TRINITY UNIT

Whiskeytown ° Shasta « Trinity
National Recreation Area

Do's...

Welcome to the Trinity Uni

The Trinity Unit is one of three units that comprise the
Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area. It
was established by Congress in 1965. These areas were
Tecognized for their unique and varied recreation potential.

Trinity and Lewiston Lakes form the core of the Trinity
Unit where water oriented sports such as fishing, water-
skiing and houseboating dominate the recreation spotlight.
For the adventurous, however, there are many other
activities, such as; wildlife viewing, hiking, hunting,
automobile touring, photography, and picnicking.

The Trinity and Shasta Units are administered by the
USDA Forest Service. The Whiskeytown Unit is
administered by the USDI National Park Service.

The construction of Trinity and

Lewiston Dams...

The Trinity River Division of the Central Valley Project was
designed to provide water, flood control and power to
Central and Southern California but also for recreation
and fish and wildlife conservation.

Water from the Trinity River Basin is stored, regulated
and diverted through a system of reservoirs, dams, power
plants, tunnels and conduits into water deficient areas
of the Central Valley.

Trinity Dam and power plant are located on the Trinity
River nine miles upstream from the town of Lewiston.
It is one of the highest earth filled dams in the world,
tising 465 feet above the river bed. It is 1/2 mile long
across the top and 1/2 mile wide through the base.
Construction began on the dam in 1957 and was
completed in 1961.

Lewiston Dam was constructed at the same time as
Trinity. It provides after-bay storage for releases from the
Trinity power plant. It also serves to direct Trinity River
water into the 11 mile long Clear Creek Tunnel for
diversion to Whiskeytown Lake and power plant. It is also
used to control water releases for downstream fisheries
needs.

Trinity Lake was formed with the completion of Trinity
Dam in 1961 and was filled completely by 1963. When
full, it has a 145 mile shoreline and is 19 miles long.

The Stuart Fork Arm is the hub of most of the
activity on the lake. It extends to the west and is fed
by the Stuart Fork and the East Fork of the Stuart Fork
of the Trinity River. Numerous campgrounds, picnic
areas, beaches, boat ramps, resorts and marinas line
its shores.

The Main Arm of the lake stretches from the dam
north for about 19 miles. Here you can explore
secluded, tree lined coves or spend a quiet night at
a boat-in-campground. Lodging and other
accommodations on the main arm range from marinas
and boat ramps to Forest Service campgrounds.

The North Lake Area is quieter and more relaxed
but provides a variety of services, supplies, facilities
and recreation activities. It offers public campgrounds
and a wide open expanse of water excellent for water-
skiing. Also available are the commercial services of
Trinity Center, including a campground, an airport and
a marina with a public ramp and boat rentals.

Lewiston Lake is just downstream from Trinity Dam.
Itis 7 miles long with a rich and diverse 15 mile shoreline.
Always kept at full capacity, the water here is much colder
than in Trinity Lake. Because of the narrow width of the
lake, the need for boater safety and to ensure a quality
fishing experience, the speed limit for boating is 10 miles
per hour. Marshy areas near the center of the lake provide
for excellent wildlife and bird watching opportunities.

Attractions around the Trinity Un

Flanking the Trinity Unit on the west are snow covered
mountains, emerald meadows, cascading alpine streams
and lakes like jewels... all a part of the 517,000 acre
Trinity Alps Wilderness. They form a breathtaking
backdrop to Trinity Lake and provide the adventurous
with a place of unusual solitude and beauty. Several
trailheads adjacent to the Trinity Unit serve the backpacker,
day hiker and horseback rider.

Winding through and adjacent to the Trinity Unit is the
Trinity Heritage National Scenic Byway. It is a great
introduction to the scenic beauty, rich history, diverse
peoples and resource management activities of the area.
Aself guided tour brochure is available at the Weaverville
Ranger Station.

Fishing opportunities are excellent throughout the area
for smallmouth and largemouth bass, catfish, kokanee,
rainbow and brown trout. Just below Lewiston Dam is
the Fly Stretch of the Trinity River, a world class
flyfishing area. The Pine Cove Boat Ramp provides
quality wheelchair fishing access with decks built out
over prime trout fishing water.

