Adventure Always
Five Things To Do In Shasta County…
With 3,800 square miles of territory, Shasta County is one very large outdoor adventure playground. With a population density of about 46 people per square mile, the chances of running into crowds on your adventure outings are slim, especially once you wander off the beaten path.
Locals tend to take it all for granted, but we are reminded when friends and family come to visit and we take them on a tour of the sites, just how amazing our backyard really is. If you are visiting Shasta County and don’t have zealous family members to take you around, here are some of the top experiences for you to explore.
1: Lassen Peak… Visible from 100 miles away, Lassen Peak is “the other” mountain that crowns Northern California, along with Mt. Shasta. Even though the peak is at a respectable 10,400 feet, a great hiking trail makes it possible for (almost) anyone to conquer. Allow yourself three to five hours to get up and back from the trailhead parking lot. The views are spectacular and the experience is top-notch.
2: Burney Falls… a scenic and twisty one-hour drive out of Redding later, and you are in another world called McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, with Burney Falls as the main attraction. This awe-inspiring spectacle of rushing water from 129 feet above is a must-see. Allow for this experience to take up the entire day, as you will want plenty of time to stroll through the beautiful forest trails.
3: Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area… is where locals go to cool down in the heat of summer. The entire recreation area encompasses just over 200,000 acres, sharing some with neighboring Trinity County, and it features numerous trails, wildlife and one of our favorite watering holes, Whiskeytown Lake. Located just 15 minutes out of Redding, Whiskeytown is the perfect getaway for an hour or two – or all day.
4: Lake Shasta… a 30,000-acre manmade reservoir, is a favorite vacation spot even for locals, even though it’s only 20 minutes from Redding. Use it to swim, waterski, camp and float around on the world-famous houseboats. Spending a couple days lounging around on Lake Shasta will rejuvenate your soul.
5: Sacramento River Trail… is a wildly popular recreation spot, with some people visiting it almost daily. At just over 12 miles from end to end, it’s the perfect trail for walking, running or biking, and with many enter and exit points, you can make it as long or as short as you want. The trail takes you along the shore of the Sacramento River and past beautiful scenery, including the Sundial Bridge. The entrance at the top on Hilltop Drive is a great place to start if you’d like a bit of an ascent and descent, with the entrance at Sundial Bridge being the perfect spot to enter if you’d like to keep it more even keeled. You can spend 15 minutes on the trail, or the entire day. It’s up to you.
