Upper Soda Springs

The first European or American visitors in the area were likely hunters and trappers, including Hudson's Bay Company hunting and trapping parties headed by Michel Laframboise, coming down from the Pacific Northwest during the 1820s-30s.

As early as the 1830s, a pioneer cattle drive led by Ewing Young, along what was to become known as the Siskiyou Trail from Mexican-controlled California to settlements in Oregon, stopped at Upper Soda Springs.

Packers with mule trains joined the prospectors heading north, following existing Native American foot trails through rugged mountains, including the Sacramento River canyon.

During the next 30 years, the first stagecoach road between the Central Valley and Oregon passed through the site and a more substantial inn was developed, with a covered "springhouse" to allow the public to enjoy the "soda water" from the mineral springs (on the far right in the image above.)

Beginning in the late 1990s, through public and private efforts, riverside parcels of the historic Upper Soda Springs Resort property were acquired and dedicated to park land.

Long a favorite local fishing spot, swimming hole, and a site of both historical and ecological significance, this special place has been improved to enhance its recreational opportunities and esthetics.

Levees have been moved and built up for maximum protection for the Park from river erosion and to restore the watershed to the natural habitat which provides food and shelter for insects, birds, and other wildlife.