Temperatures in the low 60s ushered in a very comfortable 2-mile out-and-back hike on a section of the Westside Trails Complex, Redding, known to locals as the Dead Trail—so called because the trail used to end abruptly at a chain-link fence. Frustrated hikers and bikers kept finding ways to get through the fence. The McConnell Foundation purchased the fenced-off private property and connected this section to the rest of the trail complex.
Seven hikers and two dogs (Baxster and Stella) enjoyed a two-hour trek on this flat ditch trail that was severely burned in the Carr Fire. Once almost tunnel-like because of the very large stands of white-leaved manzanita and various oaks that lined the trail, there are now nice vistas of Shasta Bally, Mt. Shasta, and Mt. Lassen.
Black oaks, as well as interior live oaks, are recovering well. The same goes for many shrubs including toyon, white-leaved manzanita, poison oak, and snowdrop bush. Although there were many beautiful flowers in bloom, our prize find of the hike was the discovery of an unusual firecracker-flower hybrid.
Our group accessed this section of the Westside Trail Complex by meeting at the small parking lot at the corner of Lower Springs Road and Valparaiso Way. I then made two separate trips in my pickup to deliver our group to the trailhead. There is no good place to park, but my 4-wheel drive pickup allowed me to park off the road on a steep incline. I recommend leaving your car in the aforementioned parking lot and hiking up the paved Valparaiso Way for ~0.5 miles to find the dirt trail on the left. There is also access to this area by driving to the end of Kilkee Drive (not far from Mary Lake).
Please enjoy the following photographs that I took on this field trip. ~Chris Harvey