Just below Lewiston Dam is the Trinity River Fish
Hatchery, built to help compensate for the loss of
upstream spawning habitat when the dams were built.
The California Department of Fish and Game operates
the facility which has the capacity to spawn and incubate
35,000 salmon and steelhead eggs each season. Visitors
are welcome to tour the hatchery.

Downstream from the hatchery is the Sven-Olbertson
Side Channel, an area of extensive riparian and fisheries
habitat rehabilitation. This is an interpretive site and offers
excellent wildlife viewing opportunities.

The town of Lewiston is situated within the Trinity Unit
at its south end. “Lewis Town" got its start in 1840 when
B.F. Lewis began a ferry operation and trading post on
the Trinity River near the present site of the old one lane
bridge. The town roared to life during the Gold Rush and
again with the building of Trinity and Lewiston Dams in
the late 1950s. The historic heart of Lewiston has been
largely renovated and makes for a delightful stop.

Trinity Vista, on County Road 105 just north of Trinity
Dam, is a great place to take a break, catch one of the
area's most beautiful views and have a picnic. It is an
interpretive stop on the Trinity Heritage National Scenic
Byway.

Bowerman Barn is located just off Highway 3 on County
Road 160 between Covington Mill and Bowerman Boat
Ramp and is a stop along the Trinity Heritage National
Scenic Byway. This restored barn provides a unique look
into the history of Trinity County. Built in 1878 by Jacob
Bowerman, it is an outstanding example of a late 19th
century handcrafted structure.

Trinity Center is situated along Highway 3 near the
north end of Trinity Lake. It offers a variety of services
and an interesting look back into the area's rich Gold
Rush history. Originally settled in 1851, it quickly became
a hub for trade and travel in an area rich with gold and
agriculture along the Portland-Sacramento Stage Route.
During the Gold Rush 1200 people called “Trinity Centre"
home. The town was moved from its original location
some time in the late 1850s to accommodate local
mining interests. It was once again moved in the late
1950s when construction began on Trinity Dam. Several
of the old buildings were picked up and moved to their
present locations and serve to maintain the town’s link
with its historic past. As a result, Trinity Center is probably
the most widely travelled town in the United States!

While in Trinity Center stop at the Scott Museum,
founded by E.W. Scott, a lifelong resident of the area.
The museum is open during the summer months and
houses an excellent collection of early Trinity area artifacts.

North Shore Vista, along Trinity Lake on Highway 3 just
north of Trinity Center, is also an interpretive stop on the
Byway. The interpretive sign there looks at the history of
the massive gold dredges that once worked the gold
bearing gravels along the Trinity River.

Coffee Creek is a small community located just outside
the Trinity Unit's north boundary on Highway 3 and offers
a variety of services including resorts, campgrounds, and
a Forest Service Ranger Station. It is the last stop before
you head over the Scott Mountain Divide into Scott Valley
and the town of Callahan.

Weaverville, the historic seat of Trinity County, lies
outside the Trinity Unit at the junction of Highways 3 and
299. It has a fascinating and colorful history dating back
to 1850 when the first permanent building in the county
was built there and the settlement was officially named.
Over the years it has survived catastrophic fires, the boom
and bust of the Gold Rush and the construction of Trinity
and Lewiston Dams. The community is known for its
beautifully preserved downtown area and unique spiral
staircases along main street.

While in Weaverville visit the Joss House, the oldest
continuously used Chinese Taoist Temple in California.
The original structure, built by Chinese miners in the
1850s, burned to the ground in 1873 and was rebuilt
in 1874. It is a unique and beautiful structure now
administered by the State of California as an historical
park.

One of the finest collections of items and photographs
portraying the historic development of Trinity County is
housed in the Jake Jackson Museum in downtown

Weaverville. Funded and built by local residents, it
displays a community pride uncommon in other towns
its size. If looking into the colorful past of the Trinity
area is attractive to you this is your place. The museum
is open from May through November and during Easter
vacation. It is operated by the Trinity County Historical
Society which built a working “stamp mill" next to the
museum. The mill demonstrates how gold ore was
crushed during the separation and recovery process.

