Street * Slalom *

From combined Interstate 5/Highway 299 in Redding, take the 299 East exit leading to Shasta College. Exit half a mile up at Hawley Road and turn right onto College View Drive. Ascend the hill on the street bordered by flags, and park in the parking lot of Bethel College to play on the entrance road hill, the first description below. Back on College View, go east until you see the gated entrance to Simpson College. Turn right and park on the campus for more exploration described below.

Two educational institutions on College View Drive make for great skating, thanks to their hilltop locations and smooth-as-silk new pavement. (The older Shasta College campus located farther up Highway 299 has terrible pavement and parking lots covered with Bott's Dots.)

Follow the first set of directions to drive up the hill to Bethel College if you're a speed or slalom enthusiast. Driving up will help you get a feel for the day's traffic and tell you if this hill is within your range of abilities. If not, the Bethel College parking lot offers much gentler pitches on good pavement.

Be sure to check out Simpson College next, half a mile to the east on College View Drive. Its entrance road is also smoothly paved and inviting. Simpson College--new and still growing--is located up on a mesa with gentle slopes. At the south edge of the campus, more good pavement can be found in the nearby housing development called The Vineyard.