North Mountains - Redding - Sacramento River Trail
8.25 mi 
Suitable for
Touring *
Fitness *
Beginner *
Slalom *
Artistic *
Directions
From Interstate 5 in Redding, take the Highway 299/Downtown Redding exit and cross the bridge over the river. Turn right at the light for North Market/State Highway 273 and turn left onto Riverside Drive two blocks up. Follow Riverside three blocks west above the river bank. Just before the road veers right to cross the river, enter a parking lot for the Sacramento River Trail straight ahead. The trail begins at the far end of this upper lot. Alternatively, you can go right to continue across the bridge and park at the Senior Citizens Center on the other side of the river to the left. The trail is on both banks.
Notes
Besides gorgeous scenery and perfect pavement, there's a treat for everyone who skates the Sacramento River Trail: the ultra smooth asphalt is an unusual 12 feet wide so that twosomes can actually skate side-by-side. Beginners will find an ideal lawn-bordered location for first strokes in Caldwell Park on the north bank, and intermediates can safely enjoy the entire loop by skating in the clockwise direction. Following the trail counterclockwise results in more demanding hills with sharp curves at the bottom--the expert's choice. Finally, the loop plus the new north shore extension to the east results in a serious 8.25-mile fitness workout. Best of all, because of Redding's out-of-the-way location, visitors are likely to skate along the Sacramento River Trail for long stretches without seeing another soul, even on a beautiful weekend morning!
A large, worn map is posted at the entrance to the trail. Its weathered condition is the only indicator that the south section of the path is in its second decade. It's amazing that the asphalt has held up so well. Taking the clockwise route, start down a wide service road through a shady corridor of tall trees and dense brush. In the summertime, you can eat your fill of the wild Himalayan blackberries that flourish here and elsewhere on the river's banks. Within a quarter of a mile, the fine, 12-foot-wide bike path takes over, and most of the signs of development are left behind.
As you continue west on a relatively flat route, the foothills of the Trinity Alps are framed by the trees and walls of the wide river banks. Emerging from the forested corridor into a more open area, you can see the scars left on the far river bank by hydraulic gold mining years ago. (A series of interpretive plaques along the trail serve to educate users on the history and natural surroundings of the river.) As you near the pedestrian bridge that takes you across the river to the more hilly north side, signs warn, 'Rollerbladers, Use Caution.' The bridge is made of smooth concrete and has protective barriers on either side, but it dips down in the middle and then arcs back up, adding a swooping slope and a touch of speed to your ride across the river.
Now the fun (and work) begins. After touring a while with a totally different but still beautiful perspective of the Sacramento River, you'll reach a steep little hump near the mile 3.5 marker, followed by two more climbs. Fast descents bring you to mile 4.0 with an elevated heartbeat--is it the aerobic effort or the thrill? (You just skated the section that is truly thrilling in the opposite direction.)
The trail seems to end in a neighborhood cul-de-sac. Skate a few yards up the street and enter the continuing asphalt trail on the right, just beyond the Buckhorn River Ranch sign. Pass through a grove of oaks to a landscaped section of trail with iron gates. Just after the iron ends, the trail branches. To return to the other side of the river to your car, go left (away from the river) and cross the parking lot to the entrance road into the Senior Citizens Center. Turn right onto the street and right again to cross the bridge. Don't forget to stop and admire the breathtaking views up and down river. (Cars are not allowed to cross the bridge in this direction, so relax and enjoy.) This completes a six-mile loop.
To continue skating on the north bank, turn right at the aforementioned trail branch and follow the trail to the edge of the river, under the bridge and past some concrete bleachers next to the park. Here you'll find a grassy lawn at the edge of the wide concrete trail, a great spot for beginners to get rolling for the first time. At the far side of the park, a boat launch parking lot interrupts the trail, but just keep heading east and up the service road with the bike lane, which takes you to another grass-bordered park. Watch out for a 20-foot section of very rough pavement behind the swimming pool. After you pass under Highway 273, a return back to an asphalt surface signals the start of the newest trail extension. It features the splashing sound of a low dam spillway, two sunny meadows, a smooth, new asphalt parking lot with trail access, a sudden curving descent to a jungle-like pond full of lounging turtles, and a concrete bridge over a creek.
When you have explored it all, turn and head back to the branch in the trail behind the Senior Citizens Center. Cross the bridge to return to your car.
A large, worn map is posted at the entrance to the trail. Its weathered condition is the only indicator that the south section of the path is in its second decade. It's amazing that the asphalt has held up so well. Taking the clockwise route, start down a wide service road through a shady corridor of tall trees and dense brush. In the summertime, you can eat your fill of the wild Himalayan blackberries that flourish here and elsewhere on the river's banks. Within a quarter of a mile, the fine, 12-foot-wide bike path takes over, and most of the signs of development are left behind.
As you continue west on a relatively flat route, the foothills of the Trinity Alps are framed by the trees and walls of the wide river banks. Emerging from the forested corridor into a more open area, you can see the scars left on the far river bank by hydraulic gold mining years ago. (A series of interpretive plaques along the trail serve to educate users on the history and natural surroundings of the river.) As you near the pedestrian bridge that takes you across the river to the more hilly north side, signs warn, 'Rollerbladers, Use Caution.' The bridge is made of smooth concrete and has protective barriers on either side, but it dips down in the middle and then arcs back up, adding a swooping slope and a touch of speed to your ride across the river.
Now the fun (and work) begins. After touring a while with a totally different but still beautiful perspective of the Sacramento River, you'll reach a steep little hump near the mile 3.5 marker, followed by two more climbs. Fast descents bring you to mile 4.0 with an elevated heartbeat--is it the aerobic effort or the thrill? (You just skated the section that is truly thrilling in the opposite direction.)
The trail seems to end in a neighborhood cul-de-sac. Skate a few yards up the street and enter the continuing asphalt trail on the right, just beyond the Buckhorn River Ranch sign. Pass through a grove of oaks to a landscaped section of trail with iron gates. Just after the iron ends, the trail branches. To return to the other side of the river to your car, go left (away from the river) and cross the parking lot to the entrance road into the Senior Citizens Center. Turn right onto the street and right again to cross the bridge. Don't forget to stop and admire the breathtaking views up and down river. (Cars are not allowed to cross the bridge in this direction, so relax and enjoy.) This completes a six-mile loop.
To continue skating on the north bank, turn right at the aforementioned trail branch and follow the trail to the edge of the river, under the bridge and past some concrete bleachers next to the park. Here you'll find a grassy lawn at the edge of the wide concrete trail, a great spot for beginners to get rolling for the first time. At the far side of the park, a boat launch parking lot interrupts the trail, but just keep heading east and up the service road with the bike lane, which takes you to another grass-bordered park. Watch out for a 20-foot section of very rough pavement behind the swimming pool. After you pass under Highway 273, a return back to an asphalt surface signals the start of the newest trail extension. It features the splashing sound of a low dam spillway, two sunny meadows, a smooth, new asphalt parking lot with trail access, a sudden curving descent to a jungle-like pond full of lounging turtles, and a concrete bridge over a creek.
When you have explored it all, turn and head back to the branch in the trail behind the Senior Citizens Center. Cross the bridge to return to your car.
| Last Skated
Aug 1, 1995
|
Updated
Apr 20, 2003
|