As any outdoor adventurer will tell you, no hike, run, bike ride, or kayaking trip is truly complete until you’ve grabbed that first pint after a day in the outdoors. And with a handful of exciting breweries and popular pubs dotting the region, Redding offers the best of both worlds. So as you plot your next outdoor adventure, here are five top picks for trail-to-tavern pairings in and around the heart of Shasta County.
The Turtle Bay East Trail sits in the heart of Redding and connects with downtown, making it an easy basecamp for outdoor adventure. The dog-friendly concrete path offers views of the Sacramento River and includes interpretive panels for more on the region and its history. Along the way, you’ll pass oak, willow, and other native plants.
You didn’t have to leave town for your hike, so why make it a haul to your post-adventure brewpub? Cedar Crest Brewing is just a short, one-mile walk from the Turtle Bay East Trail in downtown Redding—making it a decidedly more urban hiking experience.
Cedar Crest’s second outpost—the brewery also hosts a tasting room in Red Bluff—offers small-batch beers that range from fruity wheat ales to hop-forward IPAs.
Not far from Redding’s eastern borders, the Lema Ranch Trails offer an outdoor retreat that feels worlds away from the city. The trail system winds through peaceful forests—rich with weeping willows, oak, pine, and native grasses—and is home to a wide variety of wildlife, including ducks, blackbirds, woodpeckers, otters, and muskrats. Perhaps best of all: The Lema Ranch Trails system features various trail loops to accommodate different time constraints and fitness levels.
If you’re already on Redding’s east side, why not stop into Fall River Taphouse on your way back into town? The growing brewery produced more than 1 million pints of beer in 2017, and it typically offers a palate-pleasing blend of modern styles (like a brut IPA) and lesser-known varieties (such as a Scotch ale). The taphouse is dog-friendly, and while it doesn’t serve food, you can bring your own along to enjoy a meal while sampling the beer.
Whether on two feet or two wheels, you’ll find a lot to love along the Sacramento River National Recreation Trail. The path crosses the Sundial Bridge in downtown Redding and, combined with the Sacramento River Rail Trail, extends north to the Shasta Dam—more than 17 miles each way. It’s ideal for low-impact walking, running, cycling, or a longer trek. The path remains open year-round and offers a steady diet of views of Shasta Bally, the tallest mountain in the Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area, and, naturally, plenty of the peaceful Sacramento River.
A trail as epic as the Sacramento River National Recreation Trail deserves an equally epic brewery stop afterward. And the award-winning Woody’s Brewing Company more than delivers. Woody’s, located in the heart of downtown Redding, pours a mix of classic styles—like pilsners and brown ales—and more creative, off-the-beaten-path beers, like a Belgian white ale and a Belgian pale ale. It’s also known for its tater tots—so make sure you save some room for some.
The Redding area is full of sweeping views and panoramic peaks—and there may be no better way to explore all that natural beauty than from along the Flanagan Trail and at the summit of Chamise Peak. The Flanagan Trail climbs 700 feet through shaded forest and offers dramatic views of the southern Cascades—including Lassen Peak, the southernmost active volcano in the range. You’ll also enjoy views of Mount Shasta, Shasta Lake, the Sacramento River Canyon, and more.
You’ll be forgiven for wanting to spend as much time at Final Draft Brewing Company as you did at the summit of Chamise Peak. Final Draft features more than 20 house-brewed beers on tap at any given time—all of which pair well with the brewpub’s filling menu of burgers, salads, sandwiches, wraps, and more. The fun also includes an outdoor seating area, patio games, and big-screen TVs.
Mt. Shasta is perhaps the defining natural feature of Northern California—and there are few better viewpoints for enjoying its grandeur than from the shores of Heart Lake. The hike to Heart Lake starts from the parking lot at Castle Lake and gains about 600 feet over the course of a mile. From the shores of Heart Lake, the snow-capped slopes of Mt. Shasta loom overhead, with forested hillsides dotting the landscape below. Heart Lake is popular with hikers for much of the year, but the trail also becomes a popular snowshoe outing each winter.
Since you’re already taking a day trip outside of Redding, why not head a little further north and check out the beers at Mt. Shasta Brewing Company? The brewery’s beers are made with fresh Mt. Shasta spring water, and its selection runs the gamut of styles, including an amber ale, golden ale, IPA, and a spicy jalapeño ale.
Written by Matt Wastradowski for Matcha in partnership with Redding CVB.
