Stories

14 Awesomely Unique Hotels in Siskiyou County

There is no lack of adventure in Siskiyou County. From the mighty Mount Shasta to the seemingly endless stream of…

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It’s Official: This Song is Northern California’s New Anthem

To be quite honest, I’ve wanted to find the perfect anthem for Northern California for a while. There are a…

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Lassen’s Famed Wolfpack Grows with a New Litter of Pups

Trail Camera of the Lassen Pack The Lassen Pack, California’s only known wolfpack, has grown recently with the announcement of…

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Is the Next Big Earthquake Destined for Northern California?

Fires erupt all over San Francisco in the earthquake of 1906 On January 27, 1700, a six-hundred-mile-long wave struck the…

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Enjoy an Exclusive 4-Course Dinner by Chef Brien O’Brien in San Francisco

This elegant four-course dinner "pop-up" will celebrate the mid-way point of the 10th Season of MasterChef on FOX. A menu…

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NorCal Adventurer Featured on ‘American Ninja Warrior’ to Raise Awareness for Camp Fire

View this post on Instagram That face you make when you realize the floating steps are spring loaded! 😳 Woah!!…

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10-Year-Old Becomes the Youngest to Climb ‘The Nose’ on Yosemite’s El Capitan

Selah Schneiter is no stranger to rock climbing. She first touched a boulder at 3-days-old, and has been climbing for…

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California Untamed: NorCal Trail Runner Sets Out to Run 330-Miles From Arcata to Mt. Shasta

Ryan Spitz is ready to complete the first ever California Untamed. Photo via CaliforniaUntamed.com Ryan Spitz is accustomed to being…

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Finding the Spiritual Side of Mt. Shasta with Andrew Oser

Although many of us know Mt. Shasta as a utopia for outdoor adventure, it’s estimated that 50 percent of tourism…

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Man Digs Out Jeep Buried Under 10 Feet of Tahoe Snow

Photo via Jalopnik In November, a Tesla engineer bought a 2000 Jeep Cherokee but not long after it was purchased,…

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The Newest Member of Squaw’s Avalanche Dog Team is the Cutest Thing You’ll See Today

Many resorts in Northern California have a team of ski patrol dogs who are highly trained to find and rescue…

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Veteran Northern California Forest Service K9 Celebrates Retirement

K9 Jasper and Patrol Captain Harris. Photo: US Forest Service The Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Law Enforcement and Investigations is celebrating…

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New King of Tahoe? Mark Zuckerberg Quietly Purchases $59 Million Properties in Tahoe

Carousel Estate. Photo: sunnysidelakefront.com If you drive through any areas surrounding Lake Tahoe, you may come across numerous bumper stickers…

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NorCal Couple Ordered to Pay $600K After Uprooting 180-Year-Old Tree

Photo: Sonoma Land Trust Stewardship When Peter and Toni Thompson bought their Sonoma County land in 2014, they were made…

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Showcasing the Animals of Turtle Bay Exploration Park

Most families have some sort of pet, whether it be a dog, cat or goldfish. Humans and animals are connected…

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We Stayed in a Railroad Caboose in Northern California

We were in Dunsmuir, California and decided to stay at the Railroad Park Resort nestled right under the majestic Castle…

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Northern California Lake Levels are Currently Historically High

I was lucky enough to drive across Shasta Lake along Interstate 5 this week and I could not believe what…

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5 Epic White Water Rafting Trips in Northern California

Photo: Trinity River Rafting Once, in the dawn of pre-history, a ravenous saber toothed tiger stalked a little family of…

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Folsom Man Breaks World Record Slacklining 1,919 Feet Across American River

View this post on Instagram Looking up as I walked this line and seeing thousands of people there cheering me…

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New Book Highlights the Compelling Geologic Story of Lassen

Named for Kendall Vanhook Bumpass, a Lassen Country settler and prospector from the mid-1800s, Bumpass Hell encompasses 16 acres and…

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Meet Bubba – A Ginormous Bear Living in this Northern California Neighborhood

There’s a neighborhood in Truckee, California that has an unusual neighbor. They call him Bubba – and he’s a ginormous…

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You Can Help Solve a Centuries-Old Mystery on the Northern California Coast

The nature of Northern California is full of so much beauty, and possibly just as much mystery. There is still…

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The Chico Episode of Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives is Perfectly NorCal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkqEf78xL-U&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR0j_qeMsYRwwuhq0A2UWxsE00Pc82PHA-eNoPSMVcg551mAYet7CBlR-tU “I don’t think many people know how great Chico is.” The much anticipated Chico episode of the Food Network’s…

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How Mammoth Mountain Uses World War II Howitzers to Battle Potentially Deadly Avalanches

