Shasta, Trinity and Whiskeytown Boating: Ramps, Marinas, Rules

Shasta Lake, Trinity Lake and Whiskeytown Lake sit within about an hour of Redding, and they share one set of mussel rules. Boats must arrive clean, drained and completely dry, and a Forest Service order bans carrying golden, zebra or quagga mussels below the high-water mark at Shasta, Trinity and Lewiston lakes through December 4, 2027.

Shasta Lake

Shasta Lake covers about 29,500 acres with four main arms: Sacramento, McCloud, Pit River and Squaw Creek. The Forest Service runs the public ramps: Antlers, Bailey Cove, Centimudi, Hirz Bay, Jones Valley, Packers Bay and Sugarloaf. Most charge $18 per vehicle a day; Centimudi and Jones Valley stay usable to about 210 feet of drawdown.

• Antlers Public Boat Ramp: four lanes off Interstate 5 at exit 702, $18 per vehicle. It closes at about a 75-foot drawdown, when Sugarloaf takes over.
• Shasta Marina at Packers Bay: a houseboat marina next to a Forest Service ramp with four lanes to about 50 feet of drawdown and two lanes to about 115 feet.
• Jones Valley Resort: houseboats on the Pit River Arm; the public ramp keeps one lane usable to about 210 feet of drawdown.
• Bridge Bay Resort: year-round houseboat rentals (three days, two nights minimum, renters 21 and over), a fuel dock and five boarding floats.
• Holiday Harbor: houseboat and small-boat rentals on the McCloud Arm, near the Lake Shasta Caverns turnoff.
• Digger Bay Marina: a full-service marina with fuel from a barge; Centimudi ramp is under 1.5 miles away.
• Silverthorn Resort on the Pit River Arm and Antlers Resort & Marina on the Sacramento Arm also rent houseboats; Antlers rents jet skis too.

Trinity Lake

Trinity Lake has about 145 miles of shoreline. The Forest Service ramps are run by Shasta Recreation Company.

• Trinity Center Boat Ramp & Marina: day use, a courtesy dock in summer, usable to about a 65-foot drawdown; the marina has 44 covered slips.
• Trinity Lake Resort & Marina, long known as Cedar Stock: boat rentals, fuel, repair and launching service.
• Other Forest Service ramps: Fairview (year-round, to about 52 feet of drawdown), Clark Springs (May to October, $11) and Minersville. On Lewiston Lake below the dam, Pine Cove holds a steady level all year.
• Boats need the Invasive Mussel-Free Certification before launching.

Whiskeytown Lake

Whiskeytown Lake is a national recreation area, so an entrance pass is required ($25 per private vehicle for seven days). Jet skis and other personal watercraft aren't allowed.

• Oak Bottom Marina: 200 covered slips, 53 dry storage spaces, about 100 trailer spaces and boat rentals.
• Brandy Creek on the south shore is usually less busy, and Whiskey Creek sits on a sheltered arm popular with kayakers and skiers.

Nearby

• McCloud Reservoir: a Forest Service ramp, $5 a day, 5 mph in the coves, skiing south of the big island.
• Lake Britton by Burney Falls: a park marina, launch and boat rentals.
• Ruth Lake in southern Trinity County runs its own inspection and 2026 sticker for every boat.

The mussel check

• Clean, drain and dry: at least 5 days dry if the boat was last used outside the area, and 30 days (or a professional decontamination) after waters with golden mussels.
• Sign the Mussel-Free Self-Certification and show it through the windshield.
• Carry a current Mussel Fee Sticker on a motorized boat.
• More detail is in our lake inspections guide.

Low water

Shasta and Trinity drop a long way in dry years and late summer. Each ramp has a drawdown limit, so check the lake level before you tow; Antlers closes first, while Jones Valley and Sugarloaf reach much lower.

This guide is general information, not legal advice; check the linked pages and the Forest Service before you go.