Shasta-Trinity National Forest

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.