The 6,000-feet tall granite spires called Castle Crags are more than 170 million years old. While visiting and hiking, I was able to enjoy them from a distance and from different perspectives as well as other features of the state park.
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| Castle Crags |
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| Ridgeline to the Left of Castle Crags |
Flume Trail
This short hike took me up and down a tree-covered slope near the base of Castle Crags.
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| Trail through the Pines |
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| Oak Trees |
I crossed the still-flowing Indian Creek a couple of times.
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| Indian Creek Tumbles over Rocks |
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| Ledges Form a Small Waterfall |
As I climbed higher, I was able to see the neighboring landscape to the southwest.
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| Beautiful Trees & Mountains |
At two different points I had to navigate over, under, or atop fallen trees blocking the trail.
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Fallen Tree about 3-Feet in Diameter
(Walking Atop Its Length Took You to the End of the Switchback) |
Several plants and flowers growing in the dry, rocky soil caught my eye.
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| Spearleaf Agoseris |
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| Broad-Leaved Sweet Pea |
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| Coffeeberry |
While I had obstructed glimpses multiple times, the hike's highlight was when I was able to clearly see a large section of the crags.
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| Part of Castle Crags |
Root Creek
In another area of the state park, I hiked about 6 miles through beautiful forest.
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| Plenty of Shade on the Trail |
On the drive to the trailhead, I stopped to let a doe and two of the smallest fawns I've ever seen cross the road. Within the first 30 minutes of the hike, a black bear emerged from the bushes about 50 yards away and ran off. While it seemed to be a morning for sighting animals, this guy peeking around the tree trunk was the only one I was able to photograph.
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Douglas's Squirrel
(caught in the middle of a food run) |
While I often take photos of flowers, this time I found some green plants to be more interesting.
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| Hartweg's Wild Ginger |
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| Pacific Dogwood |
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| Common Selfheal |
Root Creek tumbling over rocks was beautiful to both the eyes and ears.
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| Root Creek |
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| Making Beautiful Noise |
After a final uphill scramble, I came to a steep side slope clear of dense trees where the crags stood and the creek fell before me.
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Crags & Waterfall
(quite the view) |
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Root Creek Falls
(too late in the season for an impressive flow) |
Vista Point
From this scenic viewpoint I was able to see both Castle Crags nearby and Mount Shasta to the northeast.
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| Castle Crags |
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| Mount Shasta |
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