Being that I’m from California, I’ve driven through Redding, California many times & seen the incredible Mt. Shasta from afar, but I had never spent any time in the area. Covid presented us all with an opportunity to explore places closer to home, so off we went. We packed the car & set off on our first short road trip into Northern California’s Mt. Shasta area. Four hours later, we found ourselves in Redding. My previous trips through the city never left me with much interest to explore further. Turns out, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Just outside the small town lies the stunning Shasta Forest. The area offers hiking, camping, boating & fishing. You can explore caves, hike beautiful trails, or simply practice your photography skills. There are so many options, you’ll end up wishing you had more time. As most of the activities are outside, we found most everything to be open with additional precautions in place.

MT. SHASTA

Standing at an elevation of 14,179 feet in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest you’ll find the potentially active volcano Mt. Shasta. The Siskiyou Trail sits at the base of Mt. Shasta. In the old days, the mountain served as an important landmark for the trade & travel route of Native American footpaths between California’s Central Valley & the Pacific Northwest. Today, it is just as grand. You can still see the mountain from miles away. Grab your permit, choose a trail & head up toward the top of the mountain. I’m a day hiker & chose Horse Camp Trail. It was a great, solid hike up to the historic Shasta Alpine Lodge. The views are gorgeous! Horse Camp Trail is about 3.5 miles roundtrip. If you’re up for more adventure, rest up & plan your way to the summit. No matter your experience level, whether it be hiking or photography, you can’t go wrong with the landscape of Mt. Shasta.

LAKE SHASTA CAVERNS

If you’ve ever driven past Redding, you’ve probably seen the billboards advertising the Shasta Caves. I know I’ve seen them a bunch of times & every time I say the same thing: “One day we have to go see the caves.” After years of talking about it, we finally took the time to visit. We’re told you should book the tickets way ahead of time, especially during the summer. Covid brings us another positive as we bought the tickets online hours before our chosen time & the usual long lines were nowhere to be found. We walked right in, waited for our boat with 7 other people & hopped on. I expected a 10 min. boat ride, but it was a good three mins. Not kidding. It was beautiful & I was hoping for a few more minutes to enjoy the moment & take all the beauty in, but no. It was a quick three. We walked up a steep, but short, hill & boarded a bus. Next, there was a quick & lovely ride uphill where we passed a couple of deer along with an incredible view of down below. It was a hot day, so walking into the cool air of the caves was a welcome change. The guide said the caves stay about 73 degrees. Inside, stalagmites, stalactites & helictites all around. If you’re like me, you’ll definitely want to take photos of the natural formations that surround you.

LOCAL EATERIES

After hours of exploring, you’re gonna be pretty hungry. We found a couple of great local spots we highly recommend you visit during your stay in Redding. If you’re craving pizza, we suggest going to Mary’s Pizza Shack. The pizza’s great & the people are super friendly. If you’re craving sweets, definitely find Cookies & Yogurt. You won’t be disappointed. Their frozen yogurt really hits the spot & their cookies are so good! I fell in love with their Coconut Crispy Cookies. I seriously couldn’t get enough. I’m still getting text messages from them & dream about the day I get a chance to go back.

HEDGE CREEK FALLS

If you have the time, locate Hedge Creek Falls. There’s a small parking lot right off the main road a bit outside the Shasta area. A short walk down the path leads you to a small, yet beautiful waterfall. You can venture further down the path & see more, or stop at the waterfall to play or take some photos. It’s a nice break from driving & you get the feeling of wandering thru nature in a short 8-10 mins. It’s a beautiful spot & super easy to find.

LAKE SISKIYOU CAMP RESORT

I have to say, this spot surprised me. Head over to Lake Siskiyou Camp Resort & you’ll find a small stretch of beach hiding behind the campground. For $2 a person, you can park for the day & hang out on the beach at Lake Siskiyou where you can play in the water & rent paddle boats. In the background sits the incredible Mt. Shasta. Be sure to take your camera because you’ll want to take pictures as the view is remarkable. This spot is a hidden gem & worth the visit for the view if nothing else.

HOTELS

You’ve been wandering all day & taking in the beauty of nature’s picturesque gifts, but now you need a place to retire for the night. We found many affordable hotels in the area. We chose to stay at The Hilton Garden Inn in Redding. The restaurant & bar were open, so that was a huge plus. Protective measures included taking our temperature each time we walked through the front door & housekeeping only upon request. It was obvious great care was taken to ensure the common areas were sanitized regularly. The rooms appeared both sanitized & very clean. Overall, we had a feeling the staff was doing all they could to provide us a comfortable yet safe environment. The customer service throughout our stay was great on every level.

Life is a journey & it throws us curveballs. Covid is a curveball. We can’t control Covid, but we can control our reaction to it. We can adapt. We can be safe. We can make good choices for ourselves & our families. We can live.

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