If you're ever on the 5 going north from CA into Oregon, stop by for this hike. The hike can be strenuous but should not be for people who are more accustomed to uphill hiking. As you go up you have to navigate a little bit along the trail, and at every turn with an open view you get to see the forest below. I even saw a few mountain climbers try to tackle the sheer rock face of Castle's crag. Up at the top is really where it pays off. You get a lot of cool views and things to climb. There were people camping out along the rocks along the way and I wish I could've joined them. The stars at night must be amazing, last time I was that high up at night I must've counted at least 20 shooting stars in the night sky. Castle's Crags reminds me of how the Yellow Mountains look like in china. All those jagged cuts in the rock formations provide for quite a sight. read more

Castle Crags State Park is a great place to hike. I suggest the Dome Trail. Lots of beautiful scenery. I would compare it to Yosemite that's how beautiful I thought the trail was only minus large waterfalls, but the panorama views make up for that. The top of the trail offers a great view of MT. Shasta. I went in October and trail had very few people on it. I personally love when a trail is a bit lonely so you can feel closer to nature. Lots of wonderful photo opportunities here. Definitely a must if looking for a great place to hike in Northern California. Bookmark this place! read more

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As a camping newbie, I was pleasantly surprised by how organized Castle Crags was. We were a group of 8 people and set up our camp in site 40, which fit 4 tents (2 family tents and 2 smaller tents). There was a metal box to store all your food away from the bears, which was interesting and scary at the same time.. The conditions of the bathroom wasn't like a 3 star hotel, but hey, it has showers (quarters) ! That's definitely a plus. All in all, a great place to be if you want to get away from the hustle and bustle :) read more

Just what we were looking for after driving 5 hours through the mountains coming from garberville and reggae on the river. Hadn't showered in 3 days. Pulled up and the nicest park ranger I had ever met was so happy to see us at 7 am! She recommend us to the campsites away from hwy 5 as other reviewers have complained about the noise. I'm glad she did. We snagged the campsite right beside the hot showers and bathroom. Perfect shaded camping cause it gets hot during the day. Also got a great LTE signal. Only downside were all the bees by the picnic table, but we went to mt Shasta and there were bees at the park there as well..,5 stars read more

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Incredibly worth taking the crag trail all the way to the dome.. it's definitely a very uphill hike but incredibly worth it. But make sure to be on the lookout for brown bears! We ran into a baby cub and were nervous momma bear was near by. Thankfully we were ok and momma was nowhere to be found. But just be aware of your surrounding as you ARE IN their territory! read more

This is a great spot to camp if you are driving way north from So. Cal., but also if you like hiking and camping in a place that doesn't get as busy as other spots. I stayed here twice this summer and had a great time. There is hiking and the overlooks of Mt. Shasta and Castle Crags, amazing. read more

Castle Crags State Park - Car camping in the woods. - Parks Near Me - Castella, California

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My favorite local Park with miles of hiking trails both along the river and amongs granite peaks. The Pacfic Crest Trail runs thru the park. There is an especially charming walk long the Sacramento River on the eastern side of the river. read more

Rangers were great. Bathrooms were good. Showers were hot (and free, ignore the quarter machine) and had great pressure. The hike up to Castle Dome was amazing! It's quite the hike so just be ready if you're not experienced. My only gripe is the near proximity to the train-tracks and the freeway. It sort of breaks the immersion.. You will need ear plugs to sleep if that kind of noise keeps you up. Also.. during the day, bees will harass you the moment you bring anything even closely resembling food out. I recommend you bring a couple of those yellow tree-hanging bee traps with you. read more

Castle Crags Vista point trail is nice and dogs are allowed on this trail and in the Park but this is the only trail that dogs are allowed. Price of admission is $8 and $7 if you are a senior. Last mile or so is on a narrow wiring single lane road with two way traffic so be careful getting up. Views of Castle Crags and Mt. Shasta are great. read more

AMAZING! this park might be closed next year because Jerry Brown signed some shit to close 70 California state parks, almost 1/3 of the total!! read more

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Your experience will really depend on which campsite you get. The lower loop sites are more spread apart but some of them (ours) had a nice view of the freeway. No peace and quiet here. The traffic sounds and trains going by were so loud that we had to talk louder to hear each other. Also its previous tenants had left so much trash on the ground it took 20 minutes to pick up all the wrappers and beer caps. The rangers were really nice and friendly and let us move sites. The next two nights we moved to the upper loop (since we had already paid) and there was one secluded campsite. All the rest of the campsites were tightly packed in with no privacy. We did have a nicer time there and even had a bear visit one morning. She came to eat the watermelon rinds the previous campers had thrown into the creek bed. The creek was dry so she came and checked out our site. Since she didn't find anything she wandered off to look through the other campsites. When we got the courage to get out of the tent we didn't see the mama, but only her year old cub. Thank goodness we hadn't showered in a few days and probably smelled rotten and inedible! I will try another campsite next time. read more

