Backroads Culture

Backroads Culture Our team of filmmakers, editors and producers take pride Exploring America’s small towns—their history, hidden gems, unique shops, and natural wonders.

Enjoy the journey off the beaten path!

Northern California at Sunset! Mount Shasta from above Cave Springs Resort
05/26/2026

Northern California at Sunset!

Mount Shasta from above Cave Springs Resort

05/24/2026

This lake only looks like this for only a few weeks in May and June. And then dries up.

Between Redding and Susanville California, Poison Lake sits along Highway 44 in Shasta County. Trails, camping and other things to do in Northern California, are plentiful

05/23/2026

Northern California road trip season is officially here. The highway through Lassen Volcanic National Park is now fully open, with towering snow walls, volcanic landscapes, alpine lakes, mountain views, and one of the most scenic drives in California all coming back to life for summer.

Bumpass Hell remains temporarily closed as snow continues melting, but visitors can once again drive the entire park highway between the northwest and southwest entrances. From Redding to Mount Shasta and the Cascade Range, this is one of the best late spring and early summer adventures in California

05/21/2026

Can you relate?

We average about 90,000 miles a year telling the stories of small towns across America! And gas prices have caused us to have to postpone some of our most exciting trips coming up.

05/21/2026

If your weekend keeps ending up the same way… change it. Get off the couch and go to Calistoga. Over the next few weeks we’ll be showing you more small towns like this. Follow along.

Point the car north and don’t overthink it. Coffee at Calistoga Roastery, ease into The Vault, then take a soak at Calistoga Spa Resort. No schedule, no pressure.

If you need a starting point, Calistoga Chamber has you covered.

It’s not a big trip. That’s the whole point.

05/21/2026

California’s least crowded national park, and most people have never been here. Send this to your friends you’d go here with!

Lassen Volcanic National Park sees fewer than 450,000 visitors a year, which means quiet trails, empty overlooks, and room to actually experience the park.

📍 What you get:
📌 150+ miles of trails
📌 44 miles of scenic road & drives
📌 200+ lakes and ponds
📌 One of the only places on Earth with all four volcano types in one park

📍 And it’s closer than it feels:
📌 ~3–3.5 hours north of the Bay Area
📌 ~45 minutes east of Redding

Still wild. Still overlooked. Still worth protecting. Things to do in Northern California.

05/18/2026

Nevada City California is more than just as historic gold mining town! Check out BONC for more information.

05/15/2026

during the Great Depression, places like Grass Valley and Nevada City were doing the opposite.

While much of America was struggling, gold was still flowing here.

Mining kept these towns alive. The Yuba River wasn’t just beautiful, it was part of the reason fortunes were made. Hydraulic mining, hard rock mining, and the gold still buried in these hills kept business moving when the rest of the country slowed down.

Hotels stayed busy. Main streets stayed active. Families kept working. In a time called the Great Depression, this corner of California felt something very different.

Gold made these towns boom once, and in many ways, it never really stopped.

That history is still here, in the brick buildings, the old mines, and the streets that still feel like California’s gold rush never fully ended.

05/12/2026

Skykomish, Founded over 130 years ago as a logging town in the Cascade Mountains, it’s a place shaped by railroads, rivers, and the people who never left.

We interviewed six locals to share the history, natural beauty, and stories that make Skykomish a destination worth slowing down for.

Stay along the Highway 2 corridor with Stay PNW and experience the Cascades from homes that put you right in the middle of it

05/08/2026

Send this to who you’re taking with you.

Start in Ferndale by staying at Victorian inn , grab coffee, walk the main street… then take Mattole Road out.

It rolls through open ranch land, climbs into wild hills, then drops you right along the Pacific for miles. No crowds out here. Just coastline, wind, and views.

Turn it into a weekend. Stay in Ferndale, explore more of Humboldt County, eat local, shop small, and take your time on the drive.

Follow for more places worth the trip.

05/05/2026

The people kept asking for the full video! So here we go!

This is Leadville Colorado!

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Redding, CA

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