Win a Customized Trip to this Majestic Region
for Once-In-A-Lifetime Adventures
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Cycling in Redding and Shasta Cascade.
December 3, 2014 – Redding, CA — As America’s baby boomers enter their retirement years, many focus their attention on attacking what has become known as the “bucket list.” This generation is wealthier, healthier, and more adventurous than ever, and looking for interesting ways to overcome fears, realize dreams, and experience simple pleasures. From exploring an alpine forest or qualifying for the Boston Marathon, to riding a dog sled or catching a glimpse of wild horses, Redding and Shasta Cascade offer bucket list boomers a chance to check a few off the list, while also enjoying other adventures in this majestic region.
Travelers are in for fun and adventure when they explore the area 2 hours north of Sacramento and 3 hours northeast of San Francisco. Located at the northern end of the Sacramento Valley, Redding is the hub city in this incredibly vast region, and offers great dining, events, lodging, and entertainment. Found at the crossroads of Interstate 5 and California State Routes 299 and 44, straddling the great Sacramento River, Redding is a fantastic base camp for exploration in Shasta Cascade.
Win a $2000 Getaway
Abundantly scattered with lakes, rivers, mountains and historic mining towns, and boasting 300+ days of beautiful weather a year,Redding and Shasta Cascade offer visitors a wide variety of memorable experiences. In fact, anyone can enter to win a $2000 Getaway Giveaway to Redding through December 6, 2014, and create his or her own customized adventure. It’s simple: go to Visit Redding’s special Facebook page designed just for the contest, fill out a simple form and cross your fingers!
15 Redding and Shasta Cascade Bucket List Contenders:
1) Qualifying for the Boston Marathon
If the Boston Marathon is on your bucket list, then the annual Facebook page should be, too. One of two marathons in the Shasta Cascade to join a handful across the country designated as Boston qualifier races, runners from all over the world gather every January for this “26.2 with a view”! Check out the race’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/The-Redding-Marathon.
2) Hiking and Biking in the Trail Capital of California
Redding is known as the Trail Capital of California, with over 225 miles of dog-friendly hiking, biking, ATV, and equestrian trails, including the Sacramento River National Recreation Trail. The Redding area is also home to the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, the Lassen Peak Trail, the Bumpass Hell Trail, the Clikapudi Trail at Shasta Lake, and the Mule Mountain Trail, which connects the Redding trail system to Whiskeytown National Recreation Area.
Some points of interest along the trails are the Shasta Dam, the Stress Ribbon Pedestrian Bridge, and Chamise Peak, which offers 360 degree views of all things Shasta (dam, lake, mountain, and city), including the upper Sacramento River Valley.
The area surrounding Whiskeytown National Recreation Area offers abundant unpaved trails that are very popular with single-track bicyclists. In the Swasey Recreation Area, the Mule Mountain Pass Trail is a favorite among mountain bikers for the variety of terrain, and the Wintu Loop includes a picnic area with fantastic views of Lassen Peak and Mount Shasta.
The pristine trails and glacier-polished peaks of Castle Crags State Park are ideal for day hikes, or you could take a drive along the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway that links Lassen Volcanic National Park to Oregon’s Crater Lake – a moonscape of volcanic terrain that features unique geological formations.
3) Learn to Skate: Winter Rink Downtown
Just in time for Christmas, Redding is opening a winter rink downtown! It’s perfect for boomers hoping to relive their childhood ice skating memories. Presented by Viva Downtown and Redding Recreation, the Winter Rink Downtown is a unique, environmentally sound, non-refrigerated skating arena offering family fun for ages 5 to 105 over the holiday season, December 20 – January 5.
4) Dog Sledding: The Siskiyou 220, an Iditarod Qualifier
credits: Marty Sternberg
If you’ve ever dreamed of dog sledding, put away that Alaska guidebook because you can find it here in the Golden State. The Siskiyou 220 is the first event in California to qualify racers for Alaska’s famous annual Iditarod. For more info on the Siskiyou 220, go to www.siskiyousleddograces.com.
