Stories

Lake Monsters: Here’s Why Sturgeon Grow to Be So Big in Shasta Lake

Massive sturgeon caught on Shasta Lake in 2018. Photo: Sou Saephan For anyone who’s been lucky enough to take a…

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Among Giants: The Story of the Activists Trying to Save Northern California’s Redwood Forest

How far would you go to stand up for what you believe in? For a group of activists in the…

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UFO Over Lake Tahoe – Proof of Aliens or Elaborate Hoax?

A video on Lake Tahoe went viral worldwide as UFO experts attempt to dissect if it shows proof of alien…

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Meet the Mount Shasta Lizard: The Largest Known Marine Reptile to Ever Live on Earth

Illustration of what the Shastasaurus could look like In 1893, Stanford University’s James Perrin Smith went of a fossil-collecting expedition…

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The Mystery Behind Crater Lake’s Old Man

A trip to Oregon’s Crater Lake should be on every Northern California resident’s Bucket List. And while you’re there, it’s…

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The Largest Corn Maze in the World Sits Right Here in Northern California

In Dixon, California sits a 63-acre fall utopia with a pumpkin patch, hay rides and the largest corn maze in…

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Want to See What the Lemurian City in Mt. Shasta Looks Like? Here Are Illustrations From the Man Who Claims to Have Visited It.

Rendition of the city of Telo in Mount Shasta from Lowell Johnson In 2021 we learned about Lowell Johnson, the…

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The Yosemite Camping Trip that Changed America

I call it a successful camping trip if I don’t forget the mosquito repellant and a roll of TP. But…

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How John Muir Almost Died on the Slopes of Mount Shasta

Many people take the slopes of Mount Shasta for granted. You may see images of people from all over the…

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Outside Magazine Lists the Best Hikes in Northern California National Parks. Here’s Our Take.

Photo by Saketh Garuda A list of the best hikes in every National Park in America was compiled by Outside Magazine,…

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Inside the $75 Million Lake Tahoe Mega-Mansion with a Hillside Tram

One of the most expensive mansions on Lake Tahoe is worth around $75 million and it’s one of the coolest…

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The Adventures of Mark Twain in Northern California

People dream of coming to California to become the next Meryl Streep or Tom Hanks, but hardly the “father of…

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The 5 Best Places to Go Stargazing Around Redding, California

Brought to you by Choose Redding Stars over Chaos Crags When summer arrives in Northern California, the night sky comes…

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Fighting Northern California Wildfires with a Helicopter Flamethrower

While massive wildfires continue to burn through Northern California, fire officials are always looking for new techniques to gain containment…

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The West is on Fire: Short Film Documents the Lives of Surfing Firefighters in California

“I think that when people think of news here in California, they think of large-scale wildfires.” “The entire state’s a…

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Help One of Our Favorite NorCal Photographers as He Deals with 3rd Battle with Cancer

Jake and his daughter in the flowers below Lassen Peak Some of our favorite content in Northern California comes from…

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Yosemite is One of the Most Deadly Rock Climbing Destinations in the World. That’s Why It’s So Popular for Climbers.

Photo by Billy Onjea There are inherit dangers in any rock climbing scenario. Sturdy equipment, knowledge of your surroundings and climbing…

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The Bats of the Yolo Causeway Marvel Onlookers with Nightly ‘Batnadoe’

Flickr/Bev Sykes Every summer just west of Sacramento, roughly a quarter of a million migrating Mexican free-tailed bats settle at…

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The Mysterious Case of the UFO that Flew Over Northern California

The incident began at about 4:30 pm on a seemingly normal day in 2017 when the air traffic controller from…

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Nostalgic Northern California National Park Posters to Hang in Your Home

Rob Decker grew up in the Bay Area and found a love for National Parks at a young age. He…

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Meet the Man Who Built an Off-the-Grid Watertopia Along the Trinity River

There are plenty of people who have built great properties in Northern California. While some people may point to the…

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The Story Behind the Famed Traffic Sign that Kept Getting Stolen in Weed, California

There have been far too many giggles from people driving through Northern California near Mount Shasta who come across the…

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Watch Rob Lowe Search for Bigfoot in the Northern California Wilderness

It’s no secret that Northern California sits as the unofficial home of Bigfoot. So when Rob Lowe and his sons…

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The History Behind the Extravagant Castle Along the McCloud River

You’ve probably heard of the Hearst Castle, the magnificent residence of newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst. But have you heard…

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Redding Woodworker Creates $65k Table from 1,500-Year-Old Redwood Tree

A woodworking company in Redding recently created a table from a 1,500-year-old redwood tree, selling it to a local restaurant…

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Is It Possible To Jump Off Burney Falls? You’re About To See For Yourself

