Shasta Valley Wildlife Area is a 4,700-acre California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) property just outside Montague that currently remains open to the public. This can change at any time, of course, so check before you go. All visitors are required to buy a pass of one sort or another. We bought day passes that cost $4.89 per person online at https://www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/InternetSales/
The acreage is predominantly juniper woodlands on what was once rangelands—a lot of hard-used, flat grasslands interspersed with abrupt hills and wetlands. There are three man-made lakes on the property as well: Trout Lake is full at the moment; Bass Lake is all but dry; and Steamboat Lake is inside a restricted zone. A good quarter or more of the wildlife area is restricted and closed to the public. The rest is open and is managed for fishing and hunting.
There must be at least 10 miles of good dirt road that runs the breadth and width of the property. Many of these are service roads that are closed to vehicles, which makes them nice for hiking.
Our first stop was to check out Bass Lake. We were initially disappointed to find that the lake was all but dry. On closer inspection, however, there was a lot to see on the dried lake bed. In some places, the lake mud was dried and cracked into deeply scored sections over a couple feet deep. And there were native species living there that we had never seen before—alkaline-loving plants such as alkali mallow and short-rayed alkali aster. At least three dozen species were in bloom.
There are no trails marked on any map of the wildlife area that we could find; however, we did stumble upon one very nicely maintained trail at Bass Lake. The hill at the northwest corner of the lake, at the west end of the lake’s dam, has a very gently sloped trail that goes all the way to the top, making a loop at the very top.
Next we drove to Trout Lake and were pleasantly surprised to see that it was full. There were a couple of boats on it, and a fisherman in a flotation tube, but most exciting was a whole flock of white pelicans on a little rocky island not far from the shore. A substantial viewing and fishing platform that juts out into the water next to the boat ramp allows for great bird-watching. Don’t forget your binoculars! There is a comprehensive bird list for Shasta Valley Wildlife Area available on the CDFW website.
August 29, 2021. Photo by Don Burk.
After a nice long gander at the waterfowl, we hiked a couple service roads that circumscribe a large wetlands fed by Trout Lake’s overflow. The day was hot and humid, and the air quality was not very good, so we took it easy and only put on between three and four miles. We will have to go back when the air is clean, perhaps in the spring when the wetlands are at their peak bloom.
Shasta Valley Wildlife Area is easy to get to; the entrance is well signed, ~1.5 miles east of Montague, at 1724 Ball Mountain Little Shasta Road. The road is paved as far as the office, where it turns into a dirt road that is in good enough condition for 2WD vehicles. It’s a fun place to explore off season, but we get the impression that it could be a bit of a zoo come hunting season! Be sure to check the CDFW website before you go.
An experienced botanist will tell you that the area is pretty well weed infested, but weeds can be fun, too! Here’s a slideshow of some of the cool things that we saw on our visit. All photos by Don Burk. Enjoy! ~Laurie & Don Burk
