This is an amazing landmark and art piece that's on the grounds of the Sheraton Redding Hotel at…read morethe Sundial Bridge. It's basically an old aggregate plant that took stones from the Sacramento River and used a miles-long conveyor belt to send them to be used in the construction of the Shasta Dam. It's a very cool piece of history that easily flies under the radar.

A really nice visit with gorgeous views of the mountains to start off. Waited in gift shop for our…read moretrip to the boat to go across the lake to go up to caverns. You can walk down stairs or take the ramps to get to boats. Nice easy ride across lake where your docked and take a bus up to lodge before entering the caves. If you are not able to climb a lot stairs, don't try the caverns. There are lots of stairs with narrow pathways. Sorry. Beautiful caverns with lots of history about how they were found and even some original paths in and ladders from founder. The light show at the end was fun. Worth the history, boat and bus ride up. Plus, Elsie, a boat from WWII Normandy sits in the harbor and is still used to boat stuff around and even has old bullet wounds to show. Reasonably priced adult ticket is $47.84 and can be purchased online or at the cute little gift shop. This is for at least 2 hours and if your a smaller group, lots of 1 on 1 with your guide for questions answered and they are very knowledgeable.

I had a wonderful time at the caverns. This is a must see if in the Redding/Shasta area…read more I purchased my tickets online. It was easy and quick process. You can also purchase tickets from the gift shop. The entire trip was smooth and super fun. It started with a ferry ride to the other side of the lake. There was a bus waiting for us. We loaded the bus, drove up to the caves, and met our guide. We met Jenna, tour guide, and began our tour. She was funny and very informative throughout the entire tour. The caves were fantastic to see. BEWARE: there are lots of stairs in the caves that you must climb and descend. There were loads of rock formations to see in the caves. The lighting system made it easier to each one. I especially liked the light show at the end.

The views are amazing and anxiety imposing!…read more You can walk out onto the dam and looking either way, the views are spectacular. To your one side, amazing anxiety driving views where even if you're not afraid of heights, you'll start breathing heavy. Then, on the other side, spectacular views of lake Shasta with imposing mountains in the backdrop. Connected to a cool visitor station, this is worth the drive to visit if you're around the area.

After a tour at Shasta Caverns, I was able to nerd out even more with a visit to Shasta Dam. The…read morearea is free to visit if you want to walk across the dam or check out the visitor center, which has a small theater with a really fascinating short documentary playing. There's also a gift shop and some displays. But what you really need to check out is their free tour of the dam. On the tour, you can go inside the dam itself and have a guided tour of the facilities and even the grounds at the bottom of the dam. I found it really interesting and learned a lot about the dam's construction and role it plays in water management from the heavy rains Nor Cal gets in the winter. Their website posts hours the visitor center is open and what times tours run. I caught the last tour of the day on a random Monday and it was just my boyfriend and I. The tour is free and even with just the two of us, our guide made it engaging and educational. The epic views of the river, lake and Mt Shasta are worth the drive over. Definitely a cool attraction and not too far from Redding if you're in the area.

I've been to where lava flows were before but never have I walked/climbed through where lava tubes…read moreactually are before. This was definitely an experience if you haven't done it! $15.00-25.00 to bring your horse, bicycle, motorcycle cycle, car or RV into the park. Doesn't matter how warm outside as the caves are cool to freezing with ice depending on which cave and how far down it goes. Headlamps/flashlights are needed but headlamps easiest so you can use both your hands. The fantastic Park Rangers will not only give you expert advice on what caves are best suited for you but the history about this amazing park. Skull Cave before you get to the visitors center was my first cave. After descending the short rock staircase then a rock floor then to a metal landing and down the metal staircase lower and lower into the cold dark earth. At the bottom is a Skull, bones and ice. The hand rails were freezing. Wish I would have brought my gloves. The visitors center can help with what caves are where and offer helmets, flashlights and other needs via borrow, rent or buy. Closed shoes, knee pads, etc for tight caves recommended. The others I tried weren't near that cold but still really incredible in different ways. To see all the melting of rock and burn scars through these tubes is spectacular. Our earth is alive and so amazing. There are some bathrooms at some of the sites but not all so take advantage. Also, make sure to wear clothing you've never worn in other caves. Transfer of biologicals is real and could very negatively effect the bats in here. An awe experience and I highly recommend it. Some spaces also might be a bit small in case you're claustrophobic. Many are not tight but pitch black. Better than any Halloween haunted house with the creep jumping out at you. A park experience not to miss!

One of the most underrated national parks in the country. You owe it to yourself to visit Lava…read more Beds National Monument at least once in your life! There are many lava tubes that are for all difficulties and they are all mostly along the road loop around the park or a short trail walk away. Some are easy to walk through upright all the way to those you have to crawl through requiring gear. Certain tubes can be closed seasonally to protect the bats that both migrate and hibernate there, so be sure to check with the park before you go if there is a specific one you would like to visit. The campgrounds are first come first serve except for the large group sites that can be reserved online, and the restrooms are decently kept with water refill stations outside. Overall a great experience, would highly recommend!

