Sharon Sparlin: LAKE SHASTA HOUSEBOAT EXPERIENCE

My watch displayed the time as 8:47pm but it was still light outside. With wine in hand I managed to climb the steep ladder to the top deck of our houseboat without spilling a drop. There before me was an inviting hot tub. As I lowered myself down into the bubbling hot water I began listening to the sounds of the night and watching osprey hover 30-100 feet above the water line, searching endlessly for fish for their young. As I slowly turned my body in a 360 degree circle, my senses simply absorbed the beautiful wilderness that surrounded me. With no city lights to impede the stars above, one of the best shows was the sporadic twinkling lights reflecting in the water below. Truly nature at it’s best. Sitting there in the hot tub, wine in hand, anchored on a small little island in a secluded cove up the Squaw Creek Arm of Lake Shasta, I almost felt I had to pinch myself. How did I get here?


Our "Odyssey" Houseboat from Jones Valley Marina at Lake Shasta


From top deck


Hanging out at the hot tub


Mooring at our private island


Hot tub


Sunrise on our private island

It was early 2015 while listening to the annual KLDR radio auction that a 7-day “Odyssey” houseboat rental at Lake Shasta was offered. After the announcer mentioned that the houseboat had a water slide, hot tub and would sleep 15, I decided to place a bid. At the end of the 1-hour bidding window I received a phone call advising that I was the winning bidder. My immediate thought was “What have I done?”

Lake Shasta is a reservoir located in Shasta County, California, about 10 miles from Redding, California. Shasta Dam was constructed between 1935 and 1945 and the lake was formed in 1948. The dam stands 602 feet high and is the 8^th tallest dam in the United States. The lake has 365 miles of mostly steep mountainous shoreline covered with tall evergreen trees and manzanita and has a maximum depth of 517 feet.

First came the task of setting menus and a food list. Once that was done I then went about drafting my packing list. I embellished the list that was found on the houseboat rental website and ended up taking way more clothes than needed. Bring plenty of hats, bathing suits, and towels, and leave the cute little matching outfits at home. And that makeup you think is a must - you won’t need that either.


Floating with our little yorkies


Water slide off top deck. Inflatable kayaks come in handy.

Our Yorkies in doggie jail on the top deck.

The weekly cost for the “Odyssey” listed as $5,890 for peak season (June 17-August 11), however, my rental agreement listed $6,427. This is not your total cost however. We had to put down a $700 deposit that was to be credited back if everything was returned in good condition. In addition you will pay for your gas charges. Gas is used to run the engine and also the generator so depending on how long you leave the generator running daily, this will affect your fuel consumption considerably. We used 124.59 gallons at a cost of $4.199 per gallon so that amounted to another $523.16. Add another $400 for food/beverages and this will make your week somewhere between $6,500-$7,500. Certainly an expensive week and I’m not sure I would do it again but as for a family bonding adventure – PRICELESS!

An online map directed us to the Jones Valley Marina, where our “Odyssey” houseboat was moored. Picking up our houseboat was part excitement and part trepidation. Excitement because our houseboat was decked out with a water slide, a wet bar and a hot tub that seated six. Trepidation because it was extremely large and looked very difficult to drive.

Online map to Jones Valley Marina

When you arrive at the Marina you will be met by Bob who will give you a temporary parking pass and then shuttle you down to the office and check-in area. Once you have completed that process you will be greeted by the QUAD SQUAD. Large green buckets pulled by a quad bike take you back up the hill and help load all your equipment. The entire staff at the Marina were cheerful and accommodating and more than willing to assist with both the loading and unloading process. In addition, they assured us that piloting the houseboat would not be difficult. Be sure you have at least two or three adults listen to the pre-launch orientation. It’s a lot of information to absorb so the more brains the better. The orientation included the basics of starting, navigating and anchoring the boat but there were also instructions for operating the radio, generator, barbecue, toilets, hot tub, water slide, etc.

The week seemed to fly by quickly. With sun and water being your entire focus be sure you take plenty of sunscreen. Getting a severe sunburn early on will make the rest of your trip very unpleasant. We didn’t have a power boat at our disposal so our days were spent playing in the water with our floating devices. For myself I limited my water time to no more than an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon.

Other than floating or kayaking in the water, our time was spent watching for wildlife, videos, playing games, craft projects with the young ones, soaking in the hot tub, rock skipping contests and roasting hot dogs over our bonfire at night. We did spot osprey, eagles, lots of fish, deer, turtles and even a couple of snakes. The rest of the time was used to relax, read, sleep or just ‘chill’ and take in the surrounding beauty.