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Northern California
Northern California
Discover Shasta Cascade
California’s northeast corner is an outdoor-lover’s paradise, with safe-to-explore volcanoes, hushed forests, and trout-filled rivers. This is the place for blue-ribbon fishing, houseboats anchored in cool lakes, countless campgrounds, and inviting trails for hiking and mountain biking.
"When I first caught sight of it I was weary and 50 miles away and afoot. Yet all my blood turned to wine, and I have not been weary since.” --Author John Muir, upon seeing Mount Shasta in 1874.
All this, plus friendly towns like Chico and Chester, and inviting rural farms in fertile lands near the Upper Sacramento River. Redding, the region’s largest city, makes a good base, with riverfront trails, Turtle Bay Exploration Park, and elegant Sundial Bridge, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.
Credit: Leon C. Salcedo/Getty Images
Shasta Cascade Road Trip
Go off the grid in Northern California for an adventure through mountain towns and alpine lakes
Covering 50,000 square miles, the massive Shasta Cascade region is one of the most...
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Travel Updates
Check out the latest California Updates
Travel Updates: COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) that began in late 2019 has established itself across the...
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Spotlight: Butte County
Discover the many sides of Northern California’s surprising Butte County
Butte County is a land of remarkable contrasts. North of Sacramento, between the Central Valley and Sierra Nevada, it’s a diverse agricultural...
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Siskiyou County
Discover the four-season outdoor adventures in California’s northeast corner
While most people think of the Bay Area as Northern California, Siskiyou County...
Danita Delimont/Alamy
Spotlight: Pacific Crest Trail
How to hike (a part of) the spectacular trail in California
The Pacific Crest Trail extends for a whopping 2,650 miles from Mexico to...
Lake Siskiyou
The perfect destination for an idyllic mountain getaway in Northern California
If summer memories have an address, it’s at Lake Siskiyou in the...
Courtesy of Otter Bar Lodge
Otter Bar Lodge
Master whitewater kayaking at this immersive camp for paddlers of all levels
This off-the-grid wilderness lodge in California’s northwest corner is not your typical kayaking school. The family-owned ...
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Spotlight: Lassen Volcanic National Park
Explore out-of-this-world volcanic features in Northern California’s spectacular hydrothermal wonderland
Steaming sulphur vents, splattering mud pots, boiling springs—these feisty hydrothermal features prove that the earth is not sleeping in this...
Lassen Volcanic National Park is the only place on Earth where all four types of volcano can be seen.
Rachid Dahnoun
Whiskeytown Lake
Paddle, fish, or just relax atop Gold Rush history
Summer isn’t complete without a mountain-lake swim, so drive west from Redding and dip your toes in the warm, crystal-clear waters of...
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California’s Epic Waterfalls
Record precipitation means water is flowing better than ever—go see these waterfalls while they’re still at their peak
Hundreds of waterfalls—from streamlined plunges to boisterous cascades—dot the California landscape, from the...
SPECIAL FEATURE
Find whitewater rafting fun for all—from newbies to nerves-of-steel experts
Think of a river, and chances are you’ve got your own daydream. Maybe you want to float on inner tubes, or maybe your style is to careen through raucous rapids in an eight-person inflatable raft....
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California’s state capital is undergoing an energetic renaissance. Young adults looking for an urban vibe are moving into this low-key city, with microbreweries, gastropubs, and trendy boutiques popping up to serve them. Award-winning chefs are gaining attention for their focus on hyper-local...
Eureka is an inviting North Coast town—the largest coastal city between San Francisco and Portland. Start your visit along the waterfront, where a pretty esplanade provides nice views of the harbor and adjacent Humboldt Bay. Explore the...
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Shasta Lake
Rent a houseboat to explore the state’s largest reservoir
There’s plenty of room to move on this 30,000-acre/12,140-hectare reservoir, the largest in California. A typical summer day finds the crystal...
