Kayla is definitely a road-warrior. Say wanna go for a ride? – her ears are up, tail is wagging, leash is in her mouth, she’s in the car, and it’s full-sniff ahead. One of her favorite road trips is the Shasta Cascade region of Northern California, which actually covers about 20 percent of California. Dog-friendly trails, lakes and rivers abound, as do dog-friendly accommodations.
Kayla always begins her Shasta Cascade adventures in the town of Redding, which is not only over-the-top-dog-friendly, but is a great starting point to explore this vast region.
She likes to begin her morning at Redding’s Turtle Bay Exploration Park, walking with lots of other dogs across the Sundial Bridge and onto the Sacramento River National Recreation Trail that overlooks the Sacramento River. She hasn’t made the entire 16.5 miles, but is working on it.
Walking along the river, she enjoys the leash-free open space and along the way visits the McConnell Botanical Gardens and the Mosaic Art Garden. She also takes an occasional cooling-off dip into the safe-to-swim areas of the Sacramento River.