It’s no surprise to anyone that Northern California is a spectacular place. From the highest mountains to the windswept beaches, we have vistas of natural wonders that the rest of the country can only dream of. Here are 7 of the most spectacular, incredible sights we have here in NorCal.
- Mount Shasta
Wikimedia/ Av9
Flickr/ Patrick Dirden
Flickr/ Sandeep Patil Known as Úytaahkoo, or “White Mountain,” in the native language, this lone sentinel of a mountain stands high about the surrounding valleys. This voluminous stratovolcano is the second highest peak in the Cascades and the fifth highest in California.
- Burney Falls
Wikimedia/ Dmcdevit
Flickr/ Al Case
Flickr/ Steven Bratman Burney Falls is a waterfall on Burney Creek, in McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, Shasta County, California. The water comes from underground springs above and at the falls, which are 129 feet high, and provides an almost constant flow rate of 379 million litres per day, even during the dry summer months.
- Sundial Bridge, Redding
Flickr/ Michael Burke
Flickr/ Bit Boy
Flickr/ fredunderhill Located in Turtle Bay, this cantilever spar cable-stayed bridge for bicycles and pedestrians spans the Sacramento River in Redding. It is a giant sundial that casts a truly incredible shadow over the natural setting. It was designed by Santiago Calatrava and completed in 2004 at a cost of $23,500,000. The bridge has become an iconic landmark for Redding.
- Avenue of Giants
Flickr/ Kirt Edblom
Flickr/ Kirt Edblom
Flickr/ Dave Griffiths The Avenue of the Giants is a scenic highway in Northern California, U.S.A., running through Humboldt Redwoods State Park. You’ll be dwarfed by these majestic giant redwood trees and see incredible landmarks throughout the drive, like the Chandelier Tree.
- Lassen Volcanic National Park
Flickr/ Eric Terchila
Flickr/ Markus Spiering
Flickr/ Markus Spiering Located in the remote northeast corner of California, this National Park is really out of this world. It’s a much less crowded version of Yellowstone located right in our backyard. It features the largest plug dome volcano in the world and the southern-most volcano in the Cascade Range.
- Point Reyes National Seashore
Flickr/ Christopher Chan
Flickr/ Simopala
Flickr/ Ken Fisk Point Reyes is a peninsula separated from most of the continental US by a rift in the infamous San Andreas Fault. It’s also steeped in California’s coastal history and a one of a kind spot along the west coast. The lighthouse is just one of many breathtaking landmarks located here. Be sure to also check out the wild coastal beaches and headlands, estuaries, and uplands.
- Lake Tahoe
Flickr/Mirza Asad Baig Follow
Flickr/ Giuseppe Milo
Flickr/ Trevor Bexon Lake Tahoe is the 6th largest lake in the US, coming in just behind the 5 great lakes. It’s the largest alpine lake, located at 6,225 feet in elevation above sea level. About two-thirds of the shoreline is in California, the rest of the lake is located in Nevada.
What are your favorite vistas in Northern California? For more Northern California sights to see, check out The 15 Places You Should Go In Northern California In 2017.
Wikimedia/ Av9
Flickr/ Patrick Dirden
Flickr/ Sandeep Patil
Known as Úytaahkoo, or “White Mountain,” in the native language, this lone sentinel of a mountain stands high about the surrounding valleys. This voluminous stratovolcano is the second highest peak in the Cascades and the fifth highest in California.
Wikimedia/ Dmcdevit
Flickr/ Al Case
Flickr/ Steven Bratman
Burney Falls is a waterfall on Burney Creek, in McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, Shasta County, California. The water comes from underground springs above and at the falls, which are 129 feet high, and provides an almost constant flow rate of 379 million litres per day, even during the dry summer months.
Flickr/ Michael Burke
Flickr/ Bit Boy
Flickr/ fredunderhill
Located in Turtle Bay, this cantilever spar cable-stayed bridge for bicycles and pedestrians spans the Sacramento River in Redding. It is a giant sundial that casts a truly incredible shadow over the natural setting. It was designed by Santiago Calatrava and completed in 2004 at a cost of $23,500,000. The bridge has become an iconic landmark for Redding.
Flickr/ Kirt Edblom
Flickr/ Dave Griffiths
The Avenue of the Giants is a scenic highway in Northern California, U.S.A., running through Humboldt Redwoods State Park. You’ll be dwarfed by these majestic giant redwood trees and see incredible landmarks throughout the drive, like the Chandelier Tree.
Flickr/ Eric Terchila
Flickr/ Markus Spiering
Located in the remote northeast corner of California, this National Park is really out of this world. It’s a much less crowded version of Yellowstone located right in our backyard. It features the largest plug dome volcano in the world and the southern-most volcano in the Cascade Range.
Flickr/ Christopher Chan
Flickr/ Simopala
Flickr/ Ken Fisk
Point Reyes is a peninsula separated from most of the continental US by a rift in the infamous San Andreas Fault. It’s also steeped in California’s coastal history and a one of a kind spot along the west coast. The lighthouse is just one of many breathtaking landmarks located here. Be sure to also check out the wild coastal beaches and headlands, estuaries, and uplands.
Flickr/Mirza Asad Baig Follow
Flickr/ Giuseppe Milo
Flickr/ Trevor Bexon
Lake Tahoe is the 6th largest lake in the US, coming in just behind the 5 great lakes. It’s the largest alpine lake, located at 6,225 feet in elevation above sea level. About two-thirds of the shoreline is in California, the rest of the lake is located in Nevada.
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