We were on our way back home from Mt. Shasta and wanted to check out the Crags from the State Park's vista point. We drove in to the state park off Castella exit on I-5 and there is no entrance fee. We entered and took the road leading up to the vista point. You'll have to park in the parking lot and walk 0.25 miles on a trail to the vista point. There was no one on the trail and it was misty, cloudy, rainy, and silent. Wished it was a clear day because the Crags were not at all visible with the clouds. It was interesting to read, though, that the Crags are about 500 million years old and are considered Jurassic-- waay older than the majestic Mt. Shasta which says is 500,000 years old. Must take a side-trip here again on a much clearer day. read more

Really not much to do here other than the crags hike, but it's an awesome one. Just enough distance and elevation gain to get you sweating good and to appreciate the view from the finish. It's hard to imagine, from the highway, you can hike up to the crags, but you can and it's a neat feeling being up there, almost level with Mt. Shasta. $8 to enter and parking def will be a problem during high times, as the trailhead lot was full (got last space) on an October weekend. Conveniently located just off 5. Camping at $25 was a rip-off, though, for sites that didn't look that nice. I refused to pay that, but there's other spots close by in McCloud for camping so I won't ding them for that. Just go here knowing it's a day use place, and plan on staying elsewhere. read more

This park can be a little warm in July & August and some may notice the freeway or train noise, but all of that is minor when compared to the great variety of hikes, views, plants, cozy camp spots, fishing in the Sacramento river, dipping ones toes in Castle Creek....but, be sure to get a snack at Amaritti's before heading up the Crag for one of the great views in California. read more

We stayed here for 1 nite. We got in at around 11:30pm so we didn't get to enjoy what the park had to offer. Our drive was long and we chose the long weekend to do so. Boo. This is a 1st come, 1st serve camping park, although we prepaid and made our reservations 3 months ago. When you arrive at 11:30pm there aren't that many good sites left. We ended up with a site not far from the bathroom. The campsites are SUPER close together, which isn't a super big problem for me. The biggest problem for me is the noise. As others have mentioned, the freeway noises are very loud. So for light sleepers like me, you're not gonna get much rest. The other thing i didn't like is that it's not very flat. It's very steep. There are also trains. LOUD. But since it took us about an hour to pitch our tent in the dark and settle in, we heard the train b4 we fell asleep. We heard them again when we had to get up. I prob would not return for camping, but if i happen to be in the area i might consider coming for hiking or exploring since we didnt' get to do that. We didn't anticipate to be held up in traffic so much. When we left and headed for the freeway, I did see Castle Crag Mt. It was pretty. It'd be nice to snap some pics of that next time. read more

We camped here on a Tuesday evening (7/28/2015); there must have been no more than 10 campsites occupied tat night. Upon arrival at the State Park we rolled up to the Ranger station, that had automatic sliding doors ... fancy. We were greeted with a nice lady Ranger; we drove up to the Upper Loop area picked out a site and drove back down to let the front desk know which one we chose. The Ranger station also has a display bear and mtLion which our 2yr old has his picture taken. Before we set up Camp we drove up to the Scenic Viewing Area. You will reach a parking lot and the hike (new trail) is about a quarter-mile loop; once you get to the top of the viewing area you will realize that the trail just looped you around and you can see the parking lot just below you. The views of Mt.Shasta and the Castle Crags were really nice from this vantage, there are picnic tables and free telescopes you can use. You can also hike to the Crags, but we opted not to this time around. The campsite itself was well maintained, the rest room and shower facilities were clean. You will need quarters for the hot showers.We did not see or encounter any wildlife during our one night stay ... bummer :) The Rangers also directed me to a local fishing hole about 5mins drive away, where I caught 5 wild trout in under 90mins. Overall it was a pleasant one night experience, we will definitely stay here again if we are in the area. On our way out, we had a pleasant conversation with the rangers ... somehow got talking about home grown vegetables, next thing I know the lady gave us two zucchinis fresh from her garden .. wow! read more

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Did this hike to the dome, it was such a nice challenge, and I felt so accomplished when I reached the top. I broke my talus bone in the past, and this was the most difficult hike I had done since before then, so this meant a lot to me. The view of mt Shasta was one I had never seen, and knowing I was looking on from a rock formation 170,000,000 years in the making added more meaning to the experience. Overall, this hike should take 4-5 hours, and is a steady incline to the top. My knee joints were sore by the end from the walk down! read more

Stopped by on our way back from mt shasta. Honestly - I was disappointed by view of this Crags. From the vista they looked very small - just like one solid rock. some binoculars helped, but we could see mt Shasta from there as well. and it looked much better then crags. read more

Great camp site for hiking as well as hanging out by the river.