Mammoth Mountain is known to receive a lot of snow. With massive snowfall each winter, ski patrol is forced to…

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The 12 Most Instagrammable Destinations in Northern California

There are just so many beautiful destinations in Northern California that everyone should see once in their lifetime, and what…

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Humboldt Photographer Wins EcoWatch’s Photo Contest with “The Mighty Redwoods”

The Mighty Redwoods by David Ruddock For EcoWatch’s Earth Day Photo Contest, a Humboldt photographer submitted his photo The Mighty…

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Sonoma Sheriff Finds $15K Prosthetic Leg and Returns it to Extreme Athlete Who Lost It

Photo: Sonoma County Sheriff It was an interesting sight when someone found a high-end prosthetic leg in the Cloverdale lumber…

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Investigators Reveal New Details in Teen’s Fatal Fall in Yosemite

Yosemite’s Nevada Fall The culture of capturing “epic” photos at outdoors destinations is becoming a deadly problem, with new evidence…

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A Weekend in Redding, California – The Gateway to Northern California’s Outdoor Mecca

The Sundial Bridge, Burney Falls, Shasta Dam and Lassen Peak are all located within a short drive from Redding, California…

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It’s Official: Squaw Valley Received the Most Snowfall in the United States this Winter

Photo: Squaw Valley/Ben Birk Northern California saw a historic winter of 2018/19, with snowfall hitting every region in bulk and…

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Watch How West Sacramento is Using Goats for Fire Suppression Along the Sacramento River

Photo: City of West Sacramento The hottest new trend in Northern California fire suppression has been hiring goats to clear…

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Fall River Brewing Releases Limited Craft Beer to Raise Funds for Local Salmon Conservation

Photo: Fall River Brewing Co. Craft beer and local fundraising. Is there anything better? Fall River Brewing Co. announced the…

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Caught on Camera: Wild Animals are Returning to Whiskeytown Following Carr Fire

The Carr Fire had many ill effects on the human community of Shasta County, burning over 1,600 structures, claiming seven…

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Merry Fishmas! The 7 Best Places in NorCal to Fish on Opening Day

Saturday, April 27th is truly a magnificent holiday. It’s the time of year when you get together with your friends…

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International Succulent Smuggling Still a Major Problem on Northern California Coast

Photo: California Department of Fish and Wildlife The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is stepping up their game…

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Go on a Northern California Adventure with Stella the Dog

What an awesome video! There is no better way to explore the Shasta region then through the lens of a…

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A Piece of NorCal History: Redding’s Diestelhorst Bridge

Considering its place adjacent to the recently added Lake Redding Bridge, you might overlook Redding’s storied Diestelhorst Bridge. Without scanning…

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Nesting Birds Close Down Sacramento High School’s Brand-New Field

Kildeer bird Construction workers had just finished the brand-new cork and synthetic turf field at Sacramento’s Rio Americano High School…

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The Best Jokes from April Fool’s Day in Northern California

April 1st has become a fun day for everyone. It gives even the most serious organizations the opportunity to let…

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A Guide to Spiritual Tourism in Mount Shasta

Flickr/Harold Litwiler If you’ve been lucky enough to walk through the quaint downtown area of Mount Shasta, you’ve probably noticed…

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Shasta Pack Murder? What Happened to NorCal’s Famed Gray Wolfpack?

Photo of the Shasta Pack in 2015 Four years ago, two wolves had a litter of five pups in the…

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Humboldt 4-H Leader to be Honored in D.C. Following Young Sisters’ Wilderness Survival Story

When 5-year-old Caroline Carrico and 8-year-old Leia Carrico were younger, they were taught wilderness survival tactics from their local 4-H…

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Foodie Getting Active – How I Dropped 30 Pounds in 60 Days

By Brien O’Brien Let me start off by noting that I am in no way an expert on weight loss.…

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Meet the Athletes from NorCal Heading to the Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi

Lighting ceremony at the Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi For a week in March, three Northern California Special Olympians…

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Tourist Trapped in Deep Snow on Mt. Shasta Rescued with an Extensive Snow Removal Operation

Everitt Memorial Highway The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office received a desperate call from a Massachusetts woman whose Toyota Prius had…

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Lake Tahoe has Risen a Foot this Month with 40 Billion Gallons of New Water

Flickr/Reno Tahoe The historic snowfall and prevalent rains of February 2019 in Northern California has transformed the landscape following a…

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Yaks on the 5 – Delicious Burgers at a Top 100 Restaurant in America

Eating NorCal visited Dunsmuir’s favorite local eater Yaks on the 5 to find out why they were named a “Top…

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One Year Later: How Did a Lost Canadian Skier End Up in Northern California?

