A collection of travel and adventure stories

Ahjumawi Lava Springs Kayak Camping

Description and Directions >>

Description:
Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park is 6,000 acres of wilderness located in Shasta County in Northern California. The park consists of rugged lava rock, oak, pine and juniper forests, and beautiful waterways. Ahjumawi means "where the waters come together..." and is covered by Big Lake, Tule River, Ja-She Creek, Lava Creek and Fall River. The park can only be reached by boat, as there are no public roads into it. The park offers fantasic views of Mt. Shasta and Mt. Lassen peaks. Environmental campsites are located along the shores of the lake.

Activities:
kayaking, boating, fishing, hiking, camping, picnicking, swimming, sightseeing

Directions:
From Sacramento take I-5 North to CA 299 East. In the town of McArthur, turn north onto Main Street and drive past the Intermountain Fairgrounds. After crossing over a canal, 3 miles of dirt road will lead to McArthur's Swamp (also know as "Rat Farm"), a public boat launch maintained by Pacific Gas & Electric Co.

Story Date 7/4/2003
Publish Date 4/13/2004

Story Perspectives >>

According to Mikala: Big Lake on Awjumawi State Park has to be one of my favorite places to kayak! It is about a 3.5 hour drive from Sacramento, and well worth it! We had no trouble finding a camp site on the 4th of July weekend, so that tells you how few people there are. The perfect place to relax. The water was just so beautiful - and smooth as glass in the evening and morning. We had a terrific view of Mt. Shasta as we kayaked.

Because this was our first time here, we had a little unexpected detour trying to find a camp site. The maps that we had printed were not exact to detail, and we ended up kayaking for what seemed like hours in the marsh. On the maps, it did not even look like water was in the location we were, but on and on we went. It was frustrating. We highly recommend using GPS data if this is your fist time!

We finally found a familiar area and kayaked to the first camp site we found open. There were about 3 campsites spread far apart. We found a nice spot under the trees with a wonderful view of the water and mountains. We set up and then took a hike up to the other campsite we were originally trying to find. It was pretty secluded - and of course we had kayaked right past it!

The only drawback to this wonderful place is the hundreds of mosquitos that come out in the late afternoon and all evening. I have never seen so many.

The morning that we left, there was not a single person on the flat glass water. It was terrific! The next time we go, I plan to be more prepared for the mosquitos (as much as can be), and I would like to hike the area's trails - viewing the various lava rock and scenery.