The First People

The Shasta-Trinity National Forest area is one of the most culturally complex regions in California encompassing a varied and rich Native American cultural heritage. There are eleven federally recognized tribes include the Redding Rancheria, Resighini Rancheria, Pit River Tribe, Hoopa Valley Tribe, The Klamath Tribes, Quartz Valley Indian Reservation, Round Valley Reservation, Yurok Tribe, the Karuk Tribe, Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians, and Moduc Nation of Oklahoma; and eight non-federally recognized tribes include Winnemem Wintu Tribe, Tsnungwe Tribe, Nor-Rel-Muk Wintu Nation, Wintu Tribe of Northern California and Toyon-Wintu Center, Wintu of Hayfork, The Moduc Nation, The Shasta Nation Inc., and Shasta Indian Nation. 

General Forest History

On April 26, 1905, Theodore Roosevelt designated the 1,243,042 acres between the interior Coastal Range on the west and the Cascade Range on the east in the central part of Northern California as the Trinity Forest Reserve, headquartered in Weaverville. Several months later, the large inland Shasta Forest Reserve (1,523,770 acres) was created, on October 3, 1905, headquartered in Mt. Shasta City. The Shasta National Forest and the Trinity National Forest were administratively combined in 1954. The new entity was officially renamed the Shasta–Trinity National Forest, headquartered in Redding.

Historical photos for the Shasta National Forest

Historical photos for the Trinity National Forest

Historical photos for the Weaverville area

Historical Highlights

The STNF is the largest National Forest in California, encompassing 2.2 million acres with over 6,278 miles of streams and rivers. It ranges from 1,000 in elevation (Shasta Lake and its general area) to the spectacular Mt. Shasta with its impressive elevation of 14,179 feet.

The STNF includes portions of five designated Wilderness Areas: Castle Crags, Chanchellulla, Mount Shasta, Trinity Alps and Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel. The main branch of the Trinity River is a designated Wild and Scenic River which runs through the forest. A 154 mile section of the Pacific Crest Trail runs in an east - west direction across the STNF. The Trinity Heritage and the Trinity River Scenic Byways are two scenic drives in the area.

Shasta Lake's 365 miles of shoreline made-up of many arms and inlets make it a paradise for explorers and boaters alike. The four major arms of the lake, Sacramento, McCloud, Sulanharas Creek arm, and Pit offer spectacular scenery as well as unusual geologic and historic areas of interest.

Lewiston Lake lies just downstream from Trinity Dam and just north of the town of Lewiston and is a constant level lake. It lies within the Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area.

From a height of 7,309 feet, Little Mt. Hoffman offers a spectacular view of Mt. Shasta, Mt. Lassen, Mt. McLoughlin and a variety of other interesting landforms. From the Tulelake Basin in the north to the Fall River valley in the south, the 360 degree view offers a peek at some of Northern California's most unique and beautiful scenery. Located east of majestic Mt. Shasta, in the lavaflow area of Medicine Lake, is the Little Mt. Hoffman fire lookout. Restored to its original character, the lookout is now being offered as an overnight retreat for personal recreation use.

The huge STNF offers a wide range of recreational activities. Some of these include hiking, backpacking, mountain climbing, horseback riding, camping, boating, fishing, sightseeing, downhill skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling.

Iron Canyon, Lewiston, Lake McCloud, Shasta Lake and Trinity are the large lakes and reservoirs in the area for fishing, boating and camping. There are many alpine lakes in the Trinity Divide area of the STNF, most of which support trout. Some of our smaller mountain streams are too steep to maintain fish life, but where the water is suitable, fine fishing is usually to be found. The Trinity River is very popular for salmon and steelhead angling, as is the Stuart Fork of the Trinity River and such streams as Canyon (closed to fishing below Canyon Creek Falls), Coffee, Grizzly, Rush and Swift Creeks, all of which drain the Trinity Alps Wilderness, are all good trout streams.

National Forests are managed for long-term sustainability of natural resources and forest ecosystems. They provide pure water, boundless recreational opportunities and wildlife habitat as well as timber, minerals and grazing. One of the Forest Service's primary responsibilities is to protect the forest and the communities within it from wildfire.

The employees of the STNF manage a healthy forest by enhancing wildlife habitat, maintaining clean water, producing timber products and safeguarding communities at risk from wildfires. Pivotal in the economical, tourism and recreational aspects of Northern California, the STNF is a land of breathtaking beauty and a place for everyone to enjoy the great outdoors.

Shasta-Trinity National Forest Fact Sheet (PDF 26MB)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) about the Shasta-Trinity National Forest