It’s slowly getting hotter but we got an early-ish start one morning and went to Whiskeytown Lake to ride the trails. These trails don’t seem to get as much use as those closer to Redding so we were a little worried.
The drive around Whiskeytown Lake to the Bandy Creek Beach area is scenic and the beach itself is amazing before it gets busy. The area was originally home to the Wintu indigenous people for centuries and then in the late 1840s and early 1850s, a gold rush comprised mostly of white miners ensued. Local folklore tells of a miner by the name of Billie Peterson who had a mishap in the early 1850s. While hauling supplies back to his mine, the pack on his mule’s back broke loose and a whiskey barrel tumbled down the hillside, breaking on rocks below and spilling its contents into a creek. From this christening came the name Whiskey Creek. Construction of the Whiskeytown Dam began in 1960 and the basin began to fill with water in 1962. Some Whiskeytown buildings were moved to higher ground, but others remain underwater. The dam was dedicated by President John F. Kennedy in 1963.
Our ride started with a climb up the Brandy Creek dirt road. Whiskey, brandy, what next? It was already hotting up and would only get hotter. The climb isn’t very steep, just steady. We eventually dropped down and crossed the creek before coming to an INSANE hill. There is a gate closing it to all but 4X4 access just past Sheep Creek Campground. Skirting the gate, we started a series of push/ride sections that seemingly went straight up. This is where it got really hot and I easily downed a whole water bottle here.
Finally at the top we hit Papoose Trail. This was a bit overgrown and rugged so if you’re looking for a smooth buffed trail look elsewhere. I don’t think this had much use yet this year. In fact, we came across a few downed trees we had to climb over. I really like this trail for the different vegetation we passed through, the remote feeling, and the quietness. Back at Sheep Creek, we took a hard right and headed on another little loop up Brandy Creek Trail and down Rich Gulch Trail. This last trail is rough and after Brandy Creek Falls there are some pretty steep climbs still. Oof. We were definitely ready to be done and at the lake.
I’d rate this an advanced route for the steep climbs. We didn’t see any other riders and just two hikers on a weekend but the lake area was busy when we got back from our ride.
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