Boaters and swimmers, try to keep Lake Shasta’s floating bathrooms clean on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. That’s because there may not be anyone to clean up after you on those days.
Federal employees announced new public hour cuts at the Shasta-Trinity National Forest’s Shasta Lake District Office on May 30, four days after the Memorial holiday — usually the busiest weekend of the year for parks and recreation sites.
Guests wanting trail directions or to purchase permits at the U.S. Forest Service’s Shasta Lake Ranger Station may be locked out during regular business hours this summer.
The new schedule arrived at the same time Redding temperatures soared into the triple digits, sending residents to play and cool off in Lake Shasta waters.
“We’re shifting schedules” and experimenting which hours work best for the public, Forest Service spokesperson Erika Schaubach said.
Shasta Lake office staff are responsible for maintaining floating bathrooms, answering visitors’ questions, hosting special events, doing outreach and issuing house boating, firewood and other permits. Staff at other offices will try to cover as many of these duties as possible, Schaubach said.
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Meanwhile, guests wanting in-person services in Redding on Tuesday or Wednesday can go to the Forest Service office near Redding Regional Airport at 3644 Avtech Parkway, she said. The McCloud district office is open Friday and Saturday, and other offices operate weekdays out of Weaverville, Hayfork and Mount Shasta. Check the latest hours at fs.usda.gov/r05/shasta-trinity/offices.
Regardless which district office you visit, Schaubach recommends forest and lake visitors call ahead. Hours could change again, and some services may not require in-person visits. If no one answers the phone at one district office, try another, she said.
National parks and forests across the country have been slashing hours and closing facilities following massive funding and staff cuts by President Donald Trump’s administration in February. Federal employees have mostly kept mum about changes, but fired employees and park and forest advocates warned cuts were coming throughout spring.
To help with changes, the Forest Service is moving more of its permitting and other services online, Schaubach reported. Forest Service staff are asking guests to be patient while techies fix dead links and work out other bugs, she said.
Not all national forests had to reduce their hours since cuts began.
So far this year, Lassen National Forest staff managed to keep their four district offices and visitor center on the same schedule they did during the 2024 season, said Lassen’s Public Affairs Officer Amber Marshall.
As of June 3, Lassen’s Visitor Center in Old Station is open to walk-ins from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays. District offices in Susanville (two locations) and Chester are open weekdays, and the Fall River Mills office is open Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with phone service all weekdays.
Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and news stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook. Join Jessica in the Get Out! Nor Cal recreation Facebook group. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: What to expect at Lake Shasta after national forest cuts office hours at station
Reporting by Jessica Skropanic, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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