Walking

Benefits of Walking

Walking offers great benefits that improve health. Walking can control weight, blood sugar and cholesterol levels. It can also relieve depression and stress, improve sleep quality and just make you feel better. How much exercise do you need? Adults should get 30 minutes of moderate physical activity, such as a brisk walk, on most days of the week, to maintain good health.

We can all look for ways to add a few extra steps into our day, such as walking to the mailbox, parking further from our destinations, or walking during breaks at work. Start slowly and work up to meeting (or exceeding) the Surgeon General's physical activity guidelines of at least 30 minutes per day, 5 or more days per week (or 10,000 steps throughout the day on a pedometer). To track the minutes and intensity of your own walking, click pedometer information or download the activity log.

Walk to School

Do you live less than a mile from your child's school? Enjoy quality time with your child while getting exercise by walking or biking to school. Children that walk to school are more physically fit and arrive at school prepared to concentrate and learn. It also reduces traffic congestion around the school area, making it safer for more children to walk and bike, and improving the air quality around the school. Consider participating in a walking school bus by taking turns with other parents to walk neighborhood children to school from a central meeting point. Schools that are participating in this program include: Junction school, Manzanita Elementary, Shasta Lake school and Turtle Bay school. For more information, or tips on how to safely walk and bike to school, call (530) 245-6457.

Local Walking Resources

Walk Redding Guide
Anderson Walks Guide
Cottonwood Walks
Shasta Lake Walks
Senior Walking Groups
Johnson Park
Walk Burney
McConnell Foundation - This site offers maps of the Lema Ranch and Churn Creek trails, directions to the trail heads and a description of the site (click on Lema Ranch walking trails).
Walkability Checklist

When the weather is too hot or wet, using a treadmill or joining a mall-walking program can help you keep up the momentum.

Below is a list of additional locations that offer opportunities for walking and hiking.

Anderson River Park, Anderson (530) 378-6656
Whiskeytown Lake (530) 246-1225
McArthur-Burney Falls State Park (530) 335-2777
Lassen Volcanic National Park (530) 595-4444
Margaret Polf Park in Shasta Lake City at the corner of Shasta Dam Blvd and Sacramento St. in City of Shasta Lake (530) 275-1589
Castle Crags State Park (530) 235-2684

For information on how to make your community walkable, visit the Healthy Shasta Walks website.