Lake Britton / McArthur Burney Falls State Park—Lake Britton is formed by a dam of the Pit River and is filled by the Pit, Cayton, Clark, Hat and Burney Creeks. It covers roughly seven miles of the Pit River's channel. If you like to fish, you may catch both large and small mouth bass, crappie, blue gill, trout, catfish and carp. Lake Britton has at least six pair of nesting bald eagles. One of 2009’s offspring is shown in the picture. A paddle on the lake can include a hike up to Clark Creek Falls. If you like to swim in ice cold water, the base of Clark Creek Falls is the place. Wildlife include eagles, osprey, deer, ducks, geese, otters, turtles and more. In the spring the carp spawn. Paddling around them is fun. Tours can last from 1-6 hours.
Baum Lake & Crystal Lake—Baum Lake is a photographers paradise. Bald eagles, osprey, great blue herons, white pelicans, cormorants, Canada geese, various ducks, woodpeckers, and otters are common sightings. Located near Crystal Lake Fish Hatchery, Baum Lake is a well-stocked, hydroelectric impoundment. The lake has rainbow, brown and brook trout and the record is a 23 pound, 5 oz. brown trout. A paddle around the entire lake takes about 2-3 hours. Shorter paddles are available. You have to portage to paddle on Crystal Lake where you can see large holes in the floor of the lake as well as abundant wildlife.
Pit River—We put in at the gas pipeline and usually paddle the calm water upstream, first. You will see abundant wildlife, mostly birds and waterfowl, including bald eagles, white pelicans, Canada geese, osprey, cormorants, various ducks. We saw a swan out there in August. The carp also spawn in this part of Lake Britton. There is a hidden spring just a short hike off the shore. Tours from 1-6 hours available.
Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park—Ahjumawi translated means “Where the waters come together”. The waterways in this area are Big Lake, Tule River, Ja-She Creek, Lava Creek, and Fall River. They form one of the largest systems of fresh water springs in the U.S. The Park can only be reached by boat. You should see a large variety of birds, and possibly deer, raccoons, muskrats, beavers, and possibly a bear or mountain lion. There are fish traps made of stone, an old homestead, springs and clear aqua-colored water. Spectacular views of Mt. Shasta and Mt. Lassen. Tours can last from 3-6 hours.
Hat Creek—A paddle up the Hat Creek from the Hwy. 299 bridge is a little less relaxing than the Baum Lake paddle, even though a power house is the only thing separating the two. Paddling upstream isn’t extremely difficult, but you can lose ground if you slow down or stop in many parts of the creek. Continuous paddling can be tiring, but coming back is cool and relaxing. You may see muskrats, bald eagles, herons, osprey, pelicans, turtles and other wildlife. This is a beautiful trip. Another option would be to shuttle cars and only paddle downstream. Paddle time: 1-4 hours.
Other tours available—Butte & Whiskeytown Lakes (additional fee required), Big Lake, Tule River and more.
