William B. Ide Adobe State Historic Park, located two miles northeast of Red Bluff on Adobe Road, is named after the first and only president of the short-lived California Bear Republic – which lasted for 22 days. The park features the old 1846 adobe home, carriage shed, blacksmith shop and a visitor center. Historical photographs and Native American artifacts are on display at the Kelly-Griggs House Museum, a restored Victorian mansion in the park.   The adobe memorial to Ide is located in a picnic area overlooking the Sacramento River. Park volunteers and staff present living history programs throughout the year. For more information visit http://www.shastacascade.com/showrecord.asp?id=996.

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Shasta State Historic Park, located six miles west of Redding on Highway 299, was the center of 1850s gold mining in California. In 1849, Shasta, the “Queen City” of the northern mines in the Klamath Range, served as the main shipping point for supplies and money between the mines and San Francisco. Today, a row of old, ruined brick buildings is what’s left of the “Queen City” of the Gold Rush.

The County Courthouse is restored to its 1861 appearance, the year when it was converted from commercial uses to become the Shasta County Courthouse. The courthouse has been converted into a museum that contains exhibits about Native Americans (including Pit River Indian basketry), pioneer life, frontier justice (with a courtroom, jail and gallows) – and a fine art collection. The Boggs Collection contains over 100 years of California art.

Across the street from the courthouse, the Litsch Store Museum gives visitors a look at an old-fashioned general store. Operated from the 1850s to 1960, the Litsch Store features wooden barrels that stored everything from pickles to whiskey and shelves packed with canned goods, yardage and derbies. Also featured in the park is a restored barn and stagecoach. For more information visit http://www.shastacascade.com/showrecord.asp?id=586.

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Weaverville Joss House State Historic Park, also known as The Temple of the Forest Beneath the Clouds, is the oldest continuously used Chinese temple in California. Located in the town of Weaverville, 50 miles west of Redding on Highway 299, this Taoist temple is still a place of worship. During China’s Cultural Revolution, many of the old rural-style temples were dismantled or destroyed. The Weaverville Joss House is an intact and complete temple, which no longer exists in many parts of China.

On display are religious artifacts, art objects, pictures, and mining tools brought to the area by Chinese immigrants during California’s Gold Rush. The Temple is the site of the Lion Dance, held in January or February of each year to celebrate the arrival of the Chinese New Year. A lion dance is also held on the Fourth of July Weekend. Tours of the Joss House are conducted on the hour from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., Wednesdays through Sundays, during the tourist season.  For more information visit http://www.shastacascade.com/showrecord.asp?id=470.

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 Castle Crags State Park, located six miles south of Dunsmuir on I-5, is named for the surrounding 6,000-foot tall glacier-polished crags. The park offers a view of Mount Shasta, swimming and fishing in the Sacramento River, and 28 miles of hiking trails in the back country, including a 2.7 mile access trail to Castle Crags Wilderness, part of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. The Pacific Crest Trail also passes through the park. Other natural features of the park include a bubbling mineral spring, wild orchids, and, in the spring, an array of wildflowers. The park has both developed campsites and environmental campsites. (One of the campgrounds is situated along the river.) For more information visit http://www.shastacascade.com/showrecord.asp?id=431.

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McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, located northeast of Redding, six miles north of Highway 299 on Highway 89 near Burney; features 910 acres of forest and five miles of streamside and lake shoreline, including a portion of Lake Britton. The park’s namesake is 129-foot Burney Falls, one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the state. One hundred million gallons of water flow over the falls every day. Additional water comes from springs, joining to create a mist-filled basin. Ranger Lori Martin notes, “Many visitors stop at McArthur-Burney Falls as they pass through the area not knowing what to expect. It’s fun and interesting to see their reaction when we point out the falls located a few hundred feet from the entrance. Then I tell them about the bald eagles, the pioneers cemetery, the boat rentals, hiking trails and interpretive activities for all age groups. Their next question is how to make camping reservation.”

The park has six miles of hiking trails through an evergreen forest and Lake Britton offers water sport activities. Black swifts nest in the cliff behind the falls and rare nests of bald eagles can be seen along the shoreline of Lake Britton. (The park is a Watchable Wildlife site.) The park has developed campsites. . For more information visit http://www.shastacascade.com/showrecord.asp?id=1915 .

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