April 26th through May 2nd, 2026
We had a site in the trees next to the winding Sacramento River booked, and it looked like it was going to be a relaxing time. The campground was pretty and the owners were so friendly, but it wasn't as relaxing as we had hoped it would be.
We knew the river was low during the early spring months, so it wasn't a surprise to find very little water. However, it was a bit of a surprise to be across the river from a big lumber mill that made a crazy amount of noise 24 hours a day. At one point, we went outside in the middle of the night to look across the river to see well-lit steam escaping high into the air and making a wild sound. We also found out there was a racing dragstrip nearby that was pretty noisy at times, and the airport down the road didn't help. Luckily, our motorhome is pretty soundproof, so it didn't really bother us, but we had a few laughs whenever we were outside.
We still had a lovely, relaxing time visiting the nearby national parks. First, we went to Lassen Volcanic National Park. It was a lovely drive, but we didn't do much other than stop at the visitor center. It was still buried in a lot of snow, and the road that would normally take us farther into the park was closed. They get a lot of snow there.
The park is one the oldest ones in the United States, and it has some cool history. We had a good time there even though it seemed like it was going to be wintery there for a while yet.
We headed down the mountain and visited Whiskeytown National Recreation Area on the same day. It's a huge and gorgeous lake surrounded by hills. The visitor center was nice, and we almost escaped without buying any clothing (almost). We planned on driving around the lake on a different day, but we didn't manage it.
It was a short and noisy stay in Redding, but it was a nice place. We always managed to enjoy our stays no matter where we are.
