Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park
Encyclopedia
Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park is a state park
of California
, USA, preserving a wilderness of freshwater spring
s and geologically recent lava flows. Unique in the California state park system, public access is by boat only. It is located in Shasta County, California
. The state acquired the land from the Horr Ranch in 1975. There are 3 campgrounds — Horr Pond, Crystal Springs and Ja-She — each with three primitive campsites. Brilliant aqua bays and tree studded islets only a few yards long dot the shoreline.
The size of the park is 4 miles (6.4 km) in length, 1 miles (1.6 km) or less wide and has over 13 miles (20.9 km) of shoreline. At the mouth of the springs, there are remains of Indian fish traps, low rock walls enclosing shallow water that were used to trap sucker and trout by the Ahjumawi. Of the park's 5930 acres (2,399.8 ha), more than two-thirds of the area is covered by recent (two to five thousand years) lava
flows including vast areas of jagged black basalt
.
Visitors can launch into Big Lake at a Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) public boat launch known as Rat Farm.
The launch ramp is unpaved and only suitable for shallow-draft boats. The launch site is reached from McArthur
by turning north off State Route 299
on to Main Street, continuing past the Intermountain Fairgrounds, crossing over McArthur diversion canal and proceeding on a graded dirt road to a junction. Turn right on to Rat Farm road for 3 miles (4.8 km) to the launch and parking area.
Native Americans
who inhabit the area. The Ahjumawi, also spelled (historically) Achomawi
and Achumawi; and (more recently) Ajumawi, are one of nine bands comprising the Pit River tribe. The name translates to "River People." Sharon Ellmore, cultural information officer for the Pit River Tribe and the cultural representative for the Ahjumawi band gives a different translation: "My late grandmother, Edna Webster, was one of the elders and she used to say that in our language Ahjumawi means 'the river people, or the people who live by the river.'"
Geologists believe the source of the springs is the Tule Lake and Klamath Lake basins, located 50 miles (80.5 km) north. The water then migrates underground through the porous basalt lava, resurfacing in the valley. The waters are Big Lake, Tule River, Ja-She Creek, Lava Creek, and Fall River. Together they form one of the largest systems of fresh water springs in the country.
Preserved within the park are lava flows broken by great faults and deep cracks, lava tube
s and craters. The freshwater springs flowing from the lava are prominent along the shoreline.
Oak
, pine
and juniper
forests and slopes of rabbit brush and sagebrush
are part of the great variety of vegetation in the area. Abundant wildlife populations are evident all seasons. A great variety of birds including, bald eagle
s, osprey
s, and great blue heron
s nest or travel through the park. Herds of mule deer
forage through much of the park.
, Mount Lassen and other nearby peaks.
Higher elevations tend to have much cooler temperatures and higher precipitation. Summer weather is usually hot and dry with lower elevation temperatures ranging from 85° - 100°+F and lows from 60° - 70°. Fall days are usually mild and warm, with cool nights. Winter is when most of the precipitation falls, averaging over 55 inches per year, much of it in the form of snow in the high elevations. Highs range from 40° - 60° and lows from 30° - 40° in the lower elevations.Spring weather is variable with many pleasant days.
Elevation at McArthur is 3311 feet (1,009.2 m)
The park is administered from the nearby McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park
.
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA, preserving a wilderness of freshwater spring
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
s and geologically recent lava flows. Unique in the California state park system, public access is by boat only. It is located in Shasta County, California
Shasta County, California
Shasta County is a county located in the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The county occupies the northern reaches of the Sacramento Valley, with portions extending into the southern reaches of the Cascade Range. As of the 2010 census, the population was 177,223, up from 163,256...
. The state acquired the land from the Horr Ranch in 1975. There are 3 campgrounds — Horr Pond, Crystal Springs and Ja-She — each with three primitive campsites. Brilliant aqua bays and tree studded islets only a few yards long dot the shoreline.
The size of the park is 4 miles (6.4 km) in length, 1 miles (1.6 km) or less wide and has over 13 miles (20.9 km) of shoreline. At the mouth of the springs, there are remains of Indian fish traps, low rock walls enclosing shallow water that were used to trap sucker and trout by the Ahjumawi. Of the park's 5930 acres (2,399.8 ha), more than two-thirds of the area is covered by recent (two to five thousand years) lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
flows including vast areas of jagged black basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
.
Park details
The park can be reached only by boat. There are no public roads to it and private motor vehicles are prohibited within.Visitors can launch into Big Lake at a Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) public boat launch known as Rat Farm.
