Touring * Fitness * Artistic *

From Interstate 5 in Redding, take the Highway 299/Downtown Redding exit, and head west through and beyond downtown almost three miles to Buenaventura Boulevard. Turn left and then take the first right, which is Lakeside Drive. Follow Lakeside as it climbs a ridge, and just after passing Ridge Drive on the right, you'll come upon the lake. Park at the curb.

Mary Lake is a good spot for a few aerobic laps or for building up the skills needed to skate on Redding's Sacramento River Trail (see page 61). The Mary Lake hills are smaller and fewer in number, but the path still has one good descent with a blind curve at the bottom, a tamer version of what the River Trail delivers. Although the trail-side markers read .25, .75, and 1, this trail is actually only half a mile long, leading you to assume that the marker posts are measuring kilometers. The little neighborhood park where Mary Lake is situated is barely developed. On the neighborhood side of the lake, wild grass is trimmed down to lawn height, and one or two picnic tables are a short distance from the water. Marshy foliage, some trees, and wild berry vines border the asphalt path. On the side of the lake that's away from the neighborhood, the vegetation remains in its more natural state. In season, you can snack on fresh, wild berries just around the corner from the south end of the lake. After you've gotten your fill of the loop or the berries (whichever comes first), skate around the neighborhood to enjoy the smooth and much wider pavement on its hilly streets.