Discover the Adventure
Trinity County Attractions

Trinity County Attractions: Things to Do & See

There's plenty to see and even more to do in Trinity County. Visit in the Spring and Summer for camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, backpacking in some of the most gorgeous landscapes you'll find anywhere. Fall colors will knock your socks off, and Winter invites snowman building, skiing, and even dog sledding.

If you've never been, you definitely want to put Trinity on your Bucket List of Places to Visit Before You Die!

And if you have been, but not for a while, you undoubtedly have some fond memories! Just maybe it's about time to plan another trip!

Resident or visitor, we'd love to hear
about your Trinity story!
Share your story here!

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Trinity County Attractions to Visit

And let us not forget the Joss House, oldest Chinese temple in California that's still being used even today as a place of worship, having been built in 1874!

Weaverville Joss House is unique on so many levels: not only is it
the oldest continuously used Chinese temple in the state, but it's also a California State Historic Park. No wonder it's one of the most popular Trinity County attractions!

Joss House has its own designation on the National Register of Historic Places, but unfortunately, it's also on the Park Closure List. If you've been thinking about a visit to Joss House, you need to do it before September of 2012.

2012 Update: Due to California State Parks' "found monies," Joss House SHP and other California parks have had a reprieve and remain open - so far, so good!

If you're looking for a history lesson, you can't do better than a visit to Weaverville - Main Street was added to the National Register of Historic Places in Trinity County due to no less than 25 buildings that were built between 1850 and 1899!

Building number 25 is the Jake Jackson Memorial Museum - along
with the Trinity County Historic Park, it houses artifacts and exhibits about the history of Trinity County.

Two other historic districts and Bowerman Barn are also listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Helena Historic District includes seven buildings and a cemetery. Lewiston Historic District contains eighteen buildings and a bridge. And Bowerman Barn, near Trinity Center, is a hand-made barn dating back to 1878.

Pre-dating the above is the Kok-Chee-Shup-Chee Natural Bridge, a limestone archway that spans about 200 feet. The name means Bundle of Hides and the bridge was a mystical place for the Wintu tribe that lived near it. It was also the site of the Bridge Gulch Massacre of March 1852. Look closely and you'll also see the names and dates of pioneer picnickers engraved into the rock.

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Outdoorsy Trinity County Attractions

Wild, rugged, and mountainous, Trinity County is custom-made for the outdoor enthusiast!

Start with your outdoor recreation, like camping, hiking, mountain biking, backpacking...

Camping options range from public and private campgrounds, to RV parks and resorts, to backcountry camping on your own, where you won't see another human being for days or even weeks.

Weaverville is a good place to start if you're new to hiking the Trinity Alps. You'll find multiple trails starting from Weaverville or within easy driving distance of the town.

The Weaver Basin Trail System contains nearly 50 miles of some of the best single track in the United States, making it another popular Trinity County attraction. It's an excellent choice for Mountain Biking, level to medium hiking, and horseback riding as the trails are multiuse (no motorized vehicles allowed, however).

And if you're a backpacker who likes to take off for parts unknown and paths unexplored, you can't do better than the Trinity Alps Wilderness and Shasta-Trinity National Forest.

In an area so wild, you'd expect to find hunting and fishing, both of which are popular pastimes in Trinity! Dear and bear hunting is available on Forest Service lands and private landowners offer guided pig hunting.

As for fishing, salmon and steelhead are popular species to fish, along with trout, bass, blue gill, and catfish. There's nothing quite like flyfishing an isolated stream or lake in the Trinity Alps!

Trinity County is also known for its water sports opportunities. Three major lakes in the area (Trinity Lake, Caribou Lake, and Grizzly Lake) offer float tubing, canoeing, sailing, houseboating, and waterskiing. Swimming is an option too, but the water's pretty cold most of the time.

And the Trinity River ranges from stretches of calm flatwater to
raging rapids and cascades. Pigeon Point Run is Class 2 and Class 3 whitewater, and Burnt Ranch Gorge is extreme Class 5 whitewater, so plenty of excitement is available if that's what you're after!

Winter sports in Trinity County offers untracked cross country skiing or snowshoeing, snowmobiling in some areas, and even dog sledding is popular (though, from what I can see you have to bring your own dogs... and sled).

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Trinity County Attractions: Scenic Byways

Trinity County is so wild and beautiful that it has - not one - but two scenic byways!

Highway 299 was designated the Trinity Scenic Byway in 1991 with the theme: From the Valley Oaks to the Redwood Coast.

In addition to featuring the wide variety of plant and animal life in the area, the drive also features cultural and historical aspects of the region, from prehistoric Native American tribes to the 49ers and timber workers of the 1900s.

The byway begins at the junction of US 101 near Arcata and goes east on Highway 299 past Blue Lake, Salyer, Junction City, Weaverville, Shasta, and Redding. It ends in Redding near the Interstate 5 junction.

The Trinity Heritage Scenic Byway follows Highway 3 South from Montague in Siskiyou County through the Scott River Valley and is the Oregon-California Trade Route. The theme commemorates the trade and travel that occurred between the Trinity River Basin and the Oregon Trail.

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We'll have more to share with you about Trinity County Attractions
in the coming weeks; things like:

• Trinity County Beaches
  No ocean doesn't mean no beaches!
• Trinity County Communities
  There are no incorporated towns in Trinity County, but there are lots of villages!
• Trinity County Parks and Preserves
  Designated wilderness, national forests, and wildlife areas!

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