Stories

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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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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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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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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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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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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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: 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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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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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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How Wildlife Officials Survey Northern California’s Dead Salmon to Help the Living

Curtis Brownfield, fish biologist for the Service, checks the tag number on a salmon carcass pulled up from the depths…

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How ‘Euro-Nymphing’ Originated in Northern California

Joe Kimsey was a fishing legend on the Upper Sacramanto River If you refer to that fly rod as a…

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Sasquatch: Get a Sneak Peak at Hulu’s New True Crime Documentary About Bigfoot in Northern California

Hollywood is once again diving deep into the world of Bigfoot, this time through a true crime documentary set in…

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Point Reyes Has a Big Poop Problem

Photo by Claude Piché Point Reyes National Seashore is one of the gems of the National Park System in Northern California.…

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The 10 Natural Wonders of Northern California

Photo by Casey Horner The outdoor surroundings of Northern California make it one of the most beautiful places on the planet.…

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Redwoods Rising is Putting Northern California’s Damaged Forests on a Better Path

Save the Redwoods League, California State Parks, and National Park Service staff touring a Redwoods Rising restoration site in Redwood…

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Getting High on Mount Shasta with John Muir

“If I were you,” he said as he passed by, “I’d head back down the mountain. Storm’s brewing.” His words…

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6 Legendary Road Trips for Outdoor Adventurers Near Redding, California

Road tripping is a time-honored tradition for outdoor adventurers. There’s nothing like feeling the excitement of your upcoming trip while…

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The Time I Snowboarded with Olympic Gold Medalist Shaun White in Tahoe

It was a normal spring day at Northstar-at-Tahoe in 2009. This was my fifth consecutive winter with a season pass…

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This Zillow Listing for a House in Tahoe is the Weirdest Thing You’ll See Today

On the surface, a house for sale in South Lake Tahoe is pretty standard. The multi-family home is just over…

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Getting High on Mount Shasta with John Muir – Part 3 Finale

Read Part 1 Read Part 2 Lightning, heavy winds, hail and deepening snow pummeled intrepid mountaineers John Muir and Jerome…

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Getting High on Mount Shasta with John Muir – Part 2

John Muir and Jerome Fay made it to the summit by 7:30am on that fateful day in 1875. That’s right…

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Getting High on Mt. Shasta with John Muir – Part 1

“If I were you,” he said as he passed by, “I’d head back down the mountain. Storm’s brewing.” His words…

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Artist Builds Giant Buddha Snow Sculpture in Downtown Mount Shasta

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mei Drucker (@meidrucker) Snowmageddon 2021 brought plenty of snow to Mount…

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Will the Yosemite Firefall Happen in 2021?

Photo by Steve Corey During a two-week span in February, photographers and nature lovers alike flock to Yosemite’s Horsetail Falls…

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Potter Creek Cave: the Coolest Northern California Cave You Can’t Visit

It’s larger than Shasta Caverns. Extinct ground sloths were found there, the first ever in California. Sharp-faced bears, the most…

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The Top 10 Weather Events of the Past Decade in Northern California

The landscape of Northern California is especially diverse. From the Pacific Ocean beaches to the snowy peaks of the Sierra…

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The Most Read Active NorCal Articles of 2020

2020 is in the books… Thank goodness! We can all admit that this year has been rough for everyone. With…

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The River Why? A Little-Known Movie That Any Angler Would Enjoy

The novel was published in 1983, and the movie came out in 2010. So why are we finally getting around…

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Monolith Photographed Over Lake Tahoe Revealed as Prank

You’ve probably seen the numerous monoliths appearing around the world, beginning with the famed structure found in rural Utah in…

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Biking from the Sundial Bridge to Shasta Dam on the Sacramento River Trail

We’ve all felt like we were going in circles at some point in our lives, but just maybe there’s an…

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Tour a $44 Million Lake Tahoe Mansion with a Private Beach

Let’s be honest – we all have dreamed of living in a mansion on Lake Tahoe. With money pouring into…

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Ski A Volcano: The History of the Lassen Ski Area

Large groups of skier in Lassen – 1936. PHOTO BY JERVIE HENRY EASTMAN, COURTESY DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, GENERALLIBRARY, UNIVERSITY…

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How Will Dam Removal Impact Fishing on the Klamath River?

Northern California is pretty famous for good fishing. In fact, I’ve often wondered how much this may have to do…

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We Asked What Squaw Valley’s New Name Should Be. Here’s What You Said.

