Land’ while working
here. At the visitor center
you can arrange for a
fascinating free guided
tour of the structure’s
rumbling interior.4 p139
The Drive » Retrace your
path back to I-5 and head south
10 minutes to Redding.3 Redding
Redding’s sprawl – malls,
big-box stores and large
housing developments- might be discordant
with the north’s natural
wonders, but it’s the
launching point for the
Trinity Scenic Byway,
which starts west of town.
Still, it’s worth a stop for
the Turtle Bay Exploration
Park (www.turtlebay.org; 840
Auditorium Dr; adult/child 4-12
$14/10; (^) h9am-5pm May-Sep,
shorter in winter; (^) c). Situated
on 300 acres, the complex
of art and natural-science
museums has interactive
exhibits for kids, extensive
gardens, a butterfly house
and a 22,000-gallon, walk-
through river aquarium
with regional aquatic
life. Don’t leave without
a photo of the starkly
futuristic Sundial Bridge
that connects the Park
to the north bank of the
Sacramento River and was
designed by renowned
Spanish architect Santiago
Calatrava.
5 p139
The Drive » The banner
stretch of the trip starts here:
the Trinity Scenic Byway (Hwy
299) starts west of Redding and
traces a winding path through
the mountains to the Pacific
Coast. Forests, mountain lakes,
crumbling cabins and rushing
rivers accompany the drive.
4 Whiskeytown
National
Recreation Area
An old mining town
lent the rich name to
Whiskeytown Lake, a
lovely, multiuse reservoir
that was dedicated by
John F Kennedy less
than two months before
his assassination. Today
folks descend on the
lake’s serene 36 miles
of forested shoreline
to0. The visitors center
(%530-246-1225; h9am-
6pm May-Sep, 10am-4pm
Oct-Apr), on the northeast
point of the lake, just
off Hwy 299, provides
information, free maps
and leads guided walks.
The hike from the
visitors center to roaring
Whiskeytown Falls (3.4
miles round trip) follows
a former logging road
and is a quick trip. On
the western side of the
lake, the Tower House
Historic District contains
the El Dorado mine ruins
and the pioneer Camden
House, open for summer
tours. In winter, when
the trees are bare, it’s an
atmospheric, quiet place
to explore.
TRIP HIGHLIGHT
Start: 1 Mt Shasta
Built by Central Pacific Railroad, Dunsmuir (population 1650) was originally
named Pusher, for the auxiliary ‘pusher’ engines that muscled the heavy steam
engines up the steep mountain grade. The town’s reputation is still inseparable
from the trains, making the stop essential for rail buffs. You can also stop there to
quench your thirst; it could easily be – as locals claim – ‘the best water on earth.’
Maybe that water is what makes the beer at Dunsmuir Brewery Works (www.
dunsmuirbreweryworks.info; 5701 Dunsmuir Ave; mains $11-20; h11am-9pm Tue-Sun; W) so
damn good. The crisp ales and chocolate porter are perfectly balanced. The IPA is
apparently pretty good too, because patrons are always drinking it dry. Go south
from Mt Shasta on I-5 for 9 miles and take exit 730 for central Dunsmuir.
DUNSMUIR
DETOUR:
NORTHERN.CALIFORNIA
11
(^) TRINITY SCENIC BYWAY