Red Bluff
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Red Bluff

Red Bluff

Sacramento River town at the southern Shasta Cascade, with Victorian streets and ranch-country roots

Red Bluff sits on the Sacramento River at the southern edge of the Shasta Cascade region, about two hours north of Sacramento on I-5. It's a quiet agricultural town with a surprisingly intact Victorian downtown and easy access to the outdoors. The Sacramento River here offers good fishing, and the surrounding hills are good for hiking and cycling.

The town is worth a stop if you're driving north toward Redding or Lassen Volcanic National Park, with the William B. Ide Adobe and the Kelly-Griggs House Museum making for an easy half-day in town. Summers are very hot — regularly topping 100°F — so spring and fall are better times to visit.

Guide

Day Trips

Red Bluff is well placed for day trips into the southern Cascade Range and along the upper Sacramento Valley. Lassen Volcanic National Park is about an hour east; Shasta-Trinity National Forest and the city of Redding are 30 to 40 minutes north on I-5. Closer to town, the Sacramento River Discovery Center on Sale Lane and the Tehama Wildlife Area east of town are short, easy outings.

Guide

Getting There

Red Bluff sits on Interstate 5 about two hours north of Sacramento and four hours north of San Francisco, and 30 minutes south of Redding. Most visitors arrive by car. Amtrak's Coast Starlight stops once a day in each direction at Chico (40 minutes south) and Redding; Greyhound serves Red Bluff itself.

The nearest commercial airport is Redding Municipal, with limited service to San Francisco and Los Angeles. Larger flight options are in Sacramento (about 130 miles south).

Guide

Things to Do

Red Bluff's appeal is modest but genuine — a Victorian downtown, the Sacramento River flowing through, and easy access to the wide-open landscapes of the southern Cascade Range. Most visitors stop for a half-day on the way north to Lassen or Shasta, but the riverside parks and the historic streets reward a slower wander.

Guide

When to Go

Spring and autumn are by far the best times to visit Red Bluff. Summers are brutally hot — July and August routinely top 100°F (38°C) with little relief at night — and the smoke from California wildfires can be heavy. Winters are mild but wet, with the Sacramento River frequently in flood.

The Red Bluff Round-Up rodeo, held in April, is the town's largest annual event and draws crowds of cowboys and visitors from across the West.