Castle Crags Wilderness
Castle Crags Wilderness is a 10,999-acre wilderness area in Siskiyou County, California. It rises from about 2,355 to 7,192 ft. The nearest town is Castella, 1.4 miles away in a straight line.
Castle Crags Wilderness map
Castle Crags Wilderness boundary from USGS PAD-US or the managing agency, simplified for display. Not for navigation or legal boundaries.
Fire restrictions
Fire restriction orders for this unit are not tracked here yet. Restrictions change with the season, so check the current orders before any campfire, stove or target shooting.
Common questions
- The maximum group size at Castle Crags Wilderness is 25.
- Castella, CA is the nearest town, 1.4 miles in a straight line from the boundary (not a driving distance).
- The highest ground in Castle Crags Wilderness is about 7,192 ft, and its lowest about 2,355 ft (USGS 3DEP elevation model). Its highest named summit is Castle Dome, about 4,920 ft.
Who manages Castle Crags Wilderness
| Agency | Acres | Permit | Group size | Stay limit | Office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Service | 10,999 | Not on record | 25 | Not on record | Mt. Shasta Ranger District, 530-926-4511 |
Getting to Castle Crags Wilderness
- Castella, CA is the nearest town, 1.4 miles in a straight line from the boundary (not a driving distance). (US Census places, accessed 2026-09-29)
Trailheads at Castle Crags Wilderness
- Dog Trailhead (inside the boundary, 2,496 ft), at 41.1623, -122.3696 (mapped on OpenStreetMap)
- North Soapstone Trailhead (0.26 mi outside the boundary, 5,540 ft), at 41.2038, -122.4472 (mapped on OpenStreetMap)
- Grey Rocks Trailhead (0.3 mi outside the boundary, 5,820 ft), at 41.2222, -122.4412
- Little Castle Lake/Mt. Bradley Trailhead (0.51 mi outside the boundary, 5,439 ft), at 41.2306, -122.3817 (mapped on OpenStreetMap)
- South Soapstone Trailhead (0.53 mi outside the boundary, 5,504 ft), at 41.1773, -122.4083 (mapped on OpenStreetMap)
- Red Barn Trailhead (0.56 mi outside the boundary, 2,141 ft), at 41.1522, -122.3403 (mapped on OpenStreetMap)
- Vista Point Trailhead (0.66 mi outside the boundary, 2,575 ft), at 41.1596, -122.3061 (mapped on OpenStreetMap)
- Soda Creek Trailhead (0.85 mi outside the boundary, 2,153 ft), at 41.1623, -122.2985 (mapped on OpenStreetMap)
Trailhead locations: Forest Service recreation sites layer , accessed 2026-09-29. Elevations from USGS 3DEP.
Trailheads mapped on OpenStreetMap: © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License , accessed 2026-09-29. The extract used here, with distances from the boundary: osm-trailheads-ca.json. Where an agency layer lists the same trailhead, the agency's point is shown instead.
Named summits, canyons, and springs in Castle Crags Wilderness
- Castle Dome summit
- Indian Springs spring
- Popcorn Spring spring
- Little Castle Lake lake
Features whose official location is inside the boundary, from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, accessed 2026-09-29. Summit elevations measured on the USGS 3DEP elevation model, which can read a few feet under a surveyed summit height.
Fishing and water
Sacramento River fishing (0.8 miles outside the boundary): its fishing and stocking record on fishypedia.com.
Public lands next to Castle Crags Wilderness
- National forestCastle Crags Wilderness lies inside Shasta-Trinity National Forest.
- State parkCastle Crags Wilderness borders Castle Crags State Park.
Measured between the units' boundaries as mapped in USGS PAD-US. Distances are straight line, not driving.
Other wilderness areas in California
- https://wilderness.net/visit-wilderness/?ID=103 (accessed 2026-09-29)
- https://prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com/StagedProducts/Elevation/1/TIFF/current/n42w123/USGS_1_n42w123.tif (accessed 2026-09-29)
- https://prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com/StagedProducts/GeographicNames/DomesticNames/DomesticNames_CA_Text.zip (accessed 2026-09-29)
- https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2025_Gazetteer/2025_gaz_place_06.txt (accessed 2026-09-29)
- https://apps.fs.usda.gov/arcx/rest/services/EDW/EDW_InfraRecreationSites_01/MapServer/0 (accessed 2026-09-29)
- https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright (accessed 2026-09-29)