Lake Siskiyou is a popular destination for a variety of summer recreation opportunities, including camping, hiking, boating, fishing, biking, birdwatching, and more. Old-growth Ponderosa pine trees surround the lake, and the lake itself features pristine, blue waters. There is also a looming and spectacular view of Mount Shasta rising in the distance. The trail is subject to moderate foot traffic, and it is open year-round.
The Lake Siskiyou Resort features a bar, arcade, cabins, and camping for RVs and tents. Taking the 6.5-mile Lake Siskiyou Trail loop, you will experience only a little elevation gain on the trail. The trail is family-friendly, an dogs are welcome. However, dogs must be leashed. Take notice of the Wagon Creek Bridge, a suspension bridge erected in 2010 that connects the full loop around the lake. Prepare a getaway at the resort or any number of local campgrounds in the area, as Siskiyou County and Mount Shasta offer a many trails and recreation opportunities.
The Lake Siskiyou Trail is a loop that will take you past streams, forested areas, meadows, and several other trailheads. There are six trailheads where you can begin this loop, as well as one at the Lake Siskiyou Resort. For the purposes of this guide, you will begin at the Box Canyon Dam Trailhead, north of the dam, and travel counterclockwise around the lake.
Parking is available on a wide gravel shoulder by the dam or you can park in the Lake Siskiyou paved parking area on the other side of W.A. Barr Road. The trail begins by a large Ponderosa pine tree with a sign near the parking area. From here, the trail begins out heading north on a wide path parallel to W.A. Barr Road. You'll pass lakeside cottages and see the golf course.
Half a mile after the trailhead, you pass another trailhead and continue north. After 0.75 miles, you will pass into a narrow gully after crossing Cold Creek. The trail then turns west, rising 50 feet over the lake below. This area of the hike is a highlight for its impressive views of the lake and Mount Shasta. Once you reach the west end of the lake, you will cross the Wagon Creek Bridge and afterward, the trail will hug the lake, still 30 feet above the water. The trail next passes a grassy meadow and then continues west, away from the lake. When the trail returns to the lakeshore, you can take a higher trail, staying above the water, or a lower one that stays near the shore heading west. After a quarter mile, these trails will converge at a parking lot and picnic area before briefly splitting apart again and then re-merging into one trail.
The trail now rises back above the lake and continues around to a crossing of the Sacramento River and a parking lot. As the trail begins to drop to lake level, it turns south and crosses several small creeks where metal bridges take you over the water. These are the bridges that are removed during the winter months, making this trail impossible as a full loop. To the west, you can see Mount Eddy in this more natural and rugged section of the trail. Another set of seasonal bridges will take you past a second channel of the Sacramento River and then the trail continues eastward along the south shore of the lake.
After a wooden bridge crossing over a creek, the trail continues to a gate, where you will turn right and go uphill along a wide dirt path until you reach the Siskiyou Boat Ramp and another parking lot. There are restrooms available here. Go towards the little store at the parking lot and continue to follow the signs for Siskiyou Lake Trail. When you reach a telephone pole on the trail, turn right and walk to the road. Following the road, you will pass through the Lake Siskiyou Resort as you go east. The trail heads west briefly along Scott Camp Creek before returning in an eastward direction and then turns right to follow Castle Lake Creek. After another creek crossing, the trail heads north to another trail junction where you can choose a higher trail or lower trail, each hugging the lake.
The trail next meets with a picnic area on the south shore of the lake that offers some of the most beautiful and panoramic views of Mount Shasta. Turning left, you will continue through the woods to the parking lot at Box Canyon Dam where you started.
Nestled at the foot of the Trinity Divide, Lake Siskiyou is located in the Shasta Cascade region in Siskiyou County. Five creeks feed into the lake, including the "lost creeks" of Castle Lake Creek and Scott Camp Creek, which both offer fun trails in the area that are accessible in the snowy winter months. Note that the lake loop is often inaccessible in winter, as the bridges at the inlet are removed at Lake Siskiyou.
In July of 2019, Lake Siskiyou celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of the Box Canyon Dam, which created this 26,000 acre⋅ft. reservoir. Prior to the construction of the dam, the waterbed beneath Siskiyou Lake was home to ranches, farms, and other family businesses, including the Rainbow Dairy. Despite the personal losses, lawsuits, and controversies over the erection of the dam, today Lake Siskiyou has become an asset to the community, bringing in tourism and a wide variety of business opportunities for local residents.
In 2010, the Wagon Creek Bridge was completed, allowing for a full loop trail around the lake. This $2.8 million suspension bridge was funded by the McConnell Foundation, the state, and federal stimulus funds. It is easy to understand why so many people and cultures have revered Mount Shasta as a sacred place. Looking up at the looming mountain while circling Siskiyou Lake, one can’t help but feel awestruck by the presence of its majesty.