This is such a worthy hike. It takes 4-5 hours round trip starting from vista point. It's a beautiful hike with lots of shade. You can see Shasta Mountains as you hike up! It's sooooo worth it to go all the way up and spend some time up there. The view is amazing and super breezy (you should bring a jacket). Love this hike! One of my faves. read more

Nice forested sites and access to the Sacramento River but listening to loud train whistles and brakes with freeway noise not exactly why I go camping. read more

We love camping at Castle craggs. This is our 4th time and we well be back. The Sacramento River is handy for fishing. There are some great hikes, including one up to the top of the Craggs. The park personnel are friendly and helpful. read more

Castle Crags was beautiful! I went here as an excursion for a friend's birthday weekend and we decided to hike Castle Dome. It was the best highlight of my trip! We parked and started at the bottom of the dome at Vista Point and hiked upwards towards the dome. The parking lot was free. It can get quite strenuous and once it hits noon, the sun may be a factor to the hike. There are not a lot of trees near the top of the hike so be prepared for the sun/heat. Bring an adequate amount of water as the hike is about 5.5 miles out and back. If you decide to branch out and visit the Indian Springs Trail from the Castle Dome Trail, it's about 1 mile to the spring and then back to the dome trail. The Indian Springs is a must see! The spring water is super refreshing! Bring a portable water filter straw if you decide to drink water from the spring. The Castle Dome Trail can reach an elevation of above 4,000 ft. The trail starts out smooth but reaches incline at some points of the hike up. However, you'll be rewarded with a spectacular view! I can't wait to go back!! read more

Nice place to hike the falls loop trail. The best time to go is spring or fall, since it is not too hot or cold. Camping on the river side is the nicest part. read more

From a distance... fantastic. An $8 entry fee, $7 for seniors. But we had our dog, and they wouldn't let us in the park. If you want to see the crags, keep your dog at home. read more

For camping this place is horrid. $25/night for a small, undeveloped site and a nasty park Ranger. It is located in a dense, dry forest with a narrow road - major fire trap. The road up to the trail with a view of Castle Craigs is a steep, narrow road that is barely passable if two cars meet up. The Ranger at the parking lot at the top of the road was rude and overbearing. Worst law officer I have ever come across - very unprofessional. Don't bother camping here if you are looking for views from your site or have an RV. Go to Lake Siskiyou Camp Resort down the road by Mount Shasta and for $6 more you get full hookups, lovely views and very friendly staff. read more

Well, What can I say. I was travelling back to Weaverville and decided to stop at the Crags. Im so glad I did. Great trails, Tranquil settings. I went to the normal look-out to see the crags, after a few pictures I went to the Roots Creek trail haed and started hiking. Never being here before I had no clue what to expect. What I got was a great day of hiking with the creek being a wonderful stop and turn-around point. As I got to the Creek not seeing anyone on the trail the whole way I was suprised to hear brush rustleing near by and you can imagine what I thought. So I stood, silent, camera in one hand and a large rock in the other. Well, I finally saw what turned out to be 2 men in theyre late 60's hiking past me in heavier brush. They stopped and talked to me, telling me that if I travelled another 1/2 mile up the trail theres a waterfall that was only found 2 years earlier. Well, it was late in the day so I decided to head back. Im so excited to see the waterfall that Im heading back next weekend to finish the trail.... read more

Great place to hike . Love the views . If you are into photography this is a must stop .

It was a great camp site with gorgeous views. I will definitely recommend this place for your next camping trip!

We felt incredibly lucky for Castle Crags to be our first camping trip together. The staff were very friendly (even when making a reservation), the location is very near a gas station and well-stocked general store, and the campsites themselves are very user friendly. Wood is available at the front gate for a reasonable price and there are bear lockers for food. Everyone was quiet and the bathrooms were older but clean. We read the reviews about the trucks/noise and honestly, it was barely noticable. We suspect if no-one reminded us the I-5 was there that it would have sounded exactly like a rushing river some distance away. We did hear one train at night and one in the morning, but again - nothing major. Great spot to get the out-in-the-woods feeling without being totally cut off from everything. read more