Danny Filippidis pictured above. On the left is a photo of him found in Sacramento after 6 days missing from…

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Blizzard Trapped 120 Guests for 5 Days at South Sierra Resort

It started out as a normal winter vacation for 120 guests at the Montecito Sequoia Lodge in the South Sierra…

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Chico State Adventure Outings Wins Award for “Excellence” and its “Get Outdoors” Scholarship

Chico State’s Adventure Outings is a program dedicated to outdoor recreation for students. The program is student operated and includes…

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Eat the Burger That Wears A Skirt at Napa’s Squeeze Inn

Their popular "Squeezeburger w/Cheese" comes with it's own unique "Cheese Skirt" that always astonishes and satisfy's guests...

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Wiyot Tribe Reclaims “Sacred” Indian Island in Humboldt Bay

Located off the shore of Eureka in Humboldt Bay sits an island called Duluwat, better know as Indian Island, which…

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Northern California Chinook Salmon up for Endangered Species Consideration

Spring Chinook Salmon. Photo courtesy Michael Humling, US Fish & Wildlife Service The recent volatility of Northern California waterways has…

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UberSKI Now Offered in the Tahoe Area

Photo courtesy of UberSKI Back in my day, taking a trip to the ski resort for some snowboarding including jamming…

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A Total Lunar Eclipse Called the ‘Super Blood Wolf Moon’ is Happening this Week

The first significant celestial event is slated to occur this week and it should be visible from Northern California. On…

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Did the Real-Life Tarzan Dive Off Burney Falls?

BThe story was well known to me, but we at Active NorCal always check our sources. If you Google “Tarzan,…

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Lady Bird is a Beautiful Love Letter to Northern California

When Lady Bird was released to the public on December 1st, 2017, there was no massive marketing campaign or high-flying…

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Northern California Town Uses Goats to Prevent Catastrophic Wildfire

Just 47 miles southeast of Paradise, California sits Nevada City, a town of about 3,000 people which has seen wildfires…

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Two Hospitalized After Plane Crashes into the American River

Photo: SACRAMENTO FIRE DEPARTMENT For anyone driving across the Jibboom Street Bridge over the American River near Discovery Park in…

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Netflix’s Smash Hit ‘Bird Box’ has Strong Northern California Connections

Netflix announced that it’s new thriller film starring Sandra Bullock, Bird Box, made a record-breaking debut with over 45 million…

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The Top 10 Active NorCal Stories of 2018

By Zach O’Brien, Founder of Active NorCal Phew! What a years it’s been! In 2018, we really caught our stride…

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Remembering Babe Ruth’s 1924 Exhibition Game in Dunsmuir, California

Photo by Paul J. Standar The Babe. The Sultan of Swat. The Great Bambino. The legend of Babe Ruth has…

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Dramatic Footage Shows Rare Meteor Cloud in the Sky over NorCal

No one knew what was going on in the Northern California sky this week, as a bright, streaking cloud appeared…

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Yosemite Park Retires 32-Year-Old Veteran Patrol Horse

Ben, a 32-year-old patrol horse that has worked for the National Park Service in Yosemite National Park since 1992 has…

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Dog Found After Waiting for Weeks at Home Burned Down by Camp Fire

When the Camp Fire erupted in Paradise on November 8, Andrea Gaylord was unable to return to her home to retrieve…

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The Conflicted History of the Lava Beds National Monument

By Ryan Loughrey This past summer, we visited the desolate and beautiful Lava Beds National Monument to try to escape…

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This Northern California Town is Responsible for America’s First Bike Lane

The ever-popular bike lanes you see all around the country are a pretty new phenomenon. San Francisco received its first…

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Now Brewing: Sierra Nevada’s Resilience Butte County Proud IPA to Support Camp Fire Victims

On November 27, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. continued their efforts to fundraise for Camp Fire victims by starting the brewing…

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History Reduced to Rubble: Remembering the Honey Run Covered Bridge

The Camp Fire took many victims as it spread through Butte County on November 8th, the most significant being lost…

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Sierra Nevada Releasing Craft Beer to Support Camp Fire Victims

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., which rose to prominence as one of the original craft brewers in the United States, has…

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An Inside Look at Mt. Shasta Search and Rescue Training

Make no mistake about it – our beloved Mount Shasta can be a very dangerous place. In the midst of…

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New Study Claims Mt. Shasta Poses a “Very High Threat” of Eruption

The U.S. Geological Survey updated its comprehensive volcano threat list for the first time since 2005 and it named Mount…

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NorCal Elementary School Now Offers Fishing Class as Elective

Students of Castle Rock Elementary School are offered 14 different elective classes to choose from for kindergarteners through eighth grade. And…

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Digging for Answers-Where Did The 60-Foot Hole in the Side of Mt. Shasta Come From?

