Sacramento River Bend Area

The best-loved walk here is the Iron Canyon Trail, an easy few-mile loop along the bluffs above the river. It climbs gently, so it suits most walkers, and it strings together one wide overlook after another, with the river curling below and the great peaks on the skyline. On a clear day you can pick out Lassen Peak to the east and Mount Shasta far to the north, both often carrying snow, and in spring the open ground fills in with wildflowers.

The footing is rocky in places and there is little shade, which is worth planning around, but that same openness is what gives the trail its long, uncluttered views. It is the kind of hike where you stop often, not because it is hard, but because there is so much to look at. A network of other paths spreads out along both sides of the river for those who want more, reachable on foot, by bike, or on horseback.

The reason this land is protected is the life the river supports. In the cooler months bald eagles and osprey gather to hunt the water, and patient watchers can spot them perched in the tall cottonwoods or diving for fish. Deer move through the oaks, songbirds fill the brush in spring, and the river itself carries one of the valley's great natural events, the fall run of Chinook salmon pushing upstream to spawn in the cold, clean gravel.

Because the area is undeveloped, the wildlife has room and quiet, and a visitor who comes early and moves slowly is rewarded for it. Bring binoculars if you have them. A winter morning here, with eagles overhead and mist rising off the water, is the kind of scene people drive a long way to find and rarely expect so close to a valley town.

The Sacramento River is the spine of this place, and getting onto it is part of the appeal. A simple, primitive launch off Bend Ferry Road, at a spot long known as Jelly's Ferry, lets paddlers and small boats slip onto a broad, steady stretch of river. A float down this reach is calm and scenic, sliding past the same bluffs the trails climb, with herons on the banks and the mountains ahead.

For anglers, late summer through mid-October is prime time for Chinook salmon, one of the runs that make the upper Sacramento a name among fishermen. Whether you paddle, fish, or simply sit on the bank and watch the current, the river gives the whole area its rhythm and its reason for being.

Reaching the area is easy. From Interstate 5 just north of Red Bluff, take the Jelly's Ferry exit, head east, then turn onto Bend Ferry Road and follow it to the river, where the recreation sites and trailheads are. It is only a short drive from town, but it feels a world away once you are out on the open bluffs.

Come prepared, because this is wild public land with no services. There is no drinking water anywhere on the trails, so carry plenty, and the valley heat is serious in summer, often past one hundred degrees, which makes an early start or an evening walk the smart choice. Wear a hat and good shoes for the rocky, sunny ground, and if rain has come through, check with the BLM Redding Field Office before attempting the creek-crossing trails, since one of them can flood. Plan around the weather and this becomes one of the finest free half-days anywhere near Red Bluff.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.