The Shasta River is a tributary of the Klamath River, approximately 40 mi (64 km) long, in northern California in the United States. It drains a basin called the Shasta Valley on the west and north sides of Mount Shasta in the Cascade Range. It rises in southern Siskiyou County on the edge of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, approximately 10 mi (16 km) southwest of Weed. It flows generally northwest through the Shasta Valley, past Weed, through Lake Shastina, and past Montague. It joins the Klamath from the south approximately 8 mi NNE of Yreka. The Shasta Valley is dominated by nearby Mount Shasta and underlain with volcanic basalt from eruptions of the mountain in recent geologic time. Pluto Caves under the valley floor comprise 50 sq mi (130 km²) of underground tubes formed by trapped air during lava flows. The central valley is covered with small hillocks that are the debris from the liquefication of the ancestral Mount Shasta (on the site of present Black Butte) approximately 300,000 years ago.
River Restoration
Efforts are being made to restore the river and to prevent the extinction of its Chinook salmon run.
Recreation
Whitewater kayaking and rafting can be done in the wintertime on the last 7 miles of the Shasta River before it joins the Klamath River.
External links
- Shasta River Geology
- Shasta Valley
- State of California: Shasta River Water Quality
- Mount Shasta Bioregional Water Center: Dewatering of the Shasta River
- Shasta River Directory - Conservation & Recreation. Website resources for the Shasta River watershed. Whitewater boating, hiking, fishing, camping, conservation vs. development.
- Shasta River Whitewater Guide - Siskiyou County, California USA. Trip planning information for whitewater kayaking and rafting.