5) Become a Cowboy for a Day: Enter the Redding Rodeo
Every year, theRedding Rodeo grounds are filled with exciting equine activities for an entire week. Boomers can put on their cowboy hats and chaps to participate in one of the main events… or just watch the excitement from the safety of the sidelines.
6) Sail in a Regatta: Whiskeytown Memorial Regatta
A fleet of 50 boats set sail on Whiskeytown Lake every Memorial Day weekend for the annual Whiskeytown Memorial Regatta. The series of races, celebrating its 51st year in 2015, is free to spectators at Brandy Creek Beach, except for the day-use fee at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. For more information, call (530) 539-4471 or visit www.WhiskeytownSailing.org
7) Try Paddle Boarding: California Paddle: SUP Races for All Ages
The popular California Paddle competition at the majestic Brandy Creek Beach and Whiskeytown Lake is proof that Redding has become a major player for paddle sports of all kinds. The most prominent features of the race include the beautiful sapphire-blue waters, surrounded by grand mountain peaks. Paddlers are invited to warm up by doing yoga on their paddleboard.
8) Discover the Art of Fly Fishing
Redding is the only west coast city on Forbes Magazine’s list of North America’s Top Ten Fly-Fishing Towns. The Lower Sacramento River has been recognized as having some of the “most powerful rainbows (trout) in the world,” the McCloud River for its “leaping rainbows,” and Hat Creek and Fall River near Redding for “big and demanding trout.” The Sacramento River flows through the center of Redding and is well known for huge trout, which can be caught just minutes from downtown. This section of river has been rated by anglers as the third-best tail water fishery in America. Fishing anyone?
9) Climb America’s Alps
Yes, there are Alps in the USA – in California to be exact. The Trinity Alps, 20 miles north of Weaverville in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, are considered America’s Alps. Part of the Klamath Mountain Range, these alpine peaks surround the clear blue Trinity Lake, reminiscent of Switzerland’s Lake Geneva. Created in 1961 by the damming of the Trinity River, Trinity Lake is a popular destination for boating; fishing for smallmouth bass, Kokanee salmon, and catfish; or swimming, hiking, and wildlife viewing. The 517,000-acre Trinity Alps Wilderness is the second largest designated wilderness in California, so name your alpine adventure!
10) Uncovering the Caverns in Shasta Cascade
Go underground and back millions of years in time at Lake Shasta Caverns, included in the National Park Service’s National Natural Landmark (NNL) program recognizing and encouraging the conservation of outstanding biological and geological resources. Ride across the beautiful blue waters of Shasta Lake on a 65-foot catamaran, cross the McCloud arm of Shasta Lake, and explore the east shore caverns. The underground world of the caverns is filled with breathtaking crystal formations 250 million years in the making.
11) Visit the Vortex
Is Shasta Cascade the new Sedona? If sacred site treks, guided vision quests, and backcountry Shamanic hypnotherapy sessions are calling your name, then consider a pilgrimage to the unparalleled city of Mt. Shasta. Time your visit to the beautiful lenticular cloud formations that halo the sacred mountain, seek a guru, commune with a Lemurian, or just align your chakras. There are even Shasta Vortex Adventure Tours to ensure you get the best experience possible.
12) Explore California’s Yellowstone
Shasta Cascade’s Lassen Volcanic National Park, home to Lassen Peak, is the world’s largest plug dome volcano. All four types of the world’s volcanoes can be seen in this region: plug dome (lava dome), shield, cinder cone, and composite (stratovolcanoes). Lassen Peak is an active volcano, having erupted more than once between 1914 and 1921, and this national park’s 106,000 acres contain all sorts of colorful and dramatic volcanic activity: steam vents, fumaroles, bubbling mud, geysers, and painted dunes. Explore the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center, the first structure in a national park to earn a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) platinum rating for its innovations in environmental design. Inside, interactive exhibits take visitors into the “Vulcan’s Eye,” immersing them in the science, history, and drama of Lassen Volcanic National Park.