Years ago we wrote about the legend of Olympic swimmer Johnny Weissmuller, who also played Tarzan in the movies, diving…

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The Real Life Zorro: The Life and Legend of Joaquin Murieta

Some say he was a good man turned renegade when all he held dear was taken from him. Others claim…

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Big Basin’s Story: How a Wildfire Completely Changed California’s Oldest State Park

On August 18, 2020, the CZU Lightning Complex Fire blazed through California’s oldest state park – the Big Basin Redwoods.…

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How We Witnessed the Filming of Top Gun: Maverick in Northern California

It was a beautiful morning in February 2020 when Brien O’Brien (Bob) and I began our 9-mile hike to Feather…

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How the Carr Fire Ushered ‘The New Normal’ into Northern California

On July 23rd, 2018, a flat tire on a trailer sparked a wildfire in the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. 39…

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An Ode to Squirrels: The Badass Rodents Living in Your Backyard

Photo by Simone Mascellari When a buddy asked if I had seen any of the “Squirrel vs. Rattlesnake” videos on YouTube,…

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The History of NorCal Names – How Redding Was Once Named ‘Reading’

Photo courtesy of the Shasta Historical Foundation Redding, California sits center stage in Northern California, nestled comfortably smack dab in…

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This Northern California Ghost Town is Cursed, According to its Visitors

Flickr/Robert Shea The workers at the Bodie State Historic Park are used to receiving letters in the mail talking about…

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Experience the Magical Sunflower Fields of Northern California

Photo: Pixabay During the summertime in Northern California, you may have found yourself lucky to drive through Woodland, Davis or…

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An Urban Hike to Explore Sacramento’s Spectacular Murals

Improv Alley in Sacramento’s Midtown District It was a beautiful day in Sacramento so I set out to take an…

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The Good Guys and Bad Guys of Historic Northern California – Part 1

Hollywood is obsessed with “good guys and bad guys,” and why not? There’s something very satisfying when good triumphs over…

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The Zodiac Signs as Northern California Destinations

Just like human beings around the world, the destinations of Northern California have distinct characteristics that can bring out thoughts…

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Why Are There Old Train Tracks Going Into Lake Tahoe?

If you’ve ever explored the breathtaking beaches of Lake Tahoe, you may have noticed a rare sight of railroad tracks…

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The Rich History of Star Wars in Northern California

It was in the 1950’s, just east of the Bay Area in Modesto, California, where a young man named George…

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How Star Wars Transformed the Northern California Redwoods into Endor for ‘Return of the Jedi’

In the early 1980’s, the third installment of the wildly popular Star Wars franchise was in production, and creator George…

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The 6 Most Grueling Hikes in Northern California

Sometimes the snowy slopes of Mt. Shasta can look more like Everest. Photo by Todd Diemer  The vast wilderness of Northern…

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Courageous Explorer or Bloodthirsty Killer? The Sobering Truth About Kit Carson in Northern California

Who hasn’t heard of Kit Carson, the steely mountain man, courageous explorer, military hero, character in numerous dime novels and…

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Eel River Dam Removal is Moving Forward. It Will Create California’s Longest Free-Flowing River.

On Thursday, PG&E’s 50-year license for the Eel River Dams expired, with the company opting against renewing the costly Potter…

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The Easter Lily Capital of the World Sits Right Here in Northern California

The Easter Lily make a great centerpiece to any Easter dinner surrounded by family and friends. And it’s very likely…

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The Weird Controversy Behind the New ‘Tenaya Stone’ at Disneyland

Photo: Disneyland Resort Disneyland recently opened the Tenaya Stone Spa at the Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, boasting a…

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Geologists War ‘Ring of Fire’ Volcanoes in Northern California are Due to Erupt

Photo by Deanna Lewis With the volcanic eruption of Kilauea in Hawaii last year, geologists are on high alert for the…

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Historic Photos Show Lumberjacks Chopping Down the Giant Northern California Redwoods

Northern California is known for being the home of some of the oldest and largest trees in the world. The…

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Guardians of the River: How the Yurok Tribe is Fighting to Save their Sacred Klamath

“Being a Yurok person, the river is our lifeblood. It’s just as important as the air we breathe.” The project…

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Literary Review: ‘A Wall of White’ Humanizes One of the Deadliest Avalanches in American History

The list of special places in NorCal is endless, but besides getting out there and forming your own impressions, it’s…

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Remembering the Massive Avalanche at Alpine Meadows that Killed 7 and Changed the Tahoe Community Forever

In the 70’s and 80’s, ski resorts were rated for their avalanche danger with a scale of A through F…

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Ancient Aliens Dives Deep into the Mysteries and Unexplained Disappearances of Mount Shasta

