Sacramento River Rail Trail

I had the glorious pleasure to ride this trail for the first time yesterday. After a brief misstep going in the wrong direction (look at the river stupid!), I enjoyed a winding paved trail that had views along every mile I rode. Breathtaking scenery highlighted by the impressive Mount Shasta in the distance. After about 8 miles, you cross a beautiful trail bridge over the Sacramento River. Not far past that, the trail takes a steep climb for about a mile. I mean steep. After that it’s more rolling to the base of the dam. I didn’t climb to the top of the dam. I’m not familiar with the route, and it was getting late in the day. Round trip including my misstep was 38 miles. I drove over 2 and half hours and I was not disappointed. I’ll be back.

Looks like there maybe be some commingling of the Sacramento River Rail Trail here, and the Sacramento River Trail. This review deals with the Sacramento River Trail portion.
This is one of many biking trails that are in the area. Rode it mid-​afternoon on a Friday. It was way too busy for me. Beautiful though. Saw 2 homeless types, but they appeared harmless. Great habitat for wildlife, so be vigilant. Maybe leave the iPod & earbuds at home? Lots of blind curves, so pay attention! The following Monday & Tuesday, I rode an equally gorgeous trail near Churn Creek, but one that was less populated. Redding is to be commended for offering such great biking opportunities.

This is the best public access trail system I’ve encountered in the north state so far. Great for working out if you’re looking for low elevation gain/​loss and a good view. Once you get out of the main city the trail has a lot more hills on one side of the river, but the view makes the huffing and puffing worth it. There were a few safety issues on the trail about a month back, but they seemed to have been isolated incidents and uncharacteristic. I’ve never felt unsafe, but it’s still important to be aware of your surroundings.

No cars. Very little cross traffic. Small hills with an occasional challenging one. Tree lined in many shady places. Alongside the river. Water stops. Restroom stops. Benches and views. Excellent for pedestrians, runners, hikers, cyclists, skateboarders, etc. But I don’t believe horses are allowed. Deer and even bear. What’s not to love?

went back to the trail starting at the boat launch. Trail is now paved all the way to Shasta Dam and still includes a 1923 train tunnel. Very nice ride. Trail dumps you out at the OHV campground, plenty of picnic tables to enjoy lunch. Very nice total ride is about 15 miles.
Again, just make sure you start at Keswick Boat ramp off of Iron Mountain road. If you start at Keswick dam, you will be in for a ton of hills.

Ran parts of this trail again on Christmas Eve. It is still a great trail! I ran over 10 miles, the major loop from Dusseldorf Bridge, to Keswick Dam, back over the Ribbon Bridge, and all along the Sacramento River to the Sun Dial Bridge and then back to my starting point in a local neighborhood.
This trail is well maintained, and well used. It isn’t so crowded you are fighting your way around people (obstacles). You will often have stretches of trial ahead and behind you with no one in sight, but if you stayed in one place, someone would come by every 5 – 15 minutes. Just the right mix of quiet, reflective privacy, and enough people around to not feel lost, alone, and isolated.
It is an asphalt trail, approximately 10 feet wide, with amazing views of the Sacramento River and Lake Redding area. The Sun Dial bridge is not easily seen from the trial due to all the trees and greenery that surround you, but once there, the hundred-​plus feet tall sundial support is the primary vista. The bridge can be slippery because it is paved in glass panels, apparently so the light can pass through and not cast shadows that may affect the salmon spawning efforts. Some mornings, the panels are damp from dew, so be sure to run along the narrow concrete portions of the bridge.
The area is surrounded by nature, and nature centers. There is even a viewing room where you can see under the Sacramento River to watch the salmon as they jump the weir of Lake Redding on their journey up the river to the spawning grounds. The botanical gardens are right here too. There are signs, and educational/​information kiosks all around the area, including up by the Keswick dam where the strip mining of the 1800’s occured.
Keep in mind this is a swift-​moving, ice-​cold river, so I don’t recommend going in it. The water is all fresh snow melt from the nearby mountains, and doesn’t warm up much past 40-​degrees even in the middle of super hot August.
If I can figure out where to post photos for this review, I will.

Before I moved to Redding over 20 years ago, I didn’t go do too many outdoors activities because I was a lazy couch potato. After one 6 mile walk on the Sacramento River Trail, I decided that I needed to get out more. If your from out of town, this is something that you don’t want to miss. It is a paved trail of approximately 6 miles and it has only one hilly spot on the north? side of the river. It is an extremely enjoyable walk or bicycle ride and it is something I try to do at least once a week, if not two times. The scenery is fantastic.
There is a great view of the river. If you go in the late afternoon, you might see some deer coming down to water. The spot I saw them was by the suspension bridge about three miles up the trail.