13) Cycle America’s Newest National Recreation Trail
The paved Sacramento River National Recreation Trail, winding 17.4 miles from Turtle Bay Exploration Park to Shasta Dam, is an easy and entertaining cycling route for Redding visitors who like to explore by bike. A half-day bike ride wanders over the iconic Sundial Bridge, the 1914 Diestelhorst Bridge, and the Ribbon Bridge: the first concrete stress ribbon bridge in the United States. The trail also follows an old railroad line, passing through a railroad tunnel built in the 1800s. The scenery of pink oleander and riparian oak woodland inhabiting the banks of the clear waters of the Sacramento River is calming and inviting. Free tours are given daily at Shasta Dam, where visitors can enjoy the deep blue lake with the snowy Mt. Shasta backdrop.
14) Crossing the Sacramento River via the Sundial Bridge
Sundial Bridge is one of the world’s most beautiful bridges, and beckons pedestrians from around the globe to its glowing glass deck. It crosses the Sacramento River through the middle of Turtle Bay Exploration Park, a complex of art, history, and environmental museums, discovery centers, and gardens. Designed by world-renowned architect, Santiago Calatrava, the bridge is an artistic and engineering marvel. At 217 feet/66 meters tall, the pylon of this cable-stayed suspension bridge functions as the gnomon in the world’s largest working sundial.
15) Witness Wild Horses
The Wild Horse Sanctuary is located on 5,000 acres of lush, lava rock-strewn mountain meadows and forestland; Black Butte is to the west and towering Mt. Lassen is to the east. The mission of the sanctuary is to protect and preserve America’s wild horses as a “living national treasure” in a publicly accessible and ecologically balanced environment. Boomers can participate in the pack trips, learn about these majestic animals in the many public education programs, and witness the wild horses as they roam their natural environment.
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About Shasta Cascade
Covering an area roughly the size of Ireland, the Shasta Cascade region is the perfect place to get back to nature, relax and enjoy the great outdoors. Comprised of eight rural counties historically known for being part of the pioneer gold rush in the mid-1800s, this majestic region of northern California is abundantly scattered with lakes, rivers, mountains and historic mining towns, and includes Lassen Volcanic National Park, two National Monuments, six National Forests and seven California State Parks offering unforgettable fun and adventure. Boasting 300+ days of beautiful weather a year, this area offers boundless outdoor recreation with magnificent landscapes and breathtaking vistas. From towering volcanoes, alpine ranges, and glaciers, to waterfalls, lush forests, pristine lakes, and roaring rivers, this travel destination is one of a kind.Shasta Cascade is easy to get to by auto, air or Amtrak, and offers an off-the-beaten-path experience where people discover the abundance of nature in one of the few unspoiled areas remaining in California. For more information or to request a visitor’s guide visit www.shastacascade.com, like our Facebook page www.facebook.com/ShastaCascade, or find us on twitter www.twitter.com/ShastaCascade.
About Redding, CA
Situated at the northern end of the Sacramento River Valley, Redding is the hub city in Shasta Cascade and is located just two hours north of Sacramento and three hours northeast of San Francisco. An incredibly historic and vast rural region, Redding offers a plethora of outdoor adventure and attractions all year long, along with great wine, food, sporting and cultural events, dining, lodging and entertainment. Found nearby several scenic lakes, rivers, state and national parks, including Shasta Lake, Whiskeytown Recreation Area and Lassen Volcanic National Park, Redding is a fantastic base-camp for exploration in Shasta Cascade, offering Any Adventure, Any Day. Voted in 2014 as the “Unofficial capital of Kayaking” by Time Magazine, Redding is located at the crossroads of I-5 and California state routes 299 and 44, with the great Sacramento River running through the center of town. For more information or to order a visitor’s guide visit www.visitredding.com, like our Facebook page www.facebook.com/VisitReddingCA or find us on twitter at www.twitter.com/visitreddingca. For up to date happenings follow our blog at www.visitredding.com/blog.