Every Trail Tells a Story
Woodson Bridge State Recreation Area
Every state park system has its crown jewels…and then it has its “leg-stretcher” stops. Woodson Bridge falls firmly in the latter camp. Think of it as a pleasant enough pause on the Sacramento River, a shady place to picnic, camp, launch a boat, or take a short stroll. This isn’t Yosemite, but it isn’t a strip mall either-and when you’re in the north Central Valley, that counts for something.
What Woodson Bridge does have is water. Canoers, rafters, and inner-tubers float past on their way downstream from Los Molinos or Red Bluff. Anglers come here chasing shad, striped bass, salmon, or whatever else happens to be running. For many, Woodson Bridge isn’t the destination so much as the boat launch or the take-out. Hikers? We get squeezed in between the floaters and fishers, but there’s enough here to make it worth stretching your legs.
The star attraction on land is the grove of grand valley oaks. These are the kind of trees that remind you why the valley was once called an oak savanna before it became an almond and walnut empire. Come in fall, and those oaks, along with the walnuts, sycamores, and cottonwoods, put on a decent color show. Beneath them, elderberry, wild grape, and blackberry tangle into a wild understory that makes the place feel less like a manicured park and more like a slice of riparian jungle.
It’s not large-the 428-acre park straddles both banks of the Sacramento, with the west side undeveloped and the east side offering a small campground. Neighboring Tehama County Park feels like part of the same package, with a boat ramp, picnic ground, and a broad gravel bar where the local tubers hoist their innertubes. Truth be told, it’s the better place to start your hike.
And yes, on a rare crystal-clear day in the Sacramento Valley, you can look up from this humble riverside trail and actually glimpse giants: Mount Shasta, Mount Lassen, and even the Trinity Alps off in the distance. The contrast-big peaks on the horizon, lazy tubing and short trails at your feet-is classic California.
Woodson Bridge State Recreation Area is located at 25430 South Ave. 6 miles east of Corning, From I-5 in Corning, exit on South Avenue and drive east 6 miles to Woodson Bridge. For the best trail access, park at Tehama County Park, just south of the bridge.
Below the bridge, find the gravel bar and pick up one of two paths that angle into the riverside undergrowth. Follow the Sacramento eastward beneath cottonwoods and alders, with grapevines twisting overhead and blackberries clawing at your socks. After about 0.75 mile, you’ll come to a small picnic area-a natural turnaround. If you want a little more, keep going another half mile to where Deer Creek joins the Sacramento. Then head back, refreshed and with at least some justification to crack open a cooler back at the car.