Blue Gravel Trail

If you and your fur buddy are looking for a pawrific trail adventure, but don’t want to venture too far from home, you can find the Blue Gravel Mine Trail right in the heart of Redding, California. This paved path is popular with many other dog lovers, so you will likely be sharing the trail with other pooches and their humans. 

Although this is a slightly uphill trail, it is a mild hike that will typically take about two hours to complete for the average hiker. Fido needs to stay on a lead the whole time you are on the path, but this is a wonderfully dog fur-iendly hike with a water fountain about halfway through that has a dog dish attached just for your pooch. 

The Blue Gravel Mine Trail takes you along Buenaventura Boulevard past Indian Hills Park, and onto Canyon Creek Road, where you and your dog can splash in the small creek just for fun. There are splashes of color everywhere from the gorgeous wildflowers like snapdragons, bluebells, yucca, lilies, and daisies. 

There's plenty of shade along the path from the large oak and pine trees, and there is even a metal tunnel around the halfway point by the fountain where there are benches to take a break if needed. On your way back to the trailhead at Buenaventura Boulevard and Placer Street, you can check out the historic Blue Gravel Mine where you can still see some of the antique mining equipment. 

There is one drinking fountain on the trail, but there are no restrooms available anywhere along the way. However, there are several shops and restaurants in the Holiday Market, which is connected to the trail. Some of these places are said to be dog-friendly, but you should always ask the business to be sure. Whether you and your fur baby decide to hit the shops or not, you will likely want to come back and visit the Blue Gravel Mine Trail again.