California’s northeast corner is known for mountains, forests, waterfalls and amazing, safe-to-visit volcanoes. The region, a three-hour drive north of Sacramento, gets its name from the rugged Cascade Mountains and their signature peak in state, 14,180-foot-tall Mount Shasta.
Major Takeaways
- Burney Falls in McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park is an majestic waterfall that drops 129-feet and flows at a rate of 100 million gallons every spring.
- Oroville, a Gold Rush town and the county seat of Butte County, is home to gardens first planted in the mid-1800s.
- The Tehama Trail connects nearly two dozen vineyards, orchards and ranches, perfect for a day of tasting olive oil and visiting fruit stands.
- Lava Beds National Monument was a training ground for astronauts heading to the moon.
Shasta Cascade tourism industry research
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Counties, Major Cities and Attractions
Counties
There are eight counties in the Shasta Cascade region of California:
- Butte County
- Lassen County
- Modoc County
- Plumas County
- Shasta County
- Siskiyou County
- Tehama County
- Trinity County
Major Cities
Chico, located in Butte County, is the largest city in the Shasta Cascade region with a population of over 101,000. Redding, the county seat of Shasta County, is the second-largest city with a population over 93,000. The surrounding cities in this region are relatively small in comparison.
- Chico
- Dunsmuir
- Mount Shasta
- Redding
- Shasta Lake
- Yreka
Lassen Volcanic National Park
Bizz Johnson Trail
Lassen
Turtle Bay Exploration Park
Redding
Siskiyou Lake
Major Attractions
The Shasta Cascade region is an outdoor-lover’s paradise, with hushed forests, trout-filled rivers, inviting trails and breathtaking natural scenery.
- Lake Shasta: This expansive lake covering 30,000 acres is ideal for water sports, houseboating and family fun and is also home to the Lake Shasta Caverns, a network of underground caves
- Lassen Volcanic National Park: This Northern California park is the only place on earth where all four types of volcanoes can be seen, popular for hiking, camping, fishing and sightseeing
- Lava Beds National Monument: In Siskiyou and Modoc counties, this monument includes more than 700 caves, Native American rock art sites, historic battlefields and campsites
- Mount Shasta: This magnificent volcano located at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County soars 14,179 feet high, covered in easy paths looping through wildflower-filled meadows and cool forests in the summer along with Mt. Shasta Ski Park in the winter
- Otter Bar Lodge: The family-owned company is a fully immersive whitewater kayaking camp that offers a secluded cabin retreat away from civilization deep in the Klamath National Forest
- Sundial Bridge: In Redding’s Turtle Bay Exploration Park, this 700-foot bridge was designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and serves as a functional work of art
- Table Mountain: Located in Butte County, the North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve explodes each spring with a wildflower bloom that showcases the region’s stunning array of natural flora.
- Whiskeytown Lake: Home to 36 miles of shoreline, warm crystal-clear waters and the 220-foot drop of Whiskeytown Falls, this lake is located west of Redding and is perfect for outdoor family fun
Destination Marketing Organizations
Weather
The Shasta Cascade region of California has a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. In the winter, most counties in this region experience significant precipitation or snow.
Dec-Feb
57°F/14°C
High
37°F/3°C
Low
Mar-May
72°F/22°C
High
48°F/9°C
Low
Jun-Aug
95°F/35°C
High
64°F/18°C
Low
Sept-Nov
77°F/25°C
High
49°F/9°C
Low
California Welcome Centers
The Shasta Cascade region has one California Welcome Center: