Clear Creek is a series of trails along the creek and the land is public and administered by the BLM. It shows some of the local prospecting locations where they aggressively gathered gold from the creek bottom. There is still gold left! As one BLM worker told me they (the 49ers) were looking for $100 dollar bills in the creek and they left many $5 bills behind.
This is an active night time illegal drag strip. Used to have a lot of fun out there in my younger days.
Drive west out Clear Creek Road in southern Redding and head for the Clear Creek overlook. There is a pavilion and picnic tables, bathrooms, it is very nice. Walk the trails to discover this canyon that is rugged yet accessible and a great swimming opportunity. Fun for kids, teens, adults. So beautiful!
Could somebody fix the map? The location indicated is not correct.
its so great in the summer. The water is still chilly in the summer but releaving in the hot summer heat. a little over crowded during summer days and stupid people tend to litter A LOT! there are some awesome forty foot cliffs to jump from at the gorge over look. watch out for rattle snakes!!! a 10 minute drive from redding. great spot though. also good for gold panning.
Clear Creek is long enough that no single site along its length can truly represent the entirety of it. It can be access at its upper reaches as it passes through French Gulch, a small town about 10 miles west of Redding. From there the creek flows into and creates Whiskeytown Lake (reservoir). The water then flows past the dam and turns back into a creek again. From that point most of the way down to its confluence with the Sacramento River in South Redding it carves a narrow canyon through the granite hills. It's again easily accessible from the area around the NEED Camp, also called Whiskeytown Environmental School. After that, though, the canyon becomes progressively more difficult to enter, as it narrows and winds through the rocky hills. It's thus very hard to get into the canyon before it starts to widen again around the place where it goes beneath the Placer Street Bridge. Farther downstream there are more swimming holes, like the one where the old Seltzer Dam was located (and since removed) and the area the locals refer to as "Forty Foot Hole," where there are deep pools and high cliffs to jump from. Beyond that point much of the access is barred by private property. The water is pretty cold after it leaves the lake, but the creek has trout and beavers and lots of old mining sites along its length. It's best visited in summer when the water levels are down and the water warms enough to make swimming possible.
One of the funnest more amazing places to swim, fish, hike and explore. Bring good shoes to go rock climbing. Be wary I have know a few people to break bones there.
Not many people know about this area- need to use caution if kayaking
This is a great spot for just walking around at or taking pictures. If you only stay on the trail though, it's not as exciting. Venture out a little but be safe. There are lots of little waterfalls you can't see from the parking area.
Great trail system, lots of things to explore, go all the way up to top for some great views