Castle Crags State Park

Castle Crags State Park is a wonderful state park right off of Interstate-5 near the charming town of Dunsmuir. After embarking on this strenuous 5.4-mile hike (with a 2,200 ft elevation gain), you might want to drive into Dunsmuir to eat at Dunsmuir Brewry Works so that you can get a substantial meal like their salmon BLT.

See some gorgeous photos and one of my mom's paintings after the jump.

Mom's painting is from the Vista Point. My photos are from the entrance kiosk to the park and near the top of Crag's Trail. The middle photo shows Mount Shasta in the background.

Crags Trail to Castle Dome

Crags Trail Detail

This in-and-out trail is not that long in miles; however, it is a difficult trail due to the continuous elevation gain. It is mostly straight up to the base of Castle Dome and then straight down again. The exertion is definitely worth it!

Zach Urniss writes an excellent summary of the trail here (along with summaries of other trails at the park):

The classic trail of the Castle Crags State Park, which begins at Vista Point is uphill almost the entire way to the park’s best views of the Crags.

The first 1.3 miles passes through dense forest before emerging to excellent views.  Just beyond 1.5 miles, a spur trail offers a five minute walk to Indian Spring which flows-year round out of the granite rock and surrounded by ferns. The last portion the hike toward Castle Dome is steep and rocky, following markers in the trail, but the views are worth the effort. Experienced rock climbers may choose to ascend 500 feet at Castle Dome at the trail’s end.

In addition to this spectacular hike, the park boasts a lovely (and generous) campground and interesting flora. The Root Trail is a good place to look for wild orchids in late spring and the rare weeping spruce can be found near the top of the Crag Trail.