California's Best Trips 2 - Full PDF eBook

(Dana P.) #1
The Drive » Leaving
Whiskeytown Lake, Hwy 299
enters more remote country –
say goodbye to that cell service.
About 10 miles west of the lake
the road is steep with white-
knuckled turns and excellent
lake vistas. Cut north on Trinity
Dam Blvd.

5 Lewiston
Blink and you might
miss Lewiston (www.
lewistonca.com), a
collection of buildings
beside a rushing stretch
of the Trinity River
known for fishing. If
you’re passing through
town, stop at the
Country Peddler (4
Deadwood Rd), a drafty old
barn filled with antiques
that seem as if they
have been plucked from
some long-lost uncle’s
hunting cabin. The
owners, avid outdoor
enthusiasts, know the
area like the backs of
their hands. Lewiston
Lake is about 1.5 miles
north of town and is a

serene alternative to the
other area lakes. Early
in the evening you may
see ospreys and bald
eagles diving for fish.
Still, the best natural
sights are deeper afield


  • particularly the Trinity
    Alps Wilderness, west of
    Hwy 3. Look no further
    for rugged adventure:
    it hosts excellent hiking
    and backcountry
    camping, and 600 miles
    of trails that cross
    granite peaks and skirt
    deep alpine lakes.


4 p139


The Drive » Take Lewiston
Lake Rd back south for about
15 minutes and you’ll enter
Weaverville, the final village of
the trip.

6 Weaverville
Of all California’s historic
parks, the walls of
the Joss House State
Historic Park (cnr Hwy
299 & Oregon St; admission

$3; h10am-5pm Sat
winter, Wed-Sun rest of yr)
actually talk – they’re
papered inside with
150-year-old donation
ledgers from the
once-thriving Chinese
community, a testament
to the rich culture of
immigrants who built
Northern California’s
infrastructure and all
but disappeared. The
rich blue-and-gold
Taoist shrine contains
an ornate 3000-year-old
altar, which was brought
here from China. Sadly,
state budget issues have
made the future of this
park uncertain, but it
still makes a surprising
gem within this far-flung
mountain community.

54 p139


The Drive » Gas up and get
ready for awe-inspiring views
of the granite mountains, the
Wild-and-Scenic-designated
Trinity and sun-dappled forest
are in every direction. There are

TRIP HIGHLIGHT

Redding Sundial Bridge

JERRY MOORMAN / ISTOCKPHOTO ©

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