The Sacramento River flows under the Lake Siskiyou Trail’s seasonal bridge.
This is probably late news, but I have not been here to update conditions lately. However, I reckon it is best to mention it than to not. The seasonal bridges over the Sacramento River have finally been installed. This means that the Lake Siskiyou Trail is once again a complete loop. It is now possible to hike or bike the complete circuit around the like. This easy trip is a classic Mount Shasta hike. It may not be the wildest trail in the region but it has lots of interesting features, is easy for the whole family and has some great views.
It is necessary for the bridges to be seasonal because of the constantly shifting terrain at the inlet. The last several years have seen dramatic changes to the inlet geography, with a significant amount of land simply washed away and the routes of the river’s channels changed considerably. During a drought year a few years ago, the bridges were left in since the water level was so low and they were then lost when a sudden storm washed everything away, leaving only some twisted gabions as a reminder that the bridges has once been there.
Washed out section of trail.
This year there was relatively little change at the inlet. The most significant being the loss of a section of the Lake Siskiyou Trail on the the southern bank of the northern channel (I know that sounds confusing!). For the last few years the trail crossed a narrow isthmus between the lake and a small seasonal pool of water. The lake shore has encroached on the trail, washed away the isthmus and forced the trail inland a little, crossing the now dry pond. Also, like last year, the once dry south channel (which was, at one time, the Sacramento River’s main avenue to the lake) has a small flow of water in it. Perhaps one day the river will return to this channel in earnest.
Now the final piece of the Mount Shasta hiking puzzle is the opening of the road up to the Old Ski Bowl. I’ll be in Hells Canyon when that happens but I will still post something about the conditions of that area when I return from that upcoming trip. In the meantime, get out and enjoy all the trails that are open now!
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