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Redding (population 67,000) is located in the heart of northern California along the 5 Freeway.

REDDING, CA

Dave
2004-02-21 17:50:00

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Redding (population 67,000) is located in the heart of northern California along the 5 Freeway. Highway 299 passes through town as well as Highway 44. The 299 leads to Eureka and the 44 passes near Lassen Volcanic Park on its way east towards Susanville.

Redding is the gateway city to the surrounding Shasta-Trinity forests as well as the Whiskeytown Recreation area. The winters can be quite cold and the summers can be quite hot with temperatures well over 100 degrees F. When the summer temperature reach the triple digits on my trips to Redding, I reach for the Popsicle's in the freezer and head up to Lake Shasta for some summer time cooling action. See the section on LAKE SHASTA below.

LAKE SHASTA is located about 10 miles north of downtown Redding. The Shasta Dam is the world's highest center overflow spillway. Several years ago during the drought years this lake was much lower then its current level. Several years ago in some areas of the lake, the boat launching facilities were a quarter of a mile or more from the water level. However, due to the recent El Nino rains the water level has risen substantially and now is at normal levels.

There is a visitor center near the dam. A 30 minute film that shows the history of water usage in California is shown at the visitor center. One hour tours of the dam are given year round, although the hours vary and it would be wise to call ahead for a schedule of tours. The visitor center is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 until 4, and then on Saturday and Sunday from 8:30am until 5pm. Admission is FREE. For more information call PHONE NUMBER (530) 275-4463.

There are also several boat rental facilities along the lake shore. This is a fairly large lake and water skiing is excellent. As with most lakes water skiing in the early morning is the best. There are several coves in Lake Shasta that provide glass or mirror ...