Page 84 - North State Parent March 2022

PARKS, RECREATION & SPORTS NORTH STATE PARENT FAMILY RESOURCE GUIDE SPRING/SUMMER 2022
BICYCLING & LOCAL BIKE TRAILS
NATIONAL
U.S. Bicycle Route System. Adventure Cy- cling Association offers a growing collec- tion of regionally & nationally significant bicycling routes online; take virtual tours of more than 13,500 miles of U.S. bicycle routes nationwide. adventurecycling.org/ usbrs. (800) 755-2453.
BUTTE COUNTY
Bidwell Park; Chico. 3,670-acre park offers miles of trails through Upper and Lower Bidwell Park. Choose an easy lower loop and stop at a few different playgrounds. Map:chico.ca.us/general_services_depart- ment/park_division/documents/UpperLow- erParkMap.pdf
Bike Licenses; Chico. Register your bicycle or apply for a license online. chico.ca.us/post/ bicycle-license. (530) 879-7320.
Black Butte Lake; Oroville. Over 20 miles of multi-use trails with scenic vistas and wildlife viewing. Picnic areas around the lake and a playground at Buckhorn Recreation Area. Trail ratings not known. Map: spk.usace.army. mil/Portals/12/documents/parks_lakes/ BlackButte/BBL_Trail_Map.pdf
B-line Transit Bike Maps; Chico. From flats for easy rides and commuting to more chal- lenging foothill rides, the Butte County ter- rain offers a variety of interconnected trails to explore. Map (Chico Area): blinetransit.com/ documents/Bike_Maps/Bike_Map_2014_ Front_300dpi.jpg
Map (Lower/Upper Bidwell Park): bline- transit.com/documents/Bike_Maps/Bike_ Map_2014_Back_300dpi.jpg
Chico Velo Cycling Club Local Routes; Chico. Website offering some of Chico Velo’s favorite cycling routes from Chico’s flat 16-mile River Road to the 64-mile Meridian-River Road in Durham. chicovelo.org/local-routes.html. Wildwood Park; Chico. Two pump tracks: beginner and intermediate-to-advanced. chi- corec.com/wildwood-park. (530) 895-4711.
SISKIYOU COUNTY
Gateway Trail Loop; Mt. Shasta. 10.6-mile single track loop trail for intermediate level mountain bikers. A popular, mostly wooded cross-country ride. Be ready for a combi- nation of smooth berms and a little more technical rocky areas.
Map: mtbproject.com/trail/7013462/gate- way-trail-loop
Greenhorn Park; Yreka. A variety of trail types that allow bikes; lake access, a play- ground, and viewing old mining artifacts. Map: cyclesiskiyou.com/greenhorn-park- trails/
Lake Siskiyou Trail; Mt. Shasta. Park at one of the trail head lots off WA Barr Road (before going over the dam) and explore some of the trail around the lake. Check out the Wagon
84 North State Parent Family Resource Guide Spring/Summer 2022 • www.northstateparent.com
Beginner And Family-Friendly Trails
Maps of the following trails can be found at healthyshasta.org/maps/
SHASTA COUNTY
Arboretum Loop Trail and Eagle Loop; Redding. 1.2-mile Arbo- retum Loop and 1-mile Eagle Loop; mostly paved flat trails with views of the Sacramento River and the Sundial Bridge. Viewpoints offer places to observe wildlife, including resident bald eagles on the Eagle Loop. Map: healthyshasta.org/maps
Anderson River Park; Anderson. Route 1 is 1.25 miles of easy, paved trail. Route 2 combines 1.5 miles of moderate paved, gravel, dirt and grassy trail. Route 3 is 2.75 miles of moderate paved, grav- el, dirt and grassy trail. Route 4 is an easy .75-mile dirt and gravel trail. Park includes a playground. Map and Info: ci.anderson.ca.us/ andersonca/departments/community_services1/uploads/Ander- son_Walks_Guide_Web1.pdf
Churn Creek Greenway, Redding McConnell Foundation Trails; Redding. 3.5 miles of compacted gravel trails; easily bikeable with wider tires and wide stroller wheels. Mostly flat with some rolling hills that add to the fun and adventure. Trails lead to Minder Park Playground off Minder Drive in Redding. Map: www.mcconnell- foundation.org/trails/
Churn Creek Trails; Redding. Off Tidmore Lane in Redding and accessible from many neighborhood spots, these are part of open space preserved by the McConnell Foundation. These four miles of meandering trails with green meadows and spring wildflowers are available to cyclists and hikers. Make sure you stop at the halfway point for play at Minder Park’s play structure or to enjoy a picnic. Drinking fountains available at the park. These trails link to the Lema Ranch trails, which are only open to walkers.
Clover Creek Preserve; Redding. 1.5-mile flat paved loop. Views are wide and make it easy to keep an eye on children biking ahead. Additional dirt trails lead to a pond and add to the nature and wildlife viewing experience.
The Great Shasta Rail Trail; Burney. 40 miles of open trail sec- tions on this planned 80-mile trail linking Burney and McCloud. Red cinder trail compacted in the center but be careful of loose sides. A more advanced family adventure; prepare for wilder- ness conditions with extra food and water. Map and Info: great- shastarailtrail.org
Hornbeck trailhead; Redding. Off Quartz Hill Road, this is a rel- atively smooth trail with a few short climbs and descents. Follow the green arrows for a six-mile beginner mountain bike route, or simply go out and come back when you are ready. How many smiley faces painted on rocks can you find? Did you find the geo- cache? This area was largely spared by the 2018 Carr Fire. Sacramento River Trail; Redding. 11 miles of paved, mostly flat trail with some rolling hills. Access a section of the trail near the Middle Creek Trail intersection and find river views, picnic spots, a Peace Labyrinth of painted rocks (have fun adding to it!), and play- ground stops including Amethyst Park, Jump River, and Caldwell Junior Bike Park.Map and Info: https://www.traillink.com/trail/sac- ramento-river-trail/
Swasey Flatlands just west of Redding off Swasey Drive is a net- work of mountain bike, hiking, and equestrian trails on BLM land. Park at the first parking lot and take the ditch trail (Mule TH Con- nect) out of the southwest end of the parking lot. Stop at the creek crossing and look for frogs and count how many different wild- flowers you can see. On your way back, consider trying the short Learner Flow Trail back to the parking lot. If your family is looking for a longer ride, simply follow the green arrows out of the first parking lot on the Mule TH Connect trail. The route is six miles of relatively flat dirt trails.
Northeast Crossing Trail; Redding. This is one of Redding’s newest trails. Although short, it has many options for linking to other trails or simply riding through the neighborhood. Start from Highland Park at 555 Mill Valley Parkway. Ride along quiet Mill Valley Parkway north to the trail head. Enter the paved trail that meanders through native oak woodlands and a bridge that crosses Boulder Creek. The trail is mostly flat and then starts a short climb to connect to the paved path along Highway 299 that ends at College View Drive. The route is about three miles round trip. This area also connects to the Sacramento River Trail by riding south from the park on Mis- sion De Oro to Hilltop Drive and Browning Street. Head west and cross Hilltop Drive. Continue west and then go south behind retail stores and locate the View Trail off to the right which connects to the Sacramento River Trail for more riding, playground stops, and Turtle Bay Exploration Park.