Tell me about Shasta

I've heard Shasta is a great lake for wakeboarding...where are the best areas? How about accomodations (other than camping) like cabins, etc? Any reco's appreciated. Thx

www.shastalake.com

Many on here like the Pit arm. Me, I like the damn area. There are cabins (see link above) but I prefer houseboating.

Tracy, Shasta is cool, a big lake with lots of arms to ride in. Cabins at Antlers & Silverthorn resorts, Early summer or fall are the best times (real HOT in late july & Augest) We are about 5 hours away and get down there about 8 times a year. Always a good time.

Shasta is a great lake I am fortunate enough to be 5 minutes away in the summer time. If you don't mind cold water or have a dry suit laying around, now would be a good time to go. There is currently nothing really out but fisher man and old people on their house boats. The lake is huge with fairly warm water (around the low 80’s all summer long) and you can always find a good place to launch. Silverthorn probably has the best cabins but its sort of a bad road to drive on with large vehicles or boats (windy and narrow going down the hill). Also mostly every resort has houseboat rentals and most of them are starting to get new ones. The best area is the tip of the pit arm like Randy said but it gets crowded. However you can most likely find your own empty cove since the lake is so big. If you don't mind driving up the 5 for another 15 minutes you can try Bailey's cove in the lake head area. There is also another Lake around that area called Whiskey Town which is a smaller lake but there is less people, a lot cleaner water, more colder water, and more scenic.

one word...."Houseboat".

Spent a week camping at Whiskeytown in July this year. Man, that's a great area. Haven't spent time at Shasta, but let me tell you a couple cool things about Whiskeytown...

Whatever the term is for being a lake full of drinking water, that's Whiskeytown lake. It is so friggin clear that you can see trout down at like twenty feet no problem. It's so clear that your whole buzz changes - get the goggles out and swim around. The lake is fed from the bottom of Trinity.

The clear water adds another dimension to your sightseeing. Try checking out ferns 20 feet deep, or checking your fingers' shadows on the ferns at 20 feet. I thought Havasu and Powell were clear. Wrong. The lake is about the size of Elsinore (not big), but there always seemed to be good water to be had.

My favorite part of the trip was spending days at a couple different spots on Clear Creek. This stream is pretty small, and I never would have expected to have a good time at any of the little beach heads, but it was just so cool. The water was freezing, but like was said before, it gets HOT there in the summer. So you grab a mask and swim around among the underwater rocks, cruise around and against the current, watch stream fish darting around. So some of us are snorkeling, others are jumping off rocks into the deep spots, others are stream fishing, others are gold panning, etc.

Another cool treat are the wild berries growing around - a cool treat is never more than a few bushes away.

Anyway...although not strictly wakeboarding-related, I couldn't imagine spending a week at Shasta without spending a day or two at Whiskeytown.

Houseboating seems like it would be cool but looks pretty expensive.

Also, it looks like the Pit Arm is a good place to go but I don't see it on the map (see link above). How far is it off the 5 and which Marina is it near? Also once you launch, do you have to drive very far in the boat to find good water?

you don't have to drive anywhere to find good water in the morning. the whole lake is GLASS.

Shasta is one of my all time favortie places to ride, specifically on the Pit arm, the farther up the better. There are lots of places where you can find glass all day. It's great!

Jones or Silverthorn are the closest launch to the Pit. Approx 15-20 mins off 5 to the ramps. Everybody has the their favorite spots, but part of the fun of the lake is finding your own favorite spot. Can you find good water close to a launch? I would say yes, but you'll probably get a different opinion from everybody you ask.

The last couple of summers we have rented patio boats and camped on them. If they have a bathroom, they can stay out overnight. Gives the houseboat convenience and mobility, but less expensive. The obvious trade off is they are not as nice. Also need to watch the weather a little closer.

I wrote a great poem about this place, but I think it's being kept hush hush until our video.

I've been houseboating at Powell but never at Shasta...how do they compare, especially for wakeboarding and nice water?

Powell and Shasta are two completly different experiences. Ive done both, and love both. One is rock, red, and desert. The other is green, and tree lined. If you have already done Powell, give Shasta a try, you will love it.

Enough Said ...Just do it Tracy Shasta is the Shizzzle for rizzle did 2 houseboat rips last summer and both were awesome, like some of the posters said...find your own cove the lake is so darn big

Yeah, did Powell a couple of years ago but it was too big and pretty windy for the most part. Also, it was difficult to keep enough gas for the boat without spending the whole time driving to the Marina. I'm hoping Shasta is different...sounds like it is.

Right now Shasta is lookingh great in the mornings espically with everyone but the local retiree's off the lake

go to the pit arm

how crowded does the pit arm area get during weekdays in the summer