The mysteries of Mount Shasta have been heavily documented on this website. Our admitted obsession with the iconic mountain and…

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22 Jaw-Dropping Outdoor Destinations to Visit in Northern California in 2022

We did it! We survived 2021! With a crazy year in the rearview mirror, it’s about time we look forward…

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Short Film Explains the Importance of Removing the Word ‘Squaw’ from the Tahoe Basin

We have seen the typical “comment section warrior” nonsense when it comes to the name change surrounding what is now…

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Unique Northern California Redwood Forest Permanently Returned to its Indigenous Tribe

Tc’ih-Léh-Dûñ, 523 acres of forestland donated to the InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council. Photo by Max Forster, courtesy of Save the…

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Everything You Need to Know About Jason Segel’s New Movie Filmed Entirely in Northern California

At the end of 2020, a Hollywood film crew descended on Humboldt County to film Jason Segel’s newest movies. With…

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These Stagecoach Drivers Were the Rock Stars of California in the 1800’s

Mark Twain tried, but no matter how good a storyteller you are, you just can’t make this stuff up.  Historic…

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Why Are There License Plates Sticking Out of Trees in Yosemite National Park?

Photo: National Park Service If you’re on a summer hike in Yosemite National Park, you may come across one of…

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Dog Lost in Caldor Fire Found 4 Months Later in the Snowy Sierra

Photo: Tahoe PAWS a Community Animal Response Team When the Caldor Fire moved through the mountains west of South Lake…

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The Top 10 Active NorCal Stories from 2021

Another great year here at Active NorCal! The New Year brings new vitality at the Active NorCal office as we…

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NorCal Nerds: What Did Northern California Look Like Millions of Years Ago?

One of Active NorCal’s priorities is inspiring people to get out there and get active, to get off the couch…

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How to Shop Local this Holiday Season in Siskiyou County

Brought to you by Discover Siskiyou Five Marys Farms The Holiday season has arrived in Northern California and we couldn’t…

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NorCal Rocks: The Fascinating Geological Story of Northern California

Lassen Peak Geology is not considered terribly exciting, probably because most of it happens in ultra, ultra, ultra slow-motion. But…

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Famed Pioneer Stephen Meek Arrived in Northern California in the 1800’s. He Was Probably Just Lost.

When Christopher Columbus discovered the “New World,” (Cuba and the Bahamas, really) he was convinced he had landed on the…

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Who Was Jim Beckwourth? A Life as Big as America

How do you take the measure of a man? It usually begins with facts documented and witnessed by credible sources.…

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A Guide to Cutting Down Your Own Christmas Tree in the Northern California Wilderness

It’s that time of year again. With the holiday season upon us in Northern California, it’s time to knock the…

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20 Horror Movies That Take Place in Northern California

Laurie Strode had a Northern California family reunion with her psychopathic brother Michael Myers in Halloween H2O Northern California is…

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Remembering the Great Flood that Put Northern California Under 30 Feet of Water

If you take a look at Northern California on a map, it will show a large valley right down the…

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50 Years Later, this Bigfoot Footage Filmed in Northern California Keeps the Legend Alive

Bigfoot remains one of the most popular legends and mysteries in the United States. Thousands of sightings and the never…

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How NorCal’s Outdoor Opportunities Stack Up Against Yellowstone National Park

Photo by Steven Cordes I gotta admit, I’m torn on this one. I’ve recently returned from a fishing trip to Yellowstone…

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Remembering the Deadly 75-Foot Tidal Wave that Leveled Crescent City in 1964

Beginning in Northern California and running all the way up to Alaska in the Pacific Ocean sits multiple fault lines…

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Could Mount Shasta Bring America’s Next Great Volcanic Eruption?

The recent volcanic history of Mount Shasta eludes us. For a long time, the last eruption was believed to be…

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Why Does Whiskeytown Lake Stay Full of Water Year-Round?

With Northern California’s lakes and rivers experiencing drastically low water levels from the historic drought, there’s one lake you can…

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Famed Camp Fire Muralist Brings His Hauntingly Beautiful Art to Greenville

When the Camp Fire burned through the town of Paradise in 2018, muralist Shane Grammer decided to bring his art…

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Experience the Beautiful Fall Salmon Run on the Klamath River

Brought to you by Discover Siskiyou It’s fall in Northern California, which means the salmon who were once hatched in…

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Has Infighting Between CalFire and the Forest Service Slowed Firefighting Efforts in Northern California?

