I tried to find a listing for the actual Castle Lake but instead just found the campground. To be…read moreclear, the campground is a short distance prior to the actual lake which has its own parking lot and trailheads. Once parked at the lake, you can embark on the moderate trail to Heart Lake. Approaching the lake, the trail is to the left of it and climbs along the lake shore with intermittent views. As you take a gradual but steady climb up, you will start to see views open up and eventually see Mt Shasta itself. Most hikers stop at Heart Lake which is a scenic spot with granite on one side and on the outlet side of the lake for Shasta views. If you're wanting a little bit of a longer hike, when facing the lake, make a right and log hop across its outlet and follow a faint but obvious trail to a rocky outcropping. There you will reach an amazing vista of Castle Lake and Mt Shasta. It's a great spot to have your lunch and take some amazing photos. Take care on the way down as there are some steep drop offs and slippery rocks. Most of the trail is exposed, so I'd go earlier in the day in the warm months. Depending on how far you go, it's 3-4 miles out and back. Wonderful way to have amazing mountain scenery in a short hike. Free parking at the lake and pit toilets (not the best, not the worst I've seen.)

This review is for Heart Lake Trail From Castle Lake which was a ~3 miles round trip that took ~2…read morehour to complete. One of the must do hikes near Dunsmuir. Trail was a steady incline for the most part and becomes very steep near the end. Furthermore, trail transitions from a wooded area to a rocky and exposed terrain. Stunning views of the nearby mountains and lakes at higher elevation! Heart Lake was actually referring to a small lake at the top. At the end of the hike, you get a heart shaped view of Castle Lake! Short video of the hike for those interested! https://youtu.be/Xc34KEsV1TE By the way, the address on Yelp is incorrect. Use AllTrails or Google.

Peaceful; wear hiking shoes; bring hiking sticks just in case; there was a very narrow steep path-…read morebe careful; you will feel the vortex or maybe even hear strange rock or thump sound... be careful; it is pretty secluded

This is NOT for beginners or folks with anxiety or afraid of heights. First you want to be gentle…read moreon your car on the drive down to the trail. It was about 1.5 miles of extremely bumpy/rocky road. The regular part of the hike wasn't too bad. Very inclined and tough for folks with asthma...make sure you have your inhaler and some water. Very Rocky as well. Saw a few folks with non-hiking shoes on. Wear tennis shoes or boots. No sandals or flip flops or Birkenstocks. There are NO markers, so that's fun. You have to follow your phone map. When you get to the divide, one hill up to Ney river (right) or down to the falls (left), this is where it gets so sticky! And folks with fear of heights or anxiety, DO NOT GO! The path gets super narrow, sandy, and anything to hold onto like trees and rocks disappear (didn't get a photo as I was having a panic attack). It was truly awful for someone with fear of heights and anxiety. Not worth it for me. The waterfall was beautiful, just not necessary!

Very well maintained trail along the perimeter of Lake Siskiyou. Decent amount of free parking near…read morethe trailhead/lakefront with bathrooms and trash cans. Tons of folks with boating equipment and stuff to hang out by the lake front and relax, fish, or have a picnic. The trail itself is a loop and you can turn around at any point. Not terribly strenuous and almost all flat - great for little ones/carrying a baby. There is a developed camp and a beach on the other side of the lake. If you're interested in a little bit more seclusion, there is plenty of space to spread out and relax, looking up at the base of Mt Shasha!

This spot was utterly incredibly! Came here with my family as it is my brothers birthday and we…read morethought a Mount Shasta trip would be a nice easy fun get away from the rigors of Los Angeles and the concrete jungle. We stopped by after eating around the area (recommend the smokehouse or bbq, stay away from the Mexican food at all costs!!) So we went to cable beach and got off and walked around and went to the lake to skip rocks and hang out as we unfortunately forgot our bathing suits. The view was so incredible, and perfect I couldn't even believe the how breathtaking it was at sunset . We skipped many rocks and even made it into a competition which I won, then I went off and found a great stump to take pictures on and unfortunately I slipped and fell on the rocks. Caution! Many rocks here so take water shoes or something with a thick bottom! Although it was pretty funny I'm still hurting haha. We saw boats on the lake and some people off to the side having a picnic and taking a dip in the lovely, warm water. All in all this was an incredible place to stop by and visit! I highly, highly, highly, HIGHLYYY recommend coming here!

Such an amazing and absolutely beautiful waterfall nice and clean very cold lol yet it was so niceread more

Super great place to visit, especially in the summer when it's hot. You park in the lot at the…read moretrailhead and it's a short walk down to the Falls. The Falls are located at the end of the trail, and from there it's a very short clamber down to the Falls themselves. The Falls fall into a reasonably sized pond that is shallow and great for wading in the cool waters during a hot day. It's shallow enough so you can bring a folding patio chair into the water. I recommend the Crystal Creek Falls.

We love it here and had a wonderful experience, leave all high expectations at home thinking to…read morecome here with perfect experience. The staff here is understaffed doing their absolute best that they can with a smile on their face to tend to you. I blame the bad campers that come along trashing the place and treating it like your home. Remember its only your home for a bit but that doesn't mean trash it and go home expecting someone else to clean it, their not your momma! Hats off to the staff here even being overwhelmed and understaffed handled everything well. Hats off to the lady at the bait shop I think her name was Kathy absolute kind hearted person, the girl at the general store that needed to repeat herself to I dont know how many people that the ice cream machine was down and lastly the guy with the microphone at splashzone needing to be stern with groups not listening to his commands of getting off the water for the next group to be able to go. The guy needed to repeatedly asked the same group that times up to now leave and the next group cannot go until they get off, again bad campers not the staff. Do better and leave your high expectations at home and at times help out if you can like pack out what you packed in, leave the place nicer than how you came in. Do your part!