Around 10 years ago, a 60-foot hole mysteriously appeared in the side of Mount Shasta. Even with its incredible size,…

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Bulls vs. Bears: Northern California’s Bloody Spectator Sport of the 19th Century

In the 1800’s, when Spanish conquistadors and early gold rush optimists flocked to the newly settled areas of Northern California,…

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Puppy Abandoned in Northern California Creek Becomes Online Sensation

When a good samaritan found an abandoned puppy in a dry creek bed in Northern California, they immediately took it…

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Exploring the Underworld of Humboldt County’s “Murder Mountain”

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

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

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Stories from a Carr Fire Evacuation Center

Now that Redding has returned to a state of relative normalcy, we’ve been able to reflect on the Carr Fire…

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A Beacon Of Northern California History: The Battery Point Lighthouse

A D.C. socialite, the Gold Rush, shipping lines, San Francisco, Crescent City and Battery Point Lighthouse intertwine in history to…

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How Northern California Inspired Otis Redding’s Famous Song (Sittin’ on the) Dock of the Bay

Otis Redding had become a world-famous singer/songwriter by the bright age of 26-years-old when a visit to Northern California inspired…

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How Your Selfies Are Killing Northern California’s Seal Puppies

During seal pupping season on the coast of Northern California, baby seals will be basking in the sunshine on the beach…

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Ellen Surprises Firefighter Who Lost Home in the Carr Fire

During the Carr Fire, Eric Johnson was fighting the Ferguson Fire in Yosemite when the Carr Fire broke out in…

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Freak Accident: Did a Burning Hay Truck Start the Delta Fire?

As the Delta Fire plows along Interstate 5 between Lakehead and Dunsmuir near Lake Shasta, people are showing the aftermath…

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10 Amazing Northern California Motorcycle Rides

Northern California is flush with people who prefer to enjoy the amazing natural beauty of our North State on two…

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Symbol of the State: Bringing the Grizzly Bear Back to California

Although the grizzly bear sits front-and-center on the California state flag, the animal hasn’t roamed California in nearly 100 years.…

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This Northern California Town Has Its Own Language

I’ll never forget the first I visited Boonville, California, located 12.5 miles southwest of Ukiah in Mendocino County. We entered…

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Watch: Riding Down White-Water Rapids on Top of Six Rafts

Living the whitewater rafting life is fun. You get to take enthusiastic people on an exciting ride down the river…

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The Incredible Recovery of a Bear Cub Severely Burned in the Carr Fire

California wildfires can have devastating effects on humans living near the fires. These fires can also be equally devastating for…

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The Ultimate Northern California Brewery-Camping Road Trip

By Zach O’Brien This journey began a few months ago, when I was lounging in my back yard, sipping on…

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Watch: Firefighter Works Out on His Gym that Burned Down in the Carr Fire

Rick Thompson is a firefighter and Crossfit enthusiast in Northern California. As he was going through the rubble of his…

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The 25 Best Instagram Accounts to Follow for the Ultimate Northern California Experience

We live in such a beautiful area and sometimes the best way to appreciate Northern California is through the photos.…

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Shasta Strong IPA Available Now! Drink Craft Beer to Support Carr Fire Victims

With a united goal, five Shasta County breweries have come together to create a special batch of beer in support…

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More than 50 Percent of this Northern California County has Burned Since 2012

In the United States, Northern California has become the epicenter for wildfire activity in the country. In Northern California, Lake…

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Q&A with Michelle Titus – the Owner of Northern California’s Premiere Fishing Lodge

In a short time, Michelle Titus went from a Bay Area city-dweller to a North Valley, horse wrangling “anglet”. When she…

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Emotional Video Shows Devastating Aftermath for Carr Fire Victims

Vice News Tonight visited devastated Redding neighborhoods during the beginning of cleanup operations after the Carr Fire brought a destructive…

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Watch: The Singing Samoan Fire Crew Working on the Carr Fire

The “Singing Samoan Fire Crew” has captured immense love and respect from the people of Northern California. They hike through…

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Almost Climbing Mount Shasta: A Story of Misery and Life Lessons at 14,000 Feet

At four thirty in the morning no one saw the light from my tiny headlamp inching uphill in pitch darkness…

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The World Dog Surfing Championship in NorCal was the Cutest Thing You’ve Ever Seen

Sitting just south of San Francisco at Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica, California there are some mellow waves that any hardcore…

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Explorers Study Ancient Underwater Forests with a Submarine at Fallen Leaf Lake

Mapping out the history of our the outdoors can be a difficult task, one that requires time, money, and maybe…

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