The brave firefighters battling the dangerous and fast-moving fires in Northern California put their lives on the line to protect…

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Dear Armchair Experts – This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things

It’s the internet age. Everyone’s done their own “research” and thinks they are an expert on everything. It’s become a…

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How to Hike Like a Local in California’s Far North

Brought to you by Discover Siskiyou Photo by Stephen Leonardi  If you ask any local in Siskiyou County, there’s no better…

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Journal of a First-Time Home Brewer – Part 1: Overcoming Anxiety and Finding a Recipe

I never knew there was such a thing as “brewer’s anxiety,” until it smacked me in the face. While it…

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Palisades Prognostications: Why Squaw Valley Got it Right with its New Name and Logo

We’ve deliberated for more than a decade about whether Squaw Valley should change its name. Today, the right decision was…

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How the Grizzly Bear Became the Symbol of California

The California Bear Flag (the official state flag of California) hardly gets any love despite flying over virtually every government…

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Are There Frozen Bodies at the Bottom of Lake Tahoe?

Sitting at 6,225 feet elevation as the largest alpine lake in North America, there is plenty to be fascinated with…

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An Inside Look at the UC Davis Master Brewers Program – One of the Most Prestigious in America

Photo: Gregory Urquiaga/UC Davis Residents of NorCal love their beer. But how many knew the oldest and most prestigious Master…

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Jedediah Smith’s Travels Through Northern California – Part 2: Strong Was His Middle Name

Every time he visited California he got arrested. When a grizzly bear chewed off his hair and ear, he had…

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Jedediah Smith’s Travels Through Northern California – Part 1: The First White Settlers of NorCal

There is little doubt the standards have changed for what it means to qualify as a “bad dude.” NorCal has…

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Man Claims to Have Recently Visited with Lemurians Inside Mount Shasta

Since diving deep into the legends of Lemurians in Mount Shasta (and posting my findings on this website), I have…

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Remembering the Deadly 1996 Rockfall that Sent 90,000 Tons of Rock into Yosemite Valley

July 19, 2021 marked the 25th anniversary of the 1996 Happy Isles rockfall in Yosemite National Park. The deadly incident…

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Short Film Documents Off-The-Grid Oasis in the Northern California Redwoods

In 1968, Charles Bello and his wife Vanna Rae bought 400 acres of redwood forested land in Mendocino County and…

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Inside Union Pacific’s Harrowing Attempt to Save the Dry Canyon Bridge During the Lava Fire

The Lava Fire damaged the Union Pacific Dry Creek Bridge. UP is working on repairs and estimate the bridge to…

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Behind the Photo: Capturing Historic Structures at a Drought-Ridden Shasta Lake

With another drought causing low water levels in Northern California, we wanted to revisit a unique story of historic structures…

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The Bizarre Stories of Paranormal Encounters in Lassen Volcanic National Park

We all know Lassen Volcanic National Park as the beautiful outdoor destination in Northern California free from crowds and full…

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9 Fascinating Historical Gems to Visit in Siskiyou County

Brought to you by Discover Siskiyou Photo by Richard Lee When gold was discovered in the American River in the 1800’s,…

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Meet Tahoe’s Youngest Pro Snowboarder – 5-Year-Old Leland the Falcon

Instagram/@lelandthefalcon When Chuck Vogt, founder of Tahoe Longboards, took 2-year-old Leland to the slopes with a tiny snowboard for the…

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The Dumbest Things I’ve Done in NorCal: Swimming Across the Sacramento River

Photo by Tony Webster Don’t try it. Redding in the summertime is a study in contrasts, contrasts that can be…

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The Dumbest Things I’ve Done in NorCal: A Poison Oak Nightmare on Hatchet Creek

If you buy into the notion that we learn best from our mistakes, I must be one of the smartest…

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Searching for Fishing Solitude in Northern California

Reasons people have for needing to escape the rat race are endless, but the fact remains that we all do.…

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This Northern California Town is the Closest to ‘Shangri-La’ According to the Author Who Coined the Term

Photo: California Outdoor Propoerties Shangri-la is a fictional place featured in the 1933 novel Lost Horizon written by British author…

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Meet the Women Who Kayaked 450-Miles from Mount Shasta to San Francisco Bay

Instagram/@sacsource2sea The Sacramento River is a vital waterway in Northern California. Bursting out of the rocks below Mount Shasta and…

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Ishi: The Last California ‘Wild Indian’ We Never Really Knew

Ishi making a wood harpoon in Deer Creek in 1914 Most California school kids have heard the story of Ishi,…

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The Naked Truth: Stories of Skinny-Dippers and Fly Fishing in Northern California

I have nothing against naked people, and particularly respect their ability to garner interest at the beginning of a story.…

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Hiker Discovers Tree Growing Over the Trail in Redwood National Park

The Redwood National and State Parks are full of many wonders. The park system holds the three tallest trees in…

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