Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge

For several years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been buying up large parcels of land along a 77-mile stretch of the Sacramento River, from Red Bluff to Princeton, both to preserve its riparian vegetation and wildlife habitat and to give the river room to meander. For much of that time, the land has been off-limits to hunters, anglers and hikers, while the service studied its potential uses. Now most of the studying is done, and much of the refuge is accessible (though some areas only by boat). This site describes the 27-unit refuge area and also provides maps showing the lands that are accessible, existing trails and picnic sites, and so on. It’s an invaluable resource for anyone who loves the river and wants to explore it and the lands along it further. Fish and Wildlife does give a warning, however: Mountain lions have been sighted on the refuge. The service recommends that people enter the refuge in groups and that children be kept close by. See the site for more info.