Squaw Valley Resort has a monumental task of coming up with a new name, following their announcement that they would change it…

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Winter Bucket List for Outdoor Adventurers in Redding, California

Lassen’s Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center It’s officially winter in Northern California, which means we’ll be trading our shorts and sun-tan lotion…

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Rivers of a Lost Coast is a Must-Watch Documentary for NorCal Fishermen

When you think of what California is best known for, obvious answers might include Hollywood, surfing, giant redwoods, the Golden…

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NPS Hiring Park Ranger Positions Throughout Northern California

Want to get paid to be outdoors in one of Northern California’s most beautiful areas? That’s what’s being offered at…

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Redding Garden of Lights Brings a ‘One Million Light Experience’ to Northern California

Brought to you by Visit Redding The Holiday season is about traditions. Whether you decorate your house the day after…

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Meet Griff – The Viral Dancing Park Ranger from the Humboldt Redwoods State Park

When quarantine hit in March of 2020, State and National Park throughout California were forced to close their gates to…

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The E-Biking Craze Has Arrived in Northern California

“Dang,” I said to myself. “My legs are on fire. Time to downshift.” The grade was steep, and as I…

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Spend the Holidays in Northern California’s Undiscovered Wine Country

Clear Lake State Park. Photo: @karenpavonephotography By Trudy Wakefield Sure, COVID has made 2020 anything but our average year, but…

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What Should Squaw Valley’s New Name Be? Here Are a Few Ideas.

Photo: Squaw Valley Squaw Valley Resort has a monumental task of coming up with a new name, following their announcement…

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Take a Look Inside Lake Tahoe’s ‘Bonanza’ House Which Sold for Record $38 Million

Photo: Sierra Sotheby’s International Realty Lake Tahoe is known to have some epic homes, including the now world-famous $75 million…

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History Tells Us That Fire Season May Be Just Getting Started in Northern California

The past couple weeks have been very successful for fire officials as the largest and most damaging fires currently burning…

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Is This a Photo of Bigfoot in the Humboldt Forest? We’ll Let You Be the Judge.

Photos recently published on a Humboldt Bigfoot website show a shape in the trees of the Sequoia Park Zoo (future…

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Man Wins GoPro’s Million Dollar Challenge with Insane Yosemite Rock Swing Stunt

View this post on Instagram Overwhelmed by all the positive messages I’ve gotten in the last couple days since finding…

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How Will Big Basin Redwoods Recover from Wildfire? Here’s a Beautiful Lesson from the Humboldt Redwoods

With the news that the Big Basin Redwoods State Park had suffered extensive damage from the CZU Lightning Complex Fire,…

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Vacaville Man Uses 36-Rack of Bud Light to Extinguish Wildfire Approaching His Home

When a wildfire comes close to your home, you’re bound to do anything to save your personal property from being…

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8 Must-See Historic Gems Near Redding, California

Brought to you by Choose Redding While Redding, California is known to be the home of the some of the…

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The Perseid Meteor Shower is Returning to the Sky this Week. Here Are the Best Places to See it in NorCal.

On the nights of August 11th and 12th, the Swift-Tuttle comet will put on an extraordinary show. When the Earth plows…

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Firefighters are Using Pack Mules to Deliver Supplies into the Trinity Alps Wildfires

Mike McFadden getting mules ready. Photo by US Forest Service/Jay Burkhalter The Red-Salmon Complex Fire has grown to 4,278 acres…

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Farewell Neowise: Here Are the Best Photos of the Historic Comet Over Northern California

The summer of 2020 turned out to be historic, not just for the Covid-19 pandemic impacting everyone’s lives, but also…

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Photo of Comet Neowise Over Wildfire Illustrates a Wild Month in Northern California

Photo: Patty Hood Photography Everyone can admit that 2020 has been one of the craziest years in our lifetime. Not…

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Lightning is Shooting Out of the Smoke Plume from the Hog Fire

Just when you thought 2020 couldn’t get any worse… As Lassen County’s Hog Fire continues to send massive amounts of…

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Get an Overhead Tour of Northern California with Aerial America

The Smithsonian Channel does a fantastic job of getting an overhead view of Northern California, showing the entire region and…

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The Best Photos of Comet Neowise Over Northern California

The Neowise Comet has been giving astro-enthusiasts the show of a lifetime this week as it passes by Earth for…

