ranger guided activities offered on memorial day weekend 2015

Date: May 18, 2015
Contact: Jeffrey Gerbic, 530-242-3421

Whiskeytown National Recreation Area will offer a variety of ranger guided activities during the Memorial Day weekendSaturday, May 23 through Monday, May 25. Activities will include the ever-popular kayak tours, Whiskeytown Cemetery tour, and the Walk in Time at the Tower House Historic District with gold panning for the entire family. Kayak tours require a reservation and can be made by calling [phone]. The schedule of programs is available on the park website:https://www.nps.gov/whis/planyourvisit/rangerprograms.htm.

The visitor center will be open daily from10am to 4pm. Located 8 miles west of Redding at the intersection of Highway 299 and Kennedy Memorial Drive, the visitor center offers exhibits on the history and development of the Whiskeytown area, Junior Ranger program as well as information on summer interpretive programs, camping, and other local information. Annual and daily passes as well as books, maps, postcards and other publications can also be purchased at the center.

In addition to the ranger guided activities, the Whiskeytown Sailing Club will be holding the 51th Annual Memorial Regatta on Whiskeytown LakeMay 23 and 24. More information about the regatta can be found online athttp://www.whiskeytownsailing.org

For more information contact the visitor center at [phone] or visit the park’s website atwww.nps.gov/whis. 

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND ACTIVITIES

All programs are subject to change; please call the Visitor Center at 246-1225 for the most current information. Although participants must have a valid park entrance pass to participate, there is no additional fee for attending any of the park programs. 

For kayak reservations please call [phone] on weekdays (Monday throughFriday) beginning Monday, May 18. Reservations will be accepted on a first come, first served basis between9:00 am and 1 pmonly, until all kayak tours are full for the Memorial Day weekend. All kayak-program participants must know how to swim and will be required to wear a life vest. The park will provide tandem kayaks for up to twenty participants. Park visitors with their own kayaks are welcome to accompany the tour group. Each six to twelve year old child must be accompanied by an adult who will serve as their kayak partner. Groups of children over twelve must be accompanied by at least one responsible adult. The kayak program is not available for children younger than six years old.

Kayak Tours

May 23, 24, and 25

At 9:30 am -12 noon and5:30 - 8:00 pm, reservations required. Hop on a kayak built for two and explore some of the quiet coves around Whiskeytown Lake. Take a peek at the local inhabitants and learn how they manage to live in an ever-changing environment. For reservations, call [phone] Monday throughFridaybetween9:00 am and 1:00 pm, beginning Monday, May 18.

Walk-in-Time

May 23, 24, and 25

At1 pmtour the 1852 home of pioneer/prospector Charles Camden and learn how he and his partner Levi Tower reshaped the landscape during the California Gold Rush. Discover how the area became a regional center of transportation and the efforts by the National Park Service to revitalize the historic orchard started by Levi Tower. Discover the myths and realities of the Gold Rush Days, and then try your luck at finding your own gold the old fashioned way. Pans and shovels are provided. Meet at the Tower House Historic District parking lot. 

Whiskeytown Cemetery Tour

May 24

At6:30 pmmeet with a park ranger at the Whiskeytown Cemetery for a strolling tour. The tour will visit gravesites and learn about some of the individuals and families who settled here during the Gold Rush through the time of the Central Valley Project and Whiskeytown Lake. Along the way, learn about the iconography/symbolism of headstones and its significance in telling a larger story. Following the tour, visitors will be encouraged to share their stories about this intriguing and unique cemetery as well as historic cemeteries in general and their preservation. Programs will last about 1.5 hours. To reach the Whiskeytown Cemetery from Redding, turn left onto J.F. Kennedy Memorial Drive. Proceed past the Visitor Center about 1.5 miles then turn left on Paige Bar Road (do not cross the dam). Continue south on the Paige Bar Road approximately 1.5 miles. Whiskeytown Cemetery is located on the left, just south of the large Mount Shasta Mine Trailhead parking lot. The Whiskeytown day use pass is not required to visit Whiskeytown Cemetery.