This hike will get you out of the Sacramento Valley heat and give you a good workout—all while you enjoy the beauty of the forest west of Whiskeytown Lake.
David Ledger, Bob Madison, dog Baxster, and I rendezvoused at the Whiskeytown Falls parking lot and practiced Covid-19 social distancing for several hours on Crystal Creek Road, admiring vistas of Shasta Bally, Mt. Shasta, and the forest itself.
The gated dirt road winds steadily upward with a few downhill sections here and there. We walked approximately 3.4 miles, gaining about 950 feet of elevation, before retracing our steps to the parking lot. This road is well shaded by pines and oaks, as well as bigleaf maples and Pacific dogwoods. Several roadside streams are flowing at this time.
Flowers in bloom included firecrackers, Applegate’s Indian paintbrush, deerbrush, red larkspur, bluehead gila, Siskiyou Mountain woodland-star, broadleaf lupine, western starflower, bell catchfly, California helianthella, and false Solomon’s-seal.
To get to this Crystal Creek Road hike, drive west on Hwy 299 out of Redding. About 0.6 mile past the turnoff to French Gulch, turn left onto Crystal Creek Road. Drive four miles and park at the Whiskeytown Falls parking lot. Walk up the paved road to find the gate, beyond which the road becomes a surface of decomposed granite.
Be sure to carry plenty of water and snacks or a lunch. Be advised that this unpaved road terminates at Hwy 299 after winding through the forest for about 13 miles. You will need a Park pass. Because of the elevation gain, I would rate this hike as moderate to difficult. -Chris Harvey