Rat history
John McArthur purchased land holdings in and around what is now known as McArthur Swamp in 1868. In 1924 PG&E bought the landhttp://www.cpuc.ca.gov/Environment/info/esa/pgedivest/swaps/swapch_2v.html from the McArthur family to stop water diversions which were hampering the Pit 1 powerhouse downstream, and then leased it to John Masek who built and operated a muskrat farm around 1924. The muskrats were released in the 1930s and have become a concern due to possible environmental damage.The launch ramp is unpaved and only suitable for shallow-draft boats. The launch site is reached from McArthur
McArthur, California
McArthur is a census-designated place in Shasta County, California, United States. The population was 338 at the 2010 census, down from 365 at the 2000 census...
by turning north off State Route 299
California State Route 299
State Route 299 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that runs across the northern part of the state. It runs from Arcata on the Pacific Ocean to the border with Nevada. Between Arcata and Redding, Route 299 junctions with State Route 96 and is briefly co-signed with State Route 3. In...
on to Main Street, continuing past the Intermountain Fairgrounds, crossing over McArthur diversion canal and proceeding on a graded dirt road to a junction. Turn right on to Rat Farm road for 3 miles (4.8 km) to the launch and parking area.
Native Americans
The park brochure states "Where the waters come together" is a translation of the word Ahjumawi, which is said to be the self-describing word used by the band of Pit River- AchomawiAchomawi
The Achomawi are one of eleven bands of the Pit River tribe of Native Americans who lived in northeastern California, USA....
Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
who inhabit the area. The Ahjumawi, also spelled (historically) Achomawi
Achomawi
The Achomawi are one of eleven bands of the Pit River tribe of Native Americans who lived in northeastern California, USA....
and Achumawi; and (more recently) Ajumawi, are one of nine bands comprising the Pit River tribe. The name translates to "River People." Sharon Ellmore, cultural information officer for the Pit River Tribe and the cultural representative for the Ahjumawi band gives a different translation: "My late grandmother, Edna Webster, was one of the elders and she used to say that in our language Ahjumawi means 'the river people, or the people who live by the river.'"
Landscape
The park and town of McArthur are in the Fall River Valley basin, a large valley bordered on the east and west by mountains and in the north by a volcanic plateau. A series of springs (1.2 billion gallons per day) discharge into the valley from the northern plateau which sustain the lakes and streams that merge in and around the park.Geologists believe the source of the springs is the Tule Lake and Klamath Lake basins, located 50 miles (80.5 km) north. The water then migrates underground through the porous basalt lava, resurfacing in the valley. The waters are Big Lake, Tule River, Ja-She Creek, Lava Creek, and Fall River. Together they form one of the largest systems of fresh water springs in the country.
Preserved within the park are lava flows broken by great faults and deep cracks, lava tube
Lava tube
Lava tubes are natural conduits through which lava travels beneath the surface of a lava flow, expelled by a volcano during an eruption. They can be actively draining lava from a source, or can be extinct, meaning the lava flow has ceased and the rock has cooled and left a long, cave-like...
s and craters. The freshwater springs flowing from the lava are prominent along the shoreline.
Oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
, pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
and juniper
Juniper
Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...
forests and slopes of rabbit brush and sagebrush
Sagebrush
Sagebrush is a common name of a number of shrubby plant species in the genus Artemisia native to western North America;Or, the sagebrush steppe ecoregion, having one or more kinds of sagebrush, bunchgrasses and others;...
are part of the great variety of vegetation in the area. Abundant wildlife populations are evident all seasons. A great variety of birds including, bald eagle
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
s, osprey
Osprey
The Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and across the wings...
s, and great blue heron
Great Blue Heron
The Great Blue Heron is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North and Central America as well as the West Indies and the Galápagos Islands. It is a rare vagrant to Europe, with records from Spain, the Azores and England...
s nest or travel through the park. Herds of mule deer
Mule Deer
The mule deer is a deer indigenous to western North America. The Mule Deer gets its name from its large mule-like ears. There are believed to be several subspecies, including the black-tailed deer...
forage through much of the park.
Recreation
Boaters, canoeists and hikers can explore the waterways, pools and lava flows. The park is also an excellent site for wildlife viewing, photography, picnics and overnight camping. Hiking trails vary in length from the 1.5 miles (2.4 km) Juniper Trail to the 5 miles (8 km) Lava Springs Trail. These paths show a variety of volcanic activity such as conic depressions, lava tubes and fields, as well as a spatter cone at the northern end of Spatter Cone Loop Trail. Visitors may be inspired by vistas of Mount ShastaMount Shasta
Mount Shasta is located at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California and at is the second highest peak in the Cascades and the fifth highest in California...
, Mount Lassen and other nearby peaks.
Climate
Higher elevations tend to have much cooler temperatures and higher precipitation. Summer weather is usually hot and dry with lower elevation temperatures ranging from 85° - 100°+F and lows from 60° - 70°. Fall days are usually mild and warm, with cool nights. Winter is when most of the precipitation falls, averaging over 55 inches per year, much of it in the form of snow in the high elevations. Highs range from 40° - 60° and lows from 30° - 40° in the lower elevations.Spring weather is variable with many pleasant days.
Elevation at McArthur is 3311 feet (1,009.2 m)
The park is administered from the nearby McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park
McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park
Located approximately 6 miles north of Burney, California, McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park is the second oldest state park in the California State Parks System. The park offers camping, fishing, watersports, hiking and horseback riding facilities. The park is mainly known for the...
.