Pick up paddles to explore the volcanic beauty of Ahjumawi

Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park, 6,000 acres of volcanic beauty in Shasta County, may be the most obscure of about 270 state parks in California. That’s because of its remote location in the Fall River Valley, about 200 miles north of Sacramento and 65 miles northeast of Redding.

Visitors cannot drive to the park; they must rent canoes or kayaks in a nearby town or bring their own boat, then cross an inlet. Fewer than 2,000 people make the trip each year.

Although Ahjumawi is difficult to reach -- and pronounce (Ah-joo-mah-wee) -- it’s easy to admire. Imagine a postcard-worthy picture of the Cascade Range, then add water. This is Ahjumawi, popular with canoeists because of miles of connected waterways.

For hikers, 20 miles of trails reveal the land’s volcanic origins. Paths lead past basalt outcroppings, lava tubes, cold springs bubbling at the edge of lava fields, even a spatter cone (lava fragments that erupted into the air and fell into a mound on the ground).

Geologists believe all this lava came from nearby Timbered Crater. It last flowed toward Ahjumawi about 2,000 years ago, relatively recent in geologic time.

Lava is only part of the Ahjumawi hiking experience. Trails explore a jumble of environments: a soggy, tule-fringed marsh; hot and dry brush; wildflower-strewn hillsides; ponderosa pine forests.

The park is named after the Ahjumawi, a band of the Pit River tribe, who have lived in the area for thousands of years. (Ahjumawi means “where the waters come together.”) Ahjumawi fishermen have constructed stone fish traps in the shallows for ages.

Migratory birds hunt here too, flocking to the chain of lakes comprising the park’s southern boundary. Geese, grebes and ducks nest in summer. White pelicans, great blue herons, bald eagles and sandhill cranes can be seen too. Other inhabitants include coyote, porcupine, squirrel and yellow-bellied marmot.

All of these sights depend on your ability to reach the park. Unfortunately, you won’t find ferry service or a boat rental company on site.

You can rent three-seat canoes or kayaks from Fall River Adventures in nearby Fall River Mills. The cost is $35 for one day, $25 for each subsequent day. Weekly rentals are $150. Life vests and tie-down straps for the car are included. The outfitter is inside Country Gifts and Video off Highway 299. For information call (530) 336-5535.

From Fall River Mills, continue north on Highway 299 to the town of McArthur, turn north onto Main Street and drive past the Inter-Mountain Fairgrounds. The road crosses a canal and continues for three miles on graded dirt to McArthur’s Swamp (commonly known as Rat Farm), a public dock and boat launch.

Your hiking experience varies greatly by your choice of boat landings. If you leave from the Rat Farm launch and boat toward the campground at Horr Pond, you’ll land near the heart of Ahjumawi’s trail system. You can hike west along the water on the Lava Springs Rim Trail to the Crystal Springs campground, slightly less than 2 1/2 miles round trip. Another option from Horr Pond is the Spatter Cone Loop Trail, a five-mile trek past a lava tube and cone.

If you land at Big Lake Springs, the hike along the Lava Springs Rim Trail to Crystal Springs is about 4 1/4 miles.

There are campgrounds at Crystal Springs, Horr Pond and Ja-She Creek. Each has three environmental campsites if you want to prolong your stay.

More of John McKinney’s tips are at www.thetrailmaster.com.