Shasta Lake News

Shasta Lake, California, USA Tourism and recreation information Boat Safe and Sober

Houseboat Info

Shasta Lake Tourism News

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(Posted on July 29, 2009)

You can currently cross Shasta Dam without a permit.
(subject to change)

The Shasta-Chappie OHV area has been reopened; you will be allowed to drive across Shasta Dam for access to the area by first producing a valid drivers license and subjecting your vehicle, any trailer(s), their contents, and all vehicle occupants, to a security inspection.

Read the full USBR news release - April 10, 2009

Check this website for latest info Shasta Dam website (USBR)

USBR - Shasta Dam Visitor Center (530) 275-4463

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(Posted on April 8, 2009)

(BLM news release - April 3, 2009) BLM to Open Copley Mountain Access at Chappie-Shasta OHV Area

Chappie-Shasta Off-Highway Vehicle Area (website)

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(Posted on March 27, 2009)


Here's that laundromat with wi-fi that I mentioned in my previous post. I've also listed a few more wi-fi locations for 2009...

Handi-Wash (laundromat)
4765 Shasta Dam Blvd.
Shasta Lake, California 96019
(530) 605-0308
Google map


Trail In RV Campground
19765 Gregory Creek Rd.
Lakehead, California 96051
(530) 238-8533 Map #26
Google map


Fawndale Oaks RV Park and Campground
15015 Fawndale Road
Redding, California 96003
(530) 275-0764 or 1-888-838-2159 Map #57
Google map

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(Posted on March 23, 2009)


Here are a couple of new places with Wi-Fi for 2009...


Lakehead Lodge (Free AT&T Wi-Fi for guests)
21417 Main St.
Lakehead, California 96051
(530) 238-9688
Google Map


Shasta Dam Motel (Free Wi-Fi for guests)
1529 Cascade Blvd.
Shasta Lake, California
(530) 275-1065
Google map


The laundromat on Shasta Dam Blvd. in the City of Shasta Lake also added Wi-Fi recently. I'll get more info soon but here's the basic location. Google map

More Wi-Fi around Shasta Lake and Redding (California)

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(Posted on March 17, 2009)


Below is a press release received from houseboats.com


For Immediate Release:

March 16, 2009

Business is Rising, then Moving, at the Marina at Jones Valley Resort

The operations crew at Houseboats.com announced Friday that it has completed the delicate task of repositioning its 2,000-foot long, 70-slip floating-concrete Marina at Jones Valley Resort on Lake Shasta. Moving a marina of this size takes a dozen boats and a crew of seventeen people, said Rich Howe, General Manager and long-time resident of the Redding area.

Steady spring rains in late February and early March quickly raised the lake level by a much-needed 67 feet. The surface rose more than six feet per day during the storm as 80,000 cubic feet of water per second poured into the lake from the enormous catch basin of the gigantic reservoir. Lake Shasta draws its water from Mt. Shasta and areas south of the Oregon border.

As the storm continued, we were approaching a record for the depth of water under the marina, said Howe. The anchor chains were played out as far as we like them to get. We timed the move for a day when the winds were quiet. You dont pull up the anchors on a marina this size when there is wind on the lake. The marina was pushed and pulled by houseboats and workboats at a speed of one quarter-mile per hour.

Crews at the anchor points worked constantly to keep the underwater anchoring gear organized and clear as the marina moved to its new location. Once in place, the tail of the marina was anchored first, then a dead man anchor point was taken from the shore at the opposite end. The marina, more than a third of a mile long, was held in tension by the work boats as the side anchors were placed one-by-one.

The Marina at Jones Valley Resort has specially designed infrastructure to provide access to the marina from three fixed ramps. The home port site is next to its administrative headquarters in Jones Valley, and two other ramps at predetermined sites further away are used as the water drops during the dry season. Because of the long dry spell last year, the marina had been located at the mouth of the Pit River, the farthest location, 2.2 miles away. On Friday it was moved to its home port location at Jones Valley Resort near the marina administration office.

Over the years we have learned how to configure our infrastructure to accommodate the changes in the lake and still provide first class service to our boaters, said Mike Han, Chief Operations Officer of Houseboats.com. The fuel, electricity, water, restrooms, pump outs and marina store are independent of the shoreand waterborne. In the past, when utilities, services and the marina store were on shore, boaters would have to walk long distances going from the boat to the parking lot or the store when the lake water levels were low.

Creating a waterborne marina takes some impressive facilities. We have 10,000 gallons of fuel floating on our fuel dock, said Han, we use generators for electricity, and we can pump up to 6,000 gallons of waste water back to shore each day. The marina also provides Direct TV and Wi-Fi. Our Wi-Fi transmitter reaches across the 2.2 mile distance from our admin facility to the Ramp #3 area with no problem, said Howe.

Houseboats have achieved popularity in many parts of the country, but Lake Shasta is considered the houseboating capital of the world. Houseboats have totally changed over the years, said Yvonne Cantrell, Vice President of Houseboats.com. Many years ago they were seen as camping on water. No more. These houseboats are equipped like a luxury home. Cantrell described their flagship houseboat, the Titan. It sleeps 22 people in private staterooms on three decks. It has eight flat screen HDTVs, five refrigerators, a hot tub, a fireplace, a spiral staircase and a water slide for the kids. From the boat the family can fish, hike, water ski or just enjoy the quiet beauty of the lake then everyone can sit down for dinner together. Its a vacation experience like nothing else.

The houseboats.com family of marinas has luxury houseboat rental locations on Shasta Lake (Jones Valley and Sugarloaf Resorts), New Melones Lake, and Lake McClure Marinas. Boats range in size from a 56 model that sleeps fifteen to a 65 luxury houseboat that sleeps 22. In 2009, houseboats.com passed a milestone of twenty years in the houseboat rental industry.

To learn more about houseboating opportunities available in Northern California, visit www.houseboats.com or call 877-HOUSEBOAT (468-7326).

For more information, contact:

Yvonne Cantrell
Water Resorts Inc.
www.houseboats.com
209-333-8500

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