Shasta-Trinity
National Recreation Area
History
The
Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area (NRA) was established
November 8, 1965 by Congress to, in part, provide for public outdoor recreation
use and enjoyment, and conservation of scenic, scientific, historic, and other
values. It offers recreationist a variety of outdoor activities including:
boating, water-skiing, swimming, fishing, camping, picnicking, hiking, and
hunting.
There are only 18 NRA's under Forest Service management designated in the
United States, and this NRA is somewhat unique because it is made up of four lakes
with very distinct recreation opportunities. Of the 246,087 acres that make up
the NRA, 203,587 acres are managed by the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. The
Forest Service manages Shasta, Trinity and Lewiston Lakes. The National Park
Service manages Whiskeytown Lake.
These sites with their large reservoirs and mountainous terrain
support a large variety of recreation opportunities. Hikers, bikers,
swimmers, boaters, anglers and campers will enjoy the facilities this
area has to offer.
Trinity Unit
The Trinity area with its four subunits: Lewiston Lake, Trinity Dam,
Stuart Fork and North Lake areas and has endless opportunities for
recreation from great trout fishing in Lewiston Lake, to scenic driving
along Trinity Heritage National Scenic Byway, to picturesque picnicking.
Camping and trail use are among the top pastimes.
Shasta Unit
Shasta Lake, Shasta Lake has four distinctive arms; Sacramento,
McCloud, Squaw and Pit. Each is a wonderland of scenic beauty and
phenomenal outdoor recreation that attracts enormous crowds to its
striking landscape. As with the case of Trinity and Whiskeytown, water
sport enthusiasts find plenty of private and public accommodations to
meet their needs. Marinas, boat ramps, campgrounds, shoreline picnic
areas and superb multi-use trails exist.
Key Points
- Shasta Lake is the largest man-made reservoir in California.
When full, the lake has 370 miles of shoreline, which exceeds
that of San Francisco bay. Shasta Lake contains 30,000 surface
acres and holds 4,550,000 acre-feet of water. Shasta Lake lies
behind Shasta Dam, which is the second largest (after Grand
Coulee Dam) and second tallest concrete dam (after Hoover Dam)
in the United States.
- Trinity Lake, when full, has 145 miles of shoreline,
contains 17,000 surface acres and holds 2,500,000 acre-feet of
water. Trinity Lake Dam is one of the highest earth filled dams
in the world.
- The NRA has outstanding wildlife viewing opportunities
including 30 pairs of nesting bald eagles, over 60 pairs of
osprey, and abundant deer and bear populations. Both lakes
provide world class fishing opportunities. Shasta Lake has
become a focus for
bass fishing tournaments over the last few years.
|