Speaking of gold... Gold was discovered by Major
Pierson B. Reading in 1848 at Reading's Bar on the
Trinity River. The site of his discovery is near the present
Douglas City Bridge on Highway 299. The rush that
followed helped shape the modern history of this area.
It is indelibly stamped into the landscape. Efforts at gold
mining went the course from picks and pans to the use
of hydraulic monitors and bucket line dredges. Entire
mountains were washed away, tunnels dug and river
valleys turned upside down in the search for gold. The
lone prospector and his mule who first entered the
mountains quickly became part of the early history of
this area as the easy to reach surface deposits were
depleted. A new generation of miners and mining
engineers, backed by big eastern money, began to
devise new and better methods for recovering the
yellow stuff. A lot of the money made in Northern
California gold mines went to finance Union efforts
during the Civil War.

Organized efforts to recover gold from the area in and
around the current sites of Trinity and Lewiston Lakes
continued well in the 1940s but came to a halt with
the shutting down of the last of the big bucket line
dredges in 1947. Carrville Pond was home to this final
testament to the search for gold and, for years afterward,
the Carrville Dredge sat floating idly in its still waters.

The Trinity Valley...

Prior to the construction of Trinity and Lewiston Dams
and the subsequent filling of the lakes, the Trinity valley
between Lewiston in the south and Trinity Center in the
north was a relatively isolated and beautiful area...home
to several impressive farms and ranches that were
surrounded by lush forests of fir, pine and cedar. During
the Gold Rush, a few enterprising men and women
realized good money while raising beef and dairy cows
and other agricultural products needed to fuel the search
for gold.

There was the Scott Ranch near Trinity Center, the Trinity
Ranch and Cattle Company on the East Fork of the
Trinity River, the Linton Ranch, the Bragdon Ranch, the
Freethy and Feeney Ranches. There was Cedar Stock
Farm and the Van Matre Ranch, Papoose Ranch and
Eastman Farm. These are all names familiar to vacationers
on these lakes because they are now the names of
arms or ridges or other features that define the waters
of these lakes.

Before the first explorations by early fur traders and
prospectors the Trinity Valley was home to the Native
American tribe known as the Wintu. Their existence
here, while not easy, was rich. They hunted the hills
and river banks for a variety of game animals and fished
the rivers and streams for salmon and steelhead. They
gathered the acorns of the blue and black oaks. They
traded a variety of goods, such as obsidian, across a
broad area with neighbors in the Scott Valley to the
north, the Central Valley to the southeast, along the
lower Trinity River, and with the tribes around Mt. Shasta
and the Modoc Plateau.

Some things to know...

Campfires... Please use grills, stoves, or fire rings that are
provided at campgrounds and picnic areas. Campfire permits
are not required at developed sites; however, they are required
elsewhere.

Campsite occupancy... Campsites must be occupied the
first night and cannot be unoccupied for more than 24 hours.
“Saving” campsites is not permitted.

Firearms... Firearms may not be discharged within 150
yards of residences, buildings, developed recreation sites,
across roads or bodies of water.

Firewood... The gathering of down wood for campfires is
allowed. No permit is necessary. However, if you intend to
take wood home with you, a personal use firewood permit
is required. Contact the nearest Ranger Station for details.

Fireworks... Fireworks are prohibited!

Garbage... Receptacles are located at most campgrounds,
picnic areas, and boat ramps. Where garbage is not collected,
please pack it out to the nearest container. Do not bury it or
dispose of it in the restrooms.

Law enforcement... The Trinity County Sheriff's
Departmentworks closely with the Forest Service in enforcing
local laws and the California Boating Law. If you need assistance,
contact the Sheriff's Patrol or any Forest Service employee.
Uniformed Forest Service personnel are Federal

Officers authorized to enforce Forest Service regulations.

Length of stay... The limit of stay all campgrounds is 14
consecutive days.

Motor vehicles... Motorized vehicles must stay on established
toads. Off-road travel is prohibited.

