Castle Crags
Castle Crags State Park & Wilderness, near Castella · near Castella · Shasta Cascade
Rock Climbing
At a glance
- Skill level
- advanced
- Grade range
- 5.6-5.12b/c (plus 4th-class scrambles)
- Best season
- June-October (summer fire restrictions may apply)
Permits and booking
- Permit
- Castle Crags State Park ($8/day parking, $20/night camping). The higher spires sit in the adjoining Castle Crags Wilderness (Shasta-Trinity NF). Approaches are strenuous - 1-2.5 hours uphill, 1,500-3,000 ft of gain. Summer backcountry fire restrictions apply.
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- No
Rock Climbing detail
- Nickname
- The Granite Spires of the North
- Climb types
- trad · multi-pitch · sport · top-rope
- Rock type
- Granite
- Route count
- ~74 routes
- Signature routes
- Cosmic Wall · Six Toe Crack · The Dike Route
- Intl tip
- The region's only destination rock climbing - alpine-flavored granite with long, steep approaches. Cosmic Wall (5.6) is the classic moderate; the Dike Route up Castle Dome is the marquee line. Base at Castle Crags State Park ($8 day-use); June-Oct. Be self-sufficient - no local guides.
The guide
Castle Crags is the one genuine rock-climbing destination in the entire Shasta-Cascade - a startling cluster of light-grey gran…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Castle Crags — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 41.1595, -122.3059