The falls are absolutely gorgeous and a must see!!…read more We arrived around 1000 on a Friday where we had to park in overflow, so I suggest to go early. They have a gift shop that sells softserve icecream so we grabbed one of those and talked to the store clerk who also runs the marina where he explained the boating and kayaking options, fishing, etc. Afterwards we hiked the paved path down to the falls. The path has an incline and is wet in some areas so exercise caution as we saw someone fall and bust her knee open. The falls are so beautiful from every angle, and very worth the trip! After taking a ton of photos we walked on another path that took us to a cool bridge crossing the river. Then headed over to the marina area and rented a kayak for 4 hours for $85, which is great price honestly. The guy at the boat rental area was very nice and accomodating. The sun was out in full force so take your sunscreen! We fished and caught a few small mouth bass but nothing we could keep. After we turned in our kayaks we found a picnic area and grilled up some food. Overall we really enjoyed our day at this park and highly recommend!!

This is my second trip to McArthur Burney Falls. Easy access and available parking today, 09.17.25…read moredue to it being the end of season/fall. $10 entrance fee, accept cash or credit cards. I actually received a $1 back as in a senior. I dislike that dog access is limited to parking lot, and observation area. Not allowed on stairs leading down to base of falls, on trails, posted properly. I understand people don't clean up after their pets plus you never know how dogs will interact. Their park, their rules. I love the rule that doesn't allow you to leave your dog(s) in the car, kudos. I think these dog rules apply to all California State Parks. Beautiful falls, great fall weather, friendly rangers.

I would not consider putting Pluto's cave on your bucket list, but if you are in the area it is a…read morecool place to check out. It is not really a place you want to take the kids, more like a place for people with no children that want to experience a spooky experience. The caves are definitely filled with human negative energy. We did not stay long, we just checked them out from a distance, but did not go actually in to the deeper section. This is more like for a group of 3 or more.

We had a paranormal experience here. We'll never forget it!!! The caves are unfortunately…read morevandalized with graffiti. Other than that it is an interesting place!

Mount Shasta is an incredibly beautiful mountain and volcano. If your driving between Seattle and…read moreLos Angeles you can't miss it from the highway. There are probably a couple different cities that you can enjoy Mount Shasta from but my favorite city is Weed. They have hotels and gift shops and is a cute little town with everything you need. There are two exits for Weed off the highway. One exit is the 'old town' part that is more cute and the other exit is the newer part. I think staying a night here is a perfect thing to do as the scenery is so pleasant. It really is a destination. So often to see natural beauty like this you have to sacrifice comforts of city living. Not with Mount Shasta - its a town that has it all and is just steps away from a little nature walk with an incredible backdrop. It is a real sight to see when you have this regular old Shell Gas station or even Grocery Outlet where the backdrop is the volcano. I don't think you can ever get tired of the harmony here of man made combined with nature.

Incredible volcano and mountain…read more Really recommend spending some time around the nature in this area, even if you won't be committing a summit climb. I went up this past weekend with the attempt to summit Shasta and had a really nice time. The town of Mt. Shasta has a few restaurants and some decent accomodations for sleeping (slept in Loge with our group which was great)... As for the hike, we went up and started at Bunny Flats and camped at Helen Lake for the night and then going for the summit via the Avalanche Gulch route. It was a beautiful and trying hike...definitely be familiar with the risks and have the proper skills to manage them if attempting. All in all; Mount Shasta is majestic and magical. Spend some time here!

The Sundial Bridge is a nice bridge to visit in Redding. The 700 foot long bridge crosses over…read morethe Sacramento River and connects the north and south campus of Turtle Bay Exploration Park. The floor or deck of the bridge is made with glass so that you can see the river below. The bridge is a real sundial in daylight hours. We visited over the Christmas/New Year Holiday on a rainy cold night. We couldn't see much, except for the bridge lit up in holiday lights. The bridge was a little slippery with the glass and tiles. It was a little difficult to walk with a bad knee because of the slipperiness. It was a beautiful bridge at night. We need to come back in daytime.

Fun place to visit and hike with the family. Always a joy. My dog likes taking walks around the…read morewater.

The water is hypothermia inducingly cold, the walk is treacherous and the falls aren't that…read moreexciting. You can take the long route which requires a lot more walking near the train tracks or attempt the river crossing which could end with you swept miles downriver or drowned. At any moment they could let water out of the down to send a surge down the Sacramento River and send you off through rocks and rapids below the falls. The trains come through fast and around blind corners and the roar of the river masks the sound of the train. It is a dangerous hike and people have died there. I don't recommend it for day trippers or casual tourists. Advanced hiking skills required and extra attention to safety and strong swimmers only. Even in mid August the water is high and freezing and the river crossing is very slippery and dangerous. If you know what you are doing and manage the trek there and back you will have seen one of the areas smaller but pretty waterfalls. There is talk of building a trail with a pedestrian bridge to the falls so once that is done it will likely be overrun with day trippers. I recommend going now but be careful.

A must visit in Dunsmuir! Live the cascading waterfall so majestic , calm and mesmerizing ! It's…read moreour second time here and definitely be more visit in the future ! We had the whole waterfall to ourselves

I just have to say this is one of the most hospitable, easy to visit forests in the country. The…read moreinterpretive sites are nice and have clean bathrooms and solid picnic benches, Hat Creek and other locations have excellent picnic sites, and most importantly, they are conserving ground water and lowering fire risk with extensive tree thinning operations. It's pretty easy to see there is a lot of work being done for the American people on this forest.

Almanor Ranger Station is located along Highway 36 East across from the airport as you are heading…read moreinto Chester. The Almanor Ranger District encompasses the southern end of Lassen National Forest. We found our stop at this station well worth it. The staff was helpful and answered our questions about road and trail conditions in Caribou Wilderness. They have maps, brochures and other useful information available for free. There are also books and assorted items for sale. Public restrooms are located inside the building.