yards away and trains went by day and night, always blowing their horn in passing. Those on the other side of I-5 (the park was built by the CCC in 1935 and later bisected by the freeway construction) are lovely and wooded, but very close together and none that I could see were level. Quite a few had a parking spot 5 yards from the tent site and picnic table. Too cramped for our tastes. And no RVs here - we struggled to find a flat site for our 21' Class B (number 9, which was awesome). Showers are in the main campground; the river side has only a skanky restroom but multiple water faucets. No dump station. A couple great hikes in the park! Definitely a good 2 night location. Big cell service in the main campground but slim to none by the river.

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $25.00

Days Stayed: 2

Site Number: 9

4 Access
5 Location
4 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
3 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 5G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

April 11, 2017
Rated

Campsites are surprisingly close to the interstate. Bathroom was a bit drab and one of the two stalls out of service. Only a few sites appeared to be level.

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $25.00

Days Stayed: 1

Site Number: -

5 Access
3 Location
3 Cleanliness
3 Site Quality
2 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

AT&T 4G

Reviewed by
ZombieCat

  • 60 Reviews
  • 0 Helpful
August 11, 2018
Rated

I stayed here only one night, on the way north toward Oregon. The park is located just off Interstate 5, which is convenient but also a major drawback due to noise. I recommend staying on the Upper Loop, which is further from the highway. I arrived late and the only availability was the Lower Loop.

The site was fine for tent camping, but the noise from the interstate was very loud. Also, the mosquitos were horrendous! They swarmed any exposed skin and made it impossible to enjoy sitting outside. The bathrooms had running water, showers and flush toilets; however they were nothing to write home about and could use a cleaning.

I didn't hang around the next day to do any hiking, but the park looks fairly nice.

In the future, I would likely make this a day trip or visit during the cooler months when the bugs are less active.

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Nightly Rate: $25.00

Days Stayed: 1

Site Number: 17

5 Access
5 Location
3 Cleanliness
4 Site Quality
1 Noise
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Reviewed by
Campendium

May 07, 2019
Rated

Wanted a place for one night on our way to Washington and this filled our needs. Being right off I5 made it perfect for stopover but being so close to I5 also made it less than quite. There was also a train running. Stayed in May so everything was still green. Campground was pretty much empty. Our site had a concrete pad, we still had a little leveling to do. Campground had flush toilet, shower and running water. No hookups.
Trail down to the Sacramento River. Hiking trails throughout but one we enjoyed was the Vista trail. Views of the crags and Mount Shasta.

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Nightly Rate: $25.00

Days Stayed: 1

Site Number: 36

5 Access
4 Location
5 Cleanliness
4 Site Quality
3 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

T-Mobile 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

August 19, 2019
Rated

Site 36 is concrete, wide and almost level
Most all other sites are either short (for 24ft sprinter) and hilly or both.
The internal roads are steep and twisty except from site 20 to 37.

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Nightly Rate: $25.00

Days Stayed: 1

Site Number: 36

3 Access
5 Location
3 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
1 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

December 28, 2019
Rated

Pulled in at 10:30 pm to grab a bit of sleep. Site 26 is a pull through and fairly level. Woke up and went on an early morning hike on the Root Trail for a stunning view of the Castle Crag Mountains.

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $25.00

Days Stayed: 1

Site Number: 26

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
4 Site Quality
3 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

AT&T 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

August 28, 2020
Rated

“Due to the recent visitation surges at this unit, the park is again temporarily closing vehicular access, meaning that there is no camping, parking facilities, or vehicular use of park roadways beginning July 22, 2020 until further notice. All restrooms are closed. The park will be open for locals who can walk or bike in for trail or day-use.”

From Parks.CA.gov

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Castle Crags State Park

20022 Castle Creek Rd.
Castella, California
96017 USA
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Hours

Closed Now
  • Sun - Sat: 6:00 am - 7:00 pm

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  • Check
    Parking
  • Check
    Pets Allowed
  • Check
    Restrooms
  • Unknown
    Wifi
  • Unavailable
    Wheelchair Accessible
  • Check
    Credit Cards Accepted
Affiliation
State park or forest
Back In RV Sites Count
15
Last Nightly Rate
25.0
Longest Vehicle Length Reported
24.0
Lowest Nightly Rate
25.0
Max Length
27 ft
Max Stay
14
Sites Count
76
  • Check
    Paved Sites
  • Unavailable
    Fifty Amp
  • Unavailable
    Full Hookup
  • Check
    Rec Facilities
  • Unavailable
    Pull Through
  • Check
    Tent Sites
  • Unavailable
    Dump Station
  • Unavailable
    Big Rigs
  • Unavailable
    Open Seasonally
  • Unavailable
    Age Restricted
  • Check
    Back In RV Sites
  • Check
    Boondock
  • Unavailable
    Cabin Sites
  • Unavailable
    Dispersed Sites
  • Check
    Firewood
  • Unavailable
    Fulltime Residents
  • Unavailable
    Group Tent Sites
  • Unavailable
    Laundry
  • Unavailable
    Mobile Homes
  • Unavailable
    Permit Required
  • Check
    Potable Water
  • Unavailable
    Propane
  • Check
    Public Water
  • Unavailable
    Pull Through RV Sites
  • Check
    Reservations
  • Unavailable
    Sewer Hookup
  • Check
    Showers
  • Check
    Sites
  • Unavailable
    Slide Outs
  • Check
    Standard Tent Sites
  • Unavailable
    Vehicle Wash Permitted
  • Unavailable
    Water Hookup
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