Shasta Lake Visitor Information Center (2024)

FAQs

What old town is under Shasta Lake? ›

Kennett is submerged under approximately 400 ft. of water (depending on the lake level). It was the largest, most important mining town in the area outside of Redding and Shasta.

Today's Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features Shasta Lake, which has reached near-full capacity for the second consecutive year in 2024. Following similarly high levels in spring 2023, this marks a significant recovery from the severe drought and reduced water levels experienced from 2019 to 2022.

I highly recommend Shasta Lake for your family getaway. "Sooooo Quiet on a houseboat!" In the early 1800's, this area we know today as Lake Shasta was once populated by the Wintu Indian tribe. The entire region was wilderness with the intermittent rancher, trapper, or gold miner passing through.

Yes, you can swim in Lake Shasta! The lake offers many opportunities for swimming, with its warm water and numerous coves and beaches. Some popular swimming spots include Lake Shasta campgrounds and public marinas.

Receding water levels at Lake Shasta in Northern California have revealed a mysterious discovery: a landing boat from the World War II era. The Shasta-Trinity National Forest took to social media Sunday to report that the boat, now nicknamed "The Ghost Boat," was assigned to the attack transport USS Monrovia.

The maximum depth is 517 feet (158 m). The lake has four major arms, each created by an approaching river: the Sacramento River, the McCloud River, Squaw Creek, and the Pit River. The Sacramento River's source is the Klamath Mountains. The McCloud River's source is Mount Shasta.

The all-time low point for Lake Shasta was in 1977 when the lake was 230-feet below its maximum level. The very next year, after a very wet winter, it was nearly full.

After consecutive wet winters in Northern California, Shasta Lake filled up for the second year in a row, in time for summer 2024. The state's largest reservoir, important for irrigation, municipal water supplies, flood control, and more, similarly approached 100 percent capacity in spring 2023.

Like mountain lions, we sometimes spot California black bears around Shasta Lake. They catch fish and love swimming in the lake, too. Bears are shy creatures and prefer to stay away from humans.

Shasta Lake is the largest man-made reservoir in California, with 365 miles of shoreline. We're just steps away from the best lakeside marinas for small boat rentals -- Holiday Harbor. You can rent a power boat, jet ski, canoes, kayaks, paddleboards or a houseboat and…

What is the best time to visit Shasta Lake? ›

Summer is the most popular time to visit Lake Shasta, when the weather is typically sunny and warm. You can visit the reservoir year-round, although snow is common during winter, especially in higher elevations near Mt. Shasta.

Kennett, Baird, Copper City, Elmore, Etter, Morley, Pitt, and Winthrop: All of these towns now reside underneath Lake Shasta. The largest of the eight was Kennett, a town that once had 10,000 residents. All eight towns were flooded after the creation of the Shasta Dam in 1935.

They are in ruins because the business owners tore them down to rebuild in Redding,” said Sutliff. In the late 1800s, the railroad chose to come through the town of Redding instead of Shasta, which was higher up the hill. Wanting to be closer to the railroad, all the businesses in Shasta closed shop and relocated.

20 Northern California town that once had a palindromic bakery : YREKA. The California city of Yreka developed from a miners' camp called Thompson's Dry Diggings. “Yreka” derives from the name for Mount Shasta (wáik'a) in the Shasta language, which translates as “North Mountain” or “White Mountain”.

INDEPENDENT ORDER OF ODD FELLOWS LODGE (IOOF)

Built in 1888, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge is the “oldest brick building in Redding.” The local chapter of the IOOF began in 1878 with twenty founding members. In 1878, “Redding Lodge No. 271” was founded as part of the International Order of Odd Fellows.