Warm beaches, secret hopes of movie-star sightings, and life in the big cities might be what draws your thoughts to Southern California for this year’s vacation getaway; nonetheless, it’s going to be your thirst for adventure and experience in the great outdoors that calls you up along the I-5 corridor to the Shasta Cascade. A straight shot up through the Central Valley will grant you access to the cool waters and sandy shores of a different type of beach—no doubt you’ll be won over by the pristine lakes and wild rivers that bless the wilderness of Northern California. Endless opportunities for outdoor adventure and bonding with the natural world await; rafting, mountain climbing, fishing, water-skiing, canoeing and kayaking, snowboarding, hiking, camping, or relaxing by a quiet lake shore are just some of the fruits the land has to offer visitors and locals alike.

The Shasta Cascade Region is home to over a dozen State and National Parks where visitors can get alone with nature or meet up with friends for camping and adventuring. In the southeast there is rich farm land, fruit and nut trees, and gold mining opportunities and in the Northwest you can backpack your way to happiness by way of the Trinity Alps Wilderness. Modoc County is heaven for the lonesome cowboy type and the Mount Shasta area welcomes droves of spiritual seekers every year.

Author Wallace Stegner claimed, “California is America, only more so.” That’s a beautiful picture and to expand from that thought, Northern California is authentic. It’s a picture of the American West, of adventure, risk, love, pride, and gumption. A unique mix—far enough West to be on the edge of wild ideas, and far enough North to remember what life was like before Silicone Valley. It shines bright with opportunity and continues to be a good portion of what makes the Golden State sparkle.

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