Castle Crags
| Castle Crags | |
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Castle Dome, a popular trail destination at Castle Crags (left foreground). Mount Shasta can also be seen (distant right).
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| Location | Shasta County, California |
| Nearest city | Castella |
| Coordinates | 41°10′32″N 122°20′22″W / 41.17556°N 122.33944°WCoordinates: 41°10′32″N 122°20′22″W / 41.17556°N 122.33944°W |
| Governing body | California Department of Parks and Recreation |
Castle Crags is a dramatic and well-known rock formation in Northern California. Elevations range from 2,000 feet (610 m) along the Sacramento River near the base of the crags, to over 6,500 feet (2,000 m) at the summit of the tallest crag.
Located just west of Interstate 5, between the towns of Castella and Dunsmuir, Castle Crags is today a popular tourist stop along the highway.
The formation and surrounding habitats are protected by Castle Crags State Park, located on both sides of Interstate 5 at them, and by Castle Crags Wilderness Area of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.
Although the Northern Coast Ranges of northwestern California consist largely of rocks of volcanic and sedimentary origin, granite bodies (plutons) intruded many parts of the area during the Jurassic period. Heavy glaciation at this location during the eroded much of the softer surrounding rock leaving the towering crags and spires exposed, from which the Castle Crags pluton derives its name. Exfoliation of huge, convex slabs of granite yielded rounded forms such as the prominent Castle Dome feature of Castle Crags.
Situated along an ancient trade and travel route known as the Siskiyou Trail, Castle Crags has witnessed dramatic events. Strained relationships between 1850s California Gold Rush miners and the local native Indian populations resulted in the 1855 Battle of Castle Crags, in which the poet Joaquin Miller was wounded, and which he later described in an essay of the same name.
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Wikipedia