They have done a lot of things to improve the camp, however problems still remain. Last year they…read moreseemed unable to control campers that broke their rules. This year, with the camp less than half full, they put all campers on a loop, next to each other. One night, a group two sites away were noisy until well after midnight. The next night the family in a tent 15 feet away from mine had an unhappy child that cried most of the night. Not much sleep either night. When I asked why they don't spread the campers out so that there is more space between each camper, they replied that the computer assigns campsites. They didn't seem interested in changing it. :-(

Amazing vistas of Mount Shasta, lake Siskiyou. Lovely new picnic tables, water access that is…read moreshallow and fun. You don't have to pay $6 like you do near the campground. Dogs are allowed on leash. Restroom, easy parking, very easy short walk to the beach. What's not to like!

The water is hypothermia inducingly cold, the walk is treacherous and the falls aren't that…read moreexciting. You can take the long route which requires a lot more walking near the train tracks or attempt the river crossing which could end with you swept miles downriver or drowned. At any moment they could let water out of the down to send a surge down the Sacramento River and send you off through rocks and rapids below the falls. The trains come through fast and around blind corners and the roar of the river masks the sound of the train. It is a dangerous hike and people have died there. I don't recommend it for day trippers or casual tourists. Advanced hiking skills required and extra attention to safety and strong swimmers only. Even in mid August the water is high and freezing and the river crossing is very slippery and dangerous. If you know what you are doing and manage the trek there and back you will have seen one of the areas smaller but pretty waterfalls. There is talk of building a trail with a pedestrian bridge to the falls so once that is done it will likely be overrun with day trippers. I recommend going now but be careful.

A must visit in Dunsmuir! Live the cascading waterfall so majestic , calm and mesmerizing ! It's…read moreour second time here and definitely be more visit in the future ! We had the whole waterfall to ourselves

really lovely, clear blue-green lake to look at, walk around and/or have a picnic. on the day we…read morevisited, the weather was perfect....mid-upper 70s, sunny, breezy, and we saw visitors doing all 3 and just enjoying this little gem in lassen nat'l park. hubby and i took the time to admire this lake, snap a few pics, then walk around the lake, mainly b/c i was curious how long it would take to walk around and how many miles it was....answer? 24 minutes and 0.79 miles! normally, i'd be able to walk this distance in under 20 minutes, but given how bumpy the walking path was, it took a bit longer and i had to slowly step over a few of the rocky passages. there's plenty of spots for people to sit and sunbathe or have a snack. there are also a few picnic benches higher up from the lake, and we saw a family bring their camping stove and cook lunch there. lots of free parking all along the rim of the lake as well as separate men's & women's restrooms and trash/recycling receptacles. i'll definitely plan on a longer visit the next time i'm here and perhaps bring my portable stove to make myself a feast and enjoy this lovely lake!

Lake Helen is a simple quick-stop feature as you venture along the 30 mile Lassen Volcanic Parkway…read more The reason why I'd like to mention Lake Helen is because of how beautiful and COLORFUL I found this place to be! Wow....I was pretty stunned by the mixture of the still melting snow with what seemed like turquoise blue waters....and this was the status when I visited back in the middle of July! There's really not much to Lake Helen other than stopping, getting out of your car and taking scenic photographs of the area with this stunning lake as the focal point. During my visit to Lassen National Park, it was one of the first few attractions I came upon as I navigated the parkway from the main, southwest entrance all the way up towards the Manzanita Lake Camping Area. In estimation....I'd say it was located about 5 - 10 miles going along Lassen Parkway. It can't be missed from the road. I saw plenty of cars parked with visitors playing by the snow and capturing photos of this picturesque surrounding. I certainly took a few moments to appreciate the landscape. Although Lassen NP has a rugged and brownish exterior from the high elevations and chilly winter setting,....this Lake Helen was a wonderful reprieve from the mostly out of bloom and dull terrain I found the park to be. Although there's not much to Lake Helen other than observing the wonderful blue coloring of the waters mixed with the snowy ice melting....it was still quite a fascinating revelation to witness such an unheralded and strikingly colorful roadside attraction.

Fresh water, hippies, unique vibes. There were people bringing their 10 gallon jugs filling up…read morewater here. They even rinse out their jug first using the spring water to clean out the residual contaminents. We were wary at first, but then we filled up our water bottles as well. I'll be honest -- I think there is a charged energy to the water and space here. When we left, we felt lighter and recharged. I probably wouldn't bring kids here because there are suspicious individuals and people smoking. I had some interesting conversations with the local hippies.

Such a cool freshwater spring. It's small (so want to keep things in context), but the spring is…read morethe headwater for the Sacramento River...and people bring bottles to sip fresh spring water. It's delicious and special. Please be respectful and keep this amazing and spiritual place pristine so everyone can enjoy it.

Great little hike, work the walk. Little park at the trailhead, dog friendly, easy hike for me and…read moremy dogs. Cool falls, not an excessive amount of water due to time of year, can walk behind the falls. I didn't hike beyond the falls as I had a long drive ahead of me. So glad I found this spot. Lots of berry plants, beware of poison oak. You can scan a QR code to donate to the upkeep of the park, trail and falls.

A short distance walk from the parking lot. Parking is limited and free…read more It was a cool experience to be able to walk behind the falls. Pretty easy trail. Be careful as the rocks around and behind the falls can be very slippery. The trail does continue behind the falls that will lead to the Sacramento River. A cool one time thing but not worth the drive unless you are in the area.