Shasta Lake: Dog-friendly houseboating haven

Dog and people in a houseboat on Shasta Lake

Redding isn’t just California’s Trail Capital; nearby Shasta Lake is the state’s Houseboating Capital, as well. In the wake of a wet winter, Shasta will be filled to capacity this summer and houseboating business will be brisk, so if you’ve ever considered a houseboat vacation that includes your dog, now’s the time to make reservations. Several Shasta Lake marinas rent houseboats ranging in size and style from stripped-down models popular with fishermen to ginormous floating palaces like the 65-foot, triple-decker Titan, which features satellite-tracking TV, eight flat-screen monitors, a jetted tube slide and a hot tub big enough for a dozen (no one will tell if your dog hops in, too). Shasta’s 360 miles of jagged shoreline are indented with cover after cove where houseboaters can anchor out in solitude or bob in the company of others. Read more.

Paw-friendly ‘must see’ Redding attractions

Black dog walking on the sundial bridge in Redding

Whatever your plans, you’ll want to start with a lingering visit to the Sundial Bridge, a pedestrian span over the Sacramento River designed by renowned Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. Its 214-foot, angled iron pylon serves as a gnomon, making it the world’s largest sundial. The bridge is a thing of grace and beauty that’s been pulling cars off the highway since it opened in 2004. Dog-friendly trails hug the river on both sides, and parking is free and plentiful. Read more.

Dog-friendly base camps in and around Redding

Yellow lab Maya sits in the lobby of Sheraton Redding Hotel.

Photo by Dave Kendrick.

Redding is an easy, 2.5-hour drive up Interstate 5 from Sacramento, and in March and April you’ll absolutely relish the scenery. Read more.

Hop on a houseboat with your pup

Big dog looking out the window on a houseboat

Water, sun, stars, memories. A houseboating vacation provides them all, plus a lot of novelty for first-timers. While Shasta Lake is justly known as the house-boating capital of California, it’s not the only body of water where you can herd your friends and family (including your pup, of course) aboard and say “anchors aweigh” on a slow-moving, waterborne vacation. Read more.

Take a spring hike around Redding

Photo by Choose Redding.

Redding calls itself California’s Trail Capital, and for good reason: about 100 miles of dog-friendly trails, both paved and natural-surface, have been developed in and around the city through private and public partnerships. Spring is a particularly nice time to take in the views from the Upper Sacramento Ditch Trail, which traces the route of a historic waterworks that once supplied miners’ sluice boxes. Three bridges along the northern part of the path span gorges that gush with waterfalls in springtime and offer arresting views of Shasta Lake and Keswick Reservoir at any time of year. Never heard of Keswick Reservoir? This river-like body of water stretching nine miles downstream from Shasta Dam is the iconic lake’s frigid, turquoise-blue afterbay. The recently paved and very scenic Sacramento River Rail Trail follows a historic railroad alignment for almost 11 miles along its western shore, offering views aplenty, multiple points of entry and ample opportunity to branch off onto dirt paths leading into the rugged hills. Read more.