Swimming & Kayaking in Castle Lake

Mt. Shasta > California > United States


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Tooling up the 5 from Shasta Lake I cruised through Mt. Shasta and stocked up on supplies before heading west out into the country again along W.A. Barr Road (Forest Route 26). After a brief detour at Lake Siskiyou I turned left onto Castle Lake Road just past Box Canyon Dam.

Girls on a RockView All Sizes

Camping Out

Castle Lake Road winds up into the mountains for several miles and offers some excellent views of Mt. Shasta. Along the way I looked for potential campsites for van or tent. A trail wide enough for a vehicle caught my eye near the end of the road, but a softly glowing campfire through the trees indicated that it was already occupied.

Arriving at the lake towards evening, I scoped it out for a bit before retreating down the road a few hundred feet to a turnout. There I camped that night, returning to the lake the next day.

Since that next day was a Saturday in late Summer a couple dozen people were enjoying the warm weather and cool water.

Beach on the South EndView All Sizes

Kayaking Castle LakeView All Sizes

Windsong in the Lake

Lovely Little Lake

On the north end of the lake is a parking lot. A trail winds around the lake on both sides. Heading southwest the trail hugs the shore closely and passes a couple of nice beaches. The portion of the lake closest to the parking lot is mostly shallow, averaging 10 feet, and sports a large flat rock for sunbathing. The north end drops down to 110 feet. Swimming out to the raft at this end it certainly felt that deep below my exposed belly, much like at the old quarry out in Mokuleia. Once again I imagined a leviathan waiting below the placid surface for some plump swimmer to drag under and tear apart with its long, sharp teeth.

Dog Encounter on the TrailView All Sizes

Okay that's not gonna happen. Castle Lake is a safe, monster-free family destination. People brought their kids, dogs, and a sunny attitude. Some even brought kayaks and innertubes.

No party, friends or cake, just Windsong my Shepherd and I spending another day that also happened to be my 33rd birthday.