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Burney Falls
Visit a booming cascade nicknamed the “eighth wonder of the world”
One of the most spectacular waterfalls in the state—if not the continent—this 129-foot-tall, fern-draped cascade seems to come out of nowhere....
Shasta Dam contains enough concrete to build a 3-foot sidewalk around the world at the equator.
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Tehama Trail Farms & Ranches
Visit farms and farm stands along the Sacramento River
Established by local farmers, the Tehama Trail meanders through rural communities, linking together nearly two dozen vineyards, orchards, and...
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Sundial Bridge
Stroll a futuristic bridge across the Sacramento River
A functional work of art, the remarkable bridge, designed by renowned Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, spans the tree-lined, trout-filled...
Going to the mountains is going home.
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Mount Shasta
Experience wildflower meadows, year-round snowfields, and a New-Age-y vibe
Soaring to 14,179 feet/4,322 meters high, this magnificent volcano scrapes the turquoise-blue sky, north of Redding, a totem from almost anywhere...
Courtesy of Sierra Brewing Company
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Pale ale put this trendsetting Chico producer on the map
What began as a cobbled-together home-brewing operation grew up to become Sierra Nevada...
Harriot Manley/ Sunset Publishing
Fly Fishing
Cast a fly in blue-ribbon waters
Between the volcanic summits of Mt. Shasta and Mt. Lassen flow some of California’s most celebrated fly fishing rivers. Blue-ribbon waters lace...
SPECIAL FEATURE
The Golden State lays claim to more than 850 breweries—here’s your guide to some of the most noteworthy
America’s modern craft brewing movement began in California in 1965. A young man named Fritz Maytag was enjoying a pint of Anchor Steam at a local restaurant when the bartender...
Courtesy of Firestone Walker Brewing Company
Redding's Sundial Bridge is the largest sundial in the world.
Peter Alfred Hess/FlickrPlay at Redding’s 300-acre museum, arboretum, sculpture park, and forest camp
Turtle Bay Exploration Park
Play at Redding’s 300-acre museum, arboretum, sculpture park, and forest camp
Turtle Bay Exploration Park is exactly that—a mostly outdoor institution built alongside the shady Sacramento River, with creative...
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Shasta Cascade's Craft Breweries
Hoist a mug to the Californian brewers who redefined the art of ale
Northern California was the wellspring of the craft beer movement, which can be loosely traced from...
SPECIAL FEATURE
Annual festivals liven up this quiet corner of California
The Shasta Cascade region is a year-round playground for outdoor enthusiasts and local events celebrate its natural bounty, from crawdads...
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The largest three-day rodeo in the U.S. is held on the Tehama County Fairgrounds in Red Bluff
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Oroville
Spend time in this historic Butte County town and discover its nearby destinations for outdoor recreation
SPECIAL FEATURE
Kids get an inside look at wildlife, space, and more
From cool ways for your kids to learn about wildlife, to an insider’s look at a space station, to a chance to walk through a rain forest or learn about the night sky, there’s a bumper...
Peter Alfred Hess/Flickr
Cyril Fluck/Flickr
Lava Beds National Monument
Descend into eerie and historic lava tube caves
A surreal landscape sculpted by molten earth, Lava Beds National Monument...
SPECIAL FEATURE
Lava, geysers & naturally heated hot springs
From the snow-capped heights of Mount Shasta in California’s far north to Amboy Crater in the Mojave Desert, signs of California’s volcanic past—and present—dot the landscape. Explore these...
Grant Montgomery/Flickr
Lava Beds National Monument was a training ground for astronauts heading to the moon.
California
The thwack of a golf club, the hum of the wind buffeting towering sand dunes, the splash of a dive into a perfect pool—the desert region is a sensory feast....
California
Snow-covered peaks in winter, gushing waterfalls in spring, wildflower meadows and glistening lakes in summer, vibrant colors in fall—this is a land of dramatic and wild...
Spotlight: Big Sur
Welcome to Big Sur’s version of the Golden Gate—a must-see road trip spot for...