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The Man Who Wrote ‘God Bless the U.S.A.’ is a Northern California Native

Melvin Lee Greenwood is a world-famous country music artist who has released more than 20 albums and charted more than…

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How E.T. the Extra Terrestrial Paved the Way for Blockbuster Movies Filmed in Northern California

When Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster film E.T. the Extra Terrestrial hit theaters in 1982, it broke every record for box office…

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Fort Bragg Residents Voice Their Opinion on the Town’s Potential Name Change at City Council Meeting

The small town of Fort Bragg along the Northern California coast made headlines last week when it announced it would…

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Beware of the Shark-Infested Waters of Northern California’s Infamous Red Triangle

On the Northern California coast, starting in Bodega Bay and spanning down through the San Francisco Bay and all the…

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Odyssey 700: Watch Bikers Ride 700 Miles Through NorCal in Epic ‘Bikepacking’ Adventure

Ladies and Gentlemen, Ryan Spitz is at it again. First, he ran 330-miles from Arcata to Mount Shasta to create…

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Ooowee! Brand-New Outdoor Company Offers Guided Trips in Northern California

Have you ever wanted to rock climb Castle Crags? Or maybe ski in Lassen? Or backpack the Trinity Alps? Or…

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Opinion: Places are Beginning to Reopen in NorCal. Can We Please Be Smart About This?

Tahoe’s crowded Sand Harbor Beach. Photo by Steven Feather This week saw a litany of reopenings throughout Northern California as…

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A Northern California Couple Found Historic Coins Buried in their Backyard. The Discovery Landed Them $10 Million.

In 2013, a couple was walking their dog on their rural Northern California property when they discovered an unusual scene.…

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Subaru is Donating 2.3 Millions Meals to Northern California Food Banks

The Covid-19 outbreak will have a significant impact on communities around the world and Northern California is no different. Lost…

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These 6 NorCal Breweries Were Named “Top 100 Brewers in the World”

For everyone who lives in Northern California, it’s well-known that we have some of the best craft beer in the…

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This Week’s ‘Super Pink Moon’ Will Be the Biggest and Brightest of 2020

Photo by Ganapathy Kumar  Another supermoon will appear over the night sky this week, and it will be the biggest and…

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Stuck Inside? The Monterey Bay Aquarium is Live Streaming its Exhibits For All To See!

Photo: Monterey Bay Aquarium As many Northern California residents sit in their homes in self quarantine due to the Coronavirus,…

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Silver Lining: Travel Ban Could Significantly Improve Tahoe’s Water Clarity

At the outset of the Coronavirus outbreak in California, the visitor’s bureaus in the Tahoe asked people not to visit…

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Netflix’s ‘Murder Mountain’ Director Hoping for Second Season

Deep in the wilderness of Northern California’s North Coast sits the Emerald Triangle, the world-famous location of the underground illegal…

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How You Can Support Local NorCal Businesses During the Coronavirus Crisis

It’s been an unprecedented year around the world and one that peaked in Northern California recently as the Coronavirus (Covid-19)…

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The Redwood Route Rail Bikes Might be the Most Unique Adventure in Northern California

Photo by Benjamin Bateman There’s no place on the planet like the giant redwoods of Northern California. Towering high above…

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Lake Tahoe Home Featured in Godfather II Up For Sale

Photo: Sierra Sotheby’s International Realty The Godfather trilogy is one of the most heralded cinematic achievements of all-time and many…

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National Media Gets Giddy Over Mount Shasta’s Lenticular Clouds

Welcome to the party, Washington Post. Following our viral post of the Alien Sunrise over Mount Shasta this week, WaPo…

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Something Weird Happened at Kirkwood Mountain Resort this Week

Kirkwood Mountain Resort Kirkwood Ski Resort is known to be a local favorite of anyone on the south side of…

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Resurrecting Hat Creek – A Wild Trout Legacy in Northern California

That magical, terrifying, intense time between the late 1960s and early 1970s saw change sweeping across America in steady waves.…

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The Story Behind the Secret JFK – Marilyn Monroe Rendezvous in Castella, California

You may have passed Castella, California while driving on Interstate 5 just south of Mount Shasta, although it’s difficult to…

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Playing with Fire: Get an Inside Look at the Lives of Smokejumpers in Northern California

When it comes to firefighters, there are none more brave and respected than smokejumpers. The forest service recently released a…

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