A great way to learn about the history and wildlife of the Whiskeytown area is through the unique offer of a free, guided kayak tour with a Ranger Station volunteer. The two-and-a-half hour tour will take you all around the magnificent coves and secluded shoreline of this distinctive lake environment. For an even more memorable experience, try the moonlight tour. Tours are … [Read more...]
#46 – Shasta State Historic Park
Shasta City, once the “Queen City of the Northern Mines” during the Gold Rush, was a thriving, cosmopolitan community and one of the largest and wealthiest cities in Northern California. Up to 2,000 mules a day hauled in goods from San Francisco and Sacramento for distribution to the gold mine camps. In 1872 the railroad came through and built its terminus in Redding instead of … [Read more...]
#31 – NorCal Trail Rides
Take on the great outdoors in a way only an experienced wrangler can show you — by horseback. NorCal Trail Rides offers safe, comfortable trail rides for all ages along the scenic Sacramento River, with ample wildlife viewing opportunities. They have a morning and an afternoon ride every day of the week, year-round (call for times), and supply everything you need for a relaxed … [Read more...]
#32 – Coleman National Fish Hatchery
Everyone knows there’s great salmon fishing in Northern California. One of the primary reasons is the Coleman National Fish Hatchery on the Battle Creek tributary of the Sacramento River. This enormous hatchery is the largest in the continental United States, and rears more than 13 million fish every year, primarily Chinook salmon and steelhead. The hatchery is open for … [Read more...]
#63 – Shasta Dam
three Shastas: Shasta Dam, Shasta Lake and Mt. Shasta. Completed in 1945 as the chief feature of Central Valley Project to provide irrigation to farmers and flood control in the valley, the dam is 602 feet high and 3,460 feet long. Its 6.5 million cubic yards of concrete is enough to build a sidewalk around the equator, 3 feet wide and 5 inches thick. Free tours lasting about … [Read more...]