ravele
Sheri Houck (2)
Bizz Johnson National Recreation
Trail, California
The buzz on the Bizz is that this rail-trail
has it all: trestles, tunnels and tons of
autumn color. Orange oaks and golden
aspens dot the pine-covered hillsides and
rocky slopes of the Susan River Canyon,
through which the 25-mile Bizz Johnson
trail courses, while yellow cottonwoods
and willows brighten the riverbanks.
Here, in northeastern California, the
gravel pathway gives hikers, mountain
bikers and equestrians a premium view
of the showy foliage, most picturesque
typically from mid-October to early
November. But the trees don’t provide
the only photo op; on the west end of
the trail, get your cameras out for self-
ies with a 22-foot-tall sculpture of the
legendary lumberjack Paul Bunyan and
his trusty sidekick, Babe the Blue Ox, in
Westwood.
You won’t want to miss the annual
Rails to Trails Festival on Columbus Day
weekend, which features live music, a
chili cook-off and old-fashioned railroad
handcar races. The event takes place
on the trail’s east end at the Susanville
Railroad Depot, now doubling as a visi-
tor center that offers a treasure trove of
historical relics and information about
the region.
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