Klamath National Forest
Around the Forest
Summer days on the Klamath are filled with sunshine and recreation. If you love to fish, bring your pole and tackle. Not only is this area one of the best locations for salmon and steelhead fishing in all of California, but it also has excellent trout fishing in the crystal-clear creek tributaries and nearby high mountain lakes. Bass is also plentiful in some lakes.
In the fall and winter you will find the finest deer, goose, duck and quail hunting imaginable.
The Forest's three major rivers, (Salmon, Scott and Klamath,) offer swimming, white water rafting or just a slow, drifting, picture taking trip. Rafts, canoes and kayaks may be rented locally.
Four golf courses are included in the Klamath and Siskiyou County area. One runs along the Klamath River on the west side of the forest while a PGA caliber course with an incredible view of beautiful Mount Shasta is located on the east.
Other activities include hiking, mountain biking, rock hounding, bird watching, botanical adventures, horse back riding, skiing (both downhill and cross country), snowmobiling, mountain climbing and cave exploring.
Oak Knoll, Scott River, Goosenest and Salmon River Ranger Districts are all within a short drive of Yreka. Our Happy Camp and Ukonom Districts are a bit further"down river". However the beautiful scenery along the winding contours of the Klamath River makes the journey worthwhile.
Yreka, the county seat, is an old mining town that has come of age. Many old homes, dating back to the late 1800's, have been restored. The county museum has many interesting exhibits of Siskiyou history. During the summer months, you can ride through the Shasta Valley on an old steam powered locomotive train. Gold mining is still very popular here and the county courthouse has an impressive display of nuggets from placer mines of California's 49'er days.
The Klamath National Forest (consisting of six Ranger Districts), is located in Northern California near
the Oregon State line. Goosenest Ranger District is in northeast portion and the rest of the districts are in
the Northwest (part of the Oak Knoll District extends into Oregon). The terrain, elevation and weather
vary greatly from one side of the forest to the other.
The forest has 1.7 million acres of timberland, a seemingly endless supply of rivers (152 miles worth),
creeks, mountain lakes and grassland areas where you can see antelope, wild horse herds, raccoons,
porcupine, deer, coyote, bear and mountain lion. Butte Valley is a major stopping off place for waterfowl
in the Pacific Flyway. At the peak of migration (October) the population is estimated between 3 and 4
million birds.
The forest contains a number of developed recreation sites including 28 campgrounds. There are two
campgrounds that have facilities for the handicapped and elderly. Kangaroo Lake Campground on the
Scott River Ranger District has campsites adapted for use by those in wheelchairs or who have difficulty
getting around. There is also a paved path down to the fishing pier which allows those with impaired
mobility to fish from the lake. Juanita Lake on the east side of the forest has a paved path around the lake
with some individual sites and the group site adapted with handicapped and elderly in mind.
All or portions of four wilderness areas are encompassed within the Forest. The wilderness areas are
Marble Mountain, Russian, Siskiyou and Trinity Alps.
Temperatures range from 20 degrees in winter to 100 in summer. Rainfall can vary from 50 to 115 inches
annually with over 90% occurring normally from October through April.
Trees are abundant and vary with the elevation. Douglas-Fir, Ponderosa Pine, Sugar Pine, Incense Cedar,
White and Red Fir, numerous Tan Oak and Madrone can be found.
Summer days on the Klamath are filled with sunshine and recreation. If you love to fish, bring your pole
and tackle. Not only is this area one of the best locations for salmon and steelhead fishing in all of
California, but it also has excellent trout fishing in the crystal-clear creek tributaries and nearby high
mountain lakes. Bass is also plentiful in some lakes.
In the fall and winter you will find the finest deer, goose, duck and quail hunting imaginable.
The Forest's three major rivers, (Salmon, Scott and Klamath,) offer swimming, white water rafting or just
a slow, drifting, picture taking trip. Rafts, canoes and kayaks may be rented locally.
Four golf courses are included in the Klamath and Siskiyou County area. One runs along the Klamath
River on the west side of the forest while a PGA caliber course with an incredible view of beautiful Mount
Shasta is located on the east.
Other activities include hiking, mountain biking, rock hounding, bird watching, botanical adventures,
horse back riding, skiing (both downhill and cross country), snowmobiling, mountain climbing and cave
exploring.
Oak Knoll, Scott River, Goosenest and Salmon River Ranger Districts are all within a short drive of
Yreka. Our Happy Camp and Ukonom Districts are a bit further "down river". However the beautiful
scenery along the winding contours of the Klamath River makes the journey worthwhile.
Yreka, the county seat, is an old mining town that has come of age. Many old homes, dating back to the
late 1800's, have been restored. The county museum has many interesting exhibits of Siskiyou history.
During the summer months, you can ride through the Shasta Valley on an old steam powered locomotive
train. Gold mining is still very popular here and the county courthouse has an impressive display of
nuggets from placer mines of California's 49'er days.
The Klamath National Forest Supervisors Office, located east of Interstate Five in South Yreka, has an
extensive collection of natural and historical exhibits. The display is open to the public during regular
business hours (8:00-5:00 Monday through Friday.)
The city of Yreka and neighboring towns such as Fort Jones, Etna, Montague and Hornbrook offer a
variety of activities including bowling, racquetball, aerobic classes, basketball, softball, swimming, glider
and sailplane rides. There are three airports in the area which will accommodate smaller private
planes.
Are you interested in the performing arts? The city of Yreka has a Community Center which offers
quality performances throughout the year. In addition, the Shakespearean Theater (Ashland, Oregon) and
Britt Festival (Jacksonville, Oregon), are but an hour's drive from Yreka. There are also have two small
theater groups in the Yreka area who offer several performances during the year.
Throughout the summer many of the local communities offer rodeos and horse shows for the public.
The Siskiyou County Fair is held every August at the County Fair Grounds in Yreka and is five fun-filled
days of non stop excitement.
If you prefer to do your sightseeing from your automobile, the Forest Supervisors Office in Yreka will be
happy to provide you with a copy of a map showing six different Self-Guided Tours of Siskiyou County.
Tours vary from 20 to 100 miles.
Of course, if you prefer, there is always the opportunity to just sit back and enjoy the beautiful weather,
clean air and breathtaking scenery.
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