CHANCES ARE you’ve got a pretty good picture of what California is all about. And chances are you’ve got a lot of it just about right. You’ve seen California on the TV . You’ve seen it in magazines. You’ve seen it at the movies.

You’ve even heard it on the radio. And so, yes, your inner picture is on the mark: California is a sun-kissed land of vineyards, orchards and beaches beneath endless blue skies, of fabulous cities, outstanding national parks, deserts, mountains, charming small towns and terrific, world-beating hotels.

But what you probably don’t realise is that that’s not even the half of it. There is so much more of California, just waiting to be discovered. After all, we’re talking about a stretch of land that is almost twice the size of Britain.

For people who like to explore, for whom travel is about new sensations and adventure, that opens up an awful lot of possibilities. Imagine, for example, roaming through a landscape of shimmering lakes and awesome rivers, of mountains and caves and waterfalls, of winding country roads and friendly towns where the laid-back locals take the time to ask you how your day is going.

Well, that would be the Shasta Cascades in the north, a region loved by Californians, and one of its best-kept secrets. Here is a paradise for walkers, golfers, cyclists, canoeists and rafters, skiers, anglers, horse riders – just about anyone, in fact, who loves nature, pure and simple and utterly inspiring. Or perhaps you like to take a more relaxed approach to your travels, exploring the scenery from behind the wheel of a fine automobile?

Cruising along majestic open roads, through orchards of peaches, plums and almonds, stopping here and there for a cup of coffee, a bite to eat, maybe even a tour of a vineyard along the way? If that’s the case, Central Valley could have been created with just you in mind. This incredibly fertile region unfolds over 400 glorious miles between the coastal mountains and the Sierra Nevada range.

Visit from late February through March, and you’ll find the entire valley awash with blossom – a riot of pink, white and red petals unrivalled anywhere else on Earth. At other times of the year, there are festivals devoted to the bountiful local produce – Stockton celebrates asparagus over three days in April, while Lodi folk raise a glass to the grape in May.

And if you’re thinking you might be in need of a little shopping and culture amidst all this natural splendour, then look no further than Sacramento, the northern gateway to the Central Valley, and the southern gateway to Shasta Cascades and northern California. In addition to the fine restaurants, classy hotels and sophisticated nightlife you might expect, there are one or two more unusual attractions.

Museums dedicated to the extraordinary story of the region’s gold rush in the 1850s, and to Sacramento’s importance as a railroad hub, offer a fascinating taste of the past. Take a tour of the magnificent State Capitol building, with its superb Classical Revival dome, and stroll around its picturesque gardens.

And to finish off your day, why not enjoy dinner, accompanied by live music, aboard the River Train as it follows the course of the Sacramento River? Of course, you don’t have to wander off the beaten track. San Francisco, Yosemite, Los Angeles, San Diego, Sequoia National Park, Mount Whitney, Lake Tahoe… the list of world-class attractions in California is endless. But just bear this in mind: there’s the California you think you know – and an awful lot more that you don’t.