Pets... Household pets must be on a leash or under restraint
in campgrounds, picnic areas, and at boat ramps. Horses are
allowed at designated horse campgrounds.

Permits... Any boat designed or converted for overnight
occupancy requires a houseboat permit from the Forest Service.
Temporary permits are good for 30 days per year.

Some helpful hints... To better assure the camping public
the type of recreation experience National Forest campgrounds
are intended to provide, these common sense regulations and
a few others have been established. A complete listing is
posted on campground bulletin boards,

Bear precautions... Black bears are common around Trinity

Lake campgrounds, and they have been known to walk into

campsites, climb into moored boats, and raid ice chests or

food left lying around. The potential for bear encounters can

oe reduced if visitors follow some common sense do's and
lon'ts:

1.Use bear proof garbage receptacles and bins. Do not
leave garbage unattended in campsite, or boat.

2.Store food, pet food, etc. in bear proof food lockers if
available. Otherwise, store food in air tight containers,
disguised with a tarp or blanket, in your car, or in your
trailer if feasible. You can also hang all food/ice chests
in trees at least 10 feet above the ground and 5 feet
away from the trunk.

3.DO NOT take food, drinks, or cosmetics into your sleeping
area.

4, pen the rights of bears. DO NOT FEED OR PET BEARS.
(California Code of Regulations 251.3 “prohibits feeding
of big game mammals,” punishable by a $1,000 find
and/or 6 months in jail or both.)

5.Report any bear problems to the camp host or Forest
Service Ranger Station at (530)-623-2121.

Campground and Camping Information

Campground hosts... Several of the larger Forest Service
campgrounds within the Trinity Unit have resident campground
hosts. These people are volunteers who spend all or part of
the summer helping take care of their campground and assisting
campers.

Dispersed area camping... Camping outside of a developed
campground is permitted on Trinity Lake. Since there are a few
areas along Trinity Lake that are closed to lakeshore camping,
please check first with Forest Service personnel. Dispersed
camping is not permitted on Lewiston Lake.

Fees... Most Forest Service campgrounds and all commercial
campgrounds charge a fee. There are no fees for boat access
campgrounds. These fees are used to help pay the cost of
cleaning and maintaining the campgrounds. Golden Eagle
Passports are NOT valid for overnight camping, use of developed
boat launches or concessionaire services, and consequently,
do not apply to fee sites on the Trinity Unit of the National
Recreation Area.

Season... Most Forest Service campgrounds are open from
Memorial Day through Labor Day. A few remain open all year.
During the winter months, most water systems are shut down;
however, restroom facilities are available. The operating season
for commercial campgrounds vary.

Water warning... Most campgrounds have developed water
systems. Since surface waters can easily be contaminated
when camping at a site without a developed system, treatment
of water, such as boiling for five minutes or using a water
purification filter, is advised.

Maps, brochures, fire permits and other

information may be obtained from the
following locations:

Supervisor's Office, Shasta-Trinity National
Forest, 2400 Washington Avenue, Redding,
CA 96001 (530) 244-2978

Weaverville Ranger District, 210 West Main Street
P.O. Box 1190, Weaverville, California, CA 96093
(530) 623-2121

Forest Service Website: www.fs.fed.us/r5/shastatrinity

Coffee Creek Ranger Station, Coffee Creek, CA
96091. (530) 266-3211. Open summer only,

Mule Creek Guard Station. Open summer only. Wildemess
and campfire permits and information.

Osprey Information Center (self service), west shore of
Trinity Lake near the Stuart Fork Boat Ramp. No maps or
campfire permits.

Lewiston Vista (self service) near Mary Smith Campground
on Lewiston Lake. No maps or campfire permits.

Rush Creek Entrance (self service), junction of Rush Creek
Road and Highway 3. No maps or campfire permits.

Trinity Vista Interpretive exhibits on County road105
northwest of Trinity Dam.

North Shore Vista Interpretive exhibit on Highway 3 north
of Trinity Center.

Additional information about the area... its

sights, attractions, events and services may
be obtained from:

*The Trinity County Chamber of Commerce on
Highway 3 in Downtown Weaverville.
(800) 487-4648


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to Lewiston & Weavenille to Redding