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.
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
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
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
SEP-NOV
77°F/25°C
High
49°F/9°C
Low
California Welcome Centers
The Shasta Cascade region has one California Welcome Center: