Redding doesn’t get talked about much as a travel destination. That’s because what makes Redding worth a trip is everything else that surrounds Redding.
The northeastern California city is an ideal home base for exploring Shasta Cascade, an area filled with natural wonders. Trek a mile from downtown Redding and you can be kayaking on the Sacramento River. Drive 15 minutes west and you’re swimming or water-skiing in Whiskeytown Lake. From there, head slightly south and you’re hiking or mountain biking toward a cascading waterfall in Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. Or drive east and you’re walking next to geothermal springs and mud pots at Lassen Volcanic National Park.
With 225 miles of trails within just a 15-mile radius of its downtown, Redding has been called the “trails capital of California,” so it makes sense that it is the headquarters of American Trails, an organization that ensures trails and greenways around the country are well-maintained and accessible.
Once the home of the Wintu people, the city got its name from Benjamin B. Redding, a Sacramento politician who bought property in the area on behalf of the Central Pacific Railroad in 1868. This happened during the Gold Rush, but Redding didn’t have any gold. Because of that, the area was originally called Poverty Flats, but a railroad station was built here and led to the development of the town. Redding’s growth was later spurred by the copper and iron mining industry, the construction of the Shasta dam and the lumber industry.
The temperature in Redding can rise above 100 degrees in the summer (being the sunniest city in California has its downside — Redding is sunny 88% of the year), but thankfully it’s not just about the hiking and biking trails here. With Whiskeytown Lake, Lake Shasta, the Sacramento River, not to mention the various waterfalls and creeks, there are many ways to get on and in the water to cool down.
One weekend isn’t enough here: You can spend a day paddling around the lakes, another day chasing waterfalls, and another biking along the river and you still would barely scratch the surface of what the area has to offer.