California Roads - Old US 99 - In Shasta Lake

Former US 99 in Shasta Lake



Normally, Shore Drive turns into a boat ramp into Shasta Lake. Abnormally, old US 99 continues down to the dry lakebed. I timed my 2014 visit with an abnormal drought to bring you this page.


Most boat ramps don't have white centerlines from 73 years ago (the lake was formed in 1941) or attachments for bridge railings.


The receding water stranded many a buoy and revealed many a sunken concrete block.


Looking at either side of what I believe was the Pollock Bridge, then back up and through the cut to the perennial part of the road.


You know the rest of this page is good when it starts with a high truss. This is the rail bridge over Salt Creek, what's now another arm of Shasta Lake. When it's dry enough, you can come down Salt Creek Lodge Road and get this view without floating your car into the lake.


Here are some views from the west side of the bridge, proving that the lake was abnormally dry enough for me to get right into the middle of it.


In faaaaaact, here is the old US 99 Salt Creek Bridge, normally many feet below water (you can see the level on the railroad piers), but now drivable onto an old dirt alignment.


Past the end of pavement, featuring a white long-dashed centerline, and continuing into the lakebed to a an old concrete bridge abutment half-buried under sediment that has washed into the missing bridge. The left side of the penultimate photo includes a dock that has floated down with the water level to the dry shore of Salt Creek.


Turned back around, toward and over the Salt Creek Bridge under the Salt Creek bridge, until I get back up to the Lower Salt Creek Road junction.


The beauty's in the details of the two bridges.

Continue south on old US 99 out of Shasta Lake
Continue north on old US 99 out of Shasta Lake


Non-Roads in Shasta Lake
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