Beyond the creek it is only 0.1 miles back to the trailhead.įrom the Castella exit on I-5, proceed a few hundred yards west on Castle Creek Road to the entrance to the State Park. This spot on Indian Creek is one of the prettiest on the entire hike and makes a good place to sit and put your feet in the water. It then descends down to Indian Creek and crosses over an unusual but very scenic bridge.

The path travels through the woods with a brief open spot that has a nice view of the Castle Crags. This time, turn right and hike the second half of the little loop. From there, hike back along the Flume Trail for 1.75 miles to the junction with the Indian Creek Nature Trail. The trail crosses Dump Creek and arrives at the junction at the beginning of the loop 0.6 miles after leaving the overlook. From the overlook the trail begins to descend, making several switchbacks down a remote, rarely traveled hillside. To the west the mysterious Grey Rocks stand guard over the region. To the east, wooded Girard Ridge rises above the canyon of the Sacramento River. The creek can be seen and heard crashing through the canyon 700 feet below. The path climbs up to the top of a knoll where a short, easy scramble over small rocks leads to an awesome overlook above Castle Creek. Another 0.15 miles further brings you to another junction. These peaks seem like misplaced towers of the Sierra Nevada. Look to the north for a fantastic view of the imposing granite cliffs of the Castle Crags. Nearly 0.3 miles from the creek the PCT climbs up out of a small gully and makes a tight, hairpin turn. The trail quickly crosses over the creek and begins to climb out of the small drainage. Join the PCT at the top of the switchbacks and turn left. The first few yards of the trail pass the creek but a pair of switchbacks soon leads you away from the water. Turn right to start the loop.Ī good view of the Castle Crags from the loop trail. At the far end of the oak woods, the trail arrives at the junction that begins the loop into the Crags, 2.35 miles from the beginning of the hike. It soon turns back to the west and passes through a large, lovely oak forest. About 0.25 miles past the campground, the path makes a sharp turn to the north and begins to climb steeply. If you want to climb high enough to enjoy views of the Crags and Castle Creek canyon, continue hiking to the west on the trail. If you are satisfied with the easy stroll to this point, the campground makes a good place to turn around and head back to the trailhead. Outhouses, tables and other amenities are visible from the trail and a short spur drops down to the campground. After following the flume for 0.7 miles, the trail passes a small environmental campground. The remains of the water transporting system are evident for nearly a mile. The water flower through chutes constructed from the wood planks or through ditches dug into the ground. The middle section of the hike follows the original path of the flume. Begin looking for wooden planks on the left side of the trail. This is followed quickly by a short, rocky causeway. Once you are on the Flume Trail, the path descends gradually through thick forest and crosses over a small, seasonal stream on a rickety bridge. While it lacks the close exposure to the granite of the Crags themselves, the diversity of the Flume Trail makes it a good option for a well-rounded experience in one of the Mount Shasta area’s premier landmarks. The two trails combine to form a nice little loop that has great views of granite walls of the Castle Crags and sweeping vistas overlooking Castle Creek, where the dark peaks of the Grey Rocks gaze down ominously on their domain. The latter half of the hike is more demanding as the trail climbs up onto the lower flanks of the Castle Crags to connect with the Pacific Crest Trail. Much of the flume is gone but small sections of ditch and rotting timbers still remain and line the trail in places. The flume was built to supply water to the nearby town of Castella. The first half of the trail is an easy, level path through beautiful forests, over a boisterous creek and along a historic flume, from which the trail gets its name. The Flume Trail in Castle Crags State Park is a nice way to experience a number of the parks great features without putting out too much effort.

Old flume trail