Taking your dog to the park — Part 2

If you saw my last column, you have a good idea of whether or not your dog will be welcomed at a state or national park, national forest, or on lands controlled by the Bureau of Land Management. (Dogs are allowed at most of these places, but some require them to be leashed.)

Now, let’s talk about some specific places that are less than a half-day’s drive from here, where you and your pup can go to relax or play or have an adventure. Some of these areas are nationally wellknown like the Tahoe National Forest, while others are hidden gems like the Caribou wilderness in Lassen National Forest.

A few national forests lie within fairly easy driving distance of Chico. The closest is the Plumas National Forest, some 30 miles east of Chico. Encompassing over a million acres, this forest hosts the headwaters of the Feather River as well as its three main tributaries. It’s also known for its spectacular high elevation lakes, deep river canyons and serene mountain valleys.

Drive 40 miles north of the city on Highway 32 and you’ll reach the western boundary of the spectacular 1800-square-mile

Lassen National Forest. Lassen lies at the heart of what is called the Crossroads, where the granite Sierra Nevada, the volcanic Cascades and Modoc Plateau, and the arid Great Basin merge. The forest boasts countless easilyaccessible recreation areas where you can walk to steaming fumaroles and bubbling mud pits, or to more peaceful venues like wildflower meadows and crystal mountain lakes, where perhaps you’ll be greeted by the chirpchirp of a golden-mantled ground squirrel looking for a handout. Don’t forget the five-mile-long Eagle Lake Trail, perfect for a lazy afternoon walk. Lassen also encircles three wilderness areas: Caribou, Ishi and Ten Thousand Lakes. Dogs must remain leashed in all these wilderness areas.

Just under 70 miles north of Chico is the massive Shasta-Trinity National Forest, the largest national forest in the state with over 2 million acres. Shasta Lake is probably the most celebrated attraction in the forest, but far from the only one. Prepare for your breath to be taken away by the soaring twin peaks of Mt. Shasta and Mt. Shastina (Shastina is actually a volcanic offshoot of Shasta), which tower above the forest like an ice-clad monolith. ShastaTrinity offers a huge variety of recreational activities from hiking and backpacking to boating and fishing to simply sightseeing. While some areas are open yearround, higher elevations are open only from May through September, although those dates are subject to weather conditions.

Heading south from Chico about 80 miles will take you to what is probably the most familiar national forest to those of us in northern California, the Tahoe National Forest. This is one of the most popular recreation forests in the nation, spreading across 871,000 acres from the foothills of the western slope to the 9400-foot Mt. Lola on the Sierra crest.

Nearby Bureau of Land Management recreation areas include the 3-mileslong East Park Reservoir, some 70 miles southeast of Chico. Ten miles of its shoreline are open year-round for public use. Another BLM recreation area is less than 20 miles downstream: the Stony Gorge Reservoir, which offers an 18-mile shoreline with boating, camping, hiking, bird-watching, picnicking, fishing and swimming.

Of course we can’t leave Chico without mentioning the city’s crown jewel, Bidwell Park. You may not know that dogs are allowed to be offleash from 5:30-8:30am in lower Bidwell Park and off-leash anytime along the north side of Upper Park Road.

So head out with your dog this fall and delight in some of our exquisite public lands.

Joan Merriam lives in Northern California with her Maine coon cat Indy, the infinite spirit of her beloved golden retriever Joey, and the abiding presence of her dog Casey, in whose memory this column is named. You can reach Joan at joan@ joanmerriam.com.