Hike Chamise Peak

Chamise, Please

Hike to Chamise Peak in Redding, CA

Hiking to a summit for an incredible panorama doesn’t have to take all day or be intense, which is partly why Redding’s Chamise Peak is so appealing. That, and the 360-degree vista of the region’s iconic scenery! At the summit, your spin-around view includes the Sacramento River canyon, Shasta Dam, Shasta Lake, and Mount Shasta.

A lone picnic table at the peak is ideal for a snack break. The hike up is 5 miles (round-trip) and begins on the Flanagan Trail. Thank the Redding Trail Alliance for maintaining this trail system. Ascend amid a pine forest with oaks and manzanitas. A bench marks the halfway point at a trail intersection.

Follow the sign to Chamise Peak and get gorgeous views of Mount Shasta along the way. At the top, soak up all the S’s: Mount Shasta, Shasta Dam, Shasta Lake, the Sacramento Valley and Sacramento River. Sssssensational!

The start of the Flanagan Trail is found at the Flanagan Rd. parking area, 17154 Flanagan Rd., Redding. Dog-friendly!

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Serene Las Gallinas

    A serene stroll alongside marshland, passing ponds and grasses frilled in seasonal wildflowers, with Mount Tam a beacon in the background … how nice. As part of the esteemed Bay Trail, San Rafael’s Las Gallinas Valley Birding Loop and Wildlife Ponds comprises about 3.5 miles of wide-open trail.

    View
  2. Paint Brushy

    This time of year you’ll have good reason to head for the hills—the electric-green rolling hills of Brushy Peak Regional Preserve in Livermore. This 4.5-mile loop hike is like stepping into a plein air painting.

    View
  3. Sponsored

    2025 POST Wildflower Walks

    Get flower empowered! POST’s complimentary 2025 Wildflower Walks guide blooms with the best places to see a variety of florals across the Peninsula and South Bay this spring.

    View
  4. All right, Almaden!

    Take a trip through time on this 5-mile loop in Almaden Quicksilver County Park. Explore the ruins of an old cinnabar mine and enjoy the first hints of wildflower season.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Sponsored

    Weekend in Reno Tahoe

    Weekend plans? Reno Tahoe! Just a few hours by car or a short flight away, Reno Tahoe springs to the moment with great ways to combine adventure and relaxation in its beautiful mountains-meets-desert setting.

    View
  2. Hiker walking along the North Bluff Trail on Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park

    Purely Wild

    Channel Islands National Park lives up to its nickname as “North America’s Galapagos.” This less-traveled national park is an undeveloped and isolated series of five dramatic and distinct islands reached by boat. Hike the largest of the islands, Santa Cruz.

    View
  3. Woman hiking the South Kaibab Trail in the Grand Canyon

    Truly Grand Day Hike

    One of the best spring day hikes in the Grand Canyon? See layer upon layer of the park’s grandeur—including the river—on this 3-mile (one-way) journey to Skeleton Point via the South Kaibab Trail.

    View
  4. A woman stands amid an array of yellow and purple flowers at Descanso Gardens in Los Angeles

    Petal Paradise

    Tulips, lilacs, and daffodils—flower power is in full bloom at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge. Sprawling across 150 acres surrounded by mountains, the gardens are putting on their best show right now.

    View