Best Backpacking Trips in California and Nevada

By Mike White and Douglas Lorain

The American West is home to some of the best backpacking trips in the world, and within California and Nevada are several outstanding destination trails. Hikers from all over the country, and around the world, travel to this area every season to undertake some of these classic trips of a lifetime and enjoy the breathtaking scenery. Best Backpacking Trips in California and Nevada was written to help the accomplished hiker through the entire process of planning a multiday excursion. The book covers all aspects of the trip, from traveling to the area to successfully fulfilling the dream of backpacking in one of the most beautiful regions in the West.

The guide includes thirteen detailed trail descriptions, along with information on additional resources, governing agencies, and permits and fees. It also provides listings of the nearest airports, outdoor retailers, campgrounds, transportation, and amenities and attractions. Accompanying the specific information on each trip are captivating historical vignettes and entertaining personal essays, enhancing the reader’s understanding of the area. Whether journeying from near or far, Best Backpacking Trips of California and Nevada is the most complete resource for turning a dream trip into reality.

• Language: English
• Publisher: University of Nevada Press
• Release date: Apr 27, 2015
• ISBN: 9780874179729

Book preview

Trip 1

High Trinity Alps Traverse

Klamath Mountains Trinity Alps Wilderness, Shasta-Trinity National Forest

Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit.

—Edward Abbey

Often passed over but not entirely forgotten, the Klamath Mountains receive much less attention than the High Sierra of Yosemite–Kings Canyon–Sequoia fame. Sometimes less is more, and such is the case with the Trinity Alps, a 525,000-acre designated wilderness area in northwestern California, containing landscapes ranging from dense coastal forests to rugged alpine peaks and virtually everything in between. One would have to travel all the way north to the Olympic Mountains in the far northwestern corner of Washington State to find a western mountain range with similar diversity. The central Trinity Alps hold the highest peaks, culminating in 9,002-foot Thompson Peak, a glacier-clad peak of granite reminiscent of a classic Yosemite peak. Several other notable summits surround Thompson Peak, creating an alpine wonderland filled with cirque-bound lakes and sliced by deep canyons carrying tumbling streams. Near the ecological crossroads of the Cascade, Sierra, and Coast Ranges, the Trinity Alps are blessed with significant biological diversity, where mixed forests are periodically broken by verdant meadows often filled with a wide variety of wildflowers. Visitors have excellent opportunities to experience diverse fauna as well, with black bears and black-tailed deer commonly seen large mammals.

This multiday circuit through the heart of the Trinity Alps exposes backpackers to some of the best scenery the area has to offer, visiting some of the most highly coveted areas, including Caribou Basin, Jewel Lakes, and Four Lakes. Although these places represent some of the more popular areas as well (at least by Trinity Alps standards), plenty of solitude should be available en route. A fine network of trails would enable those with extra time plenty of opportunities for additional wanderings, with off-trail skills expanding those options even further. The Trinity Alps certainly possess plenty of the necessary attributes required for a trip of a lifetime.

PERMITS: A valid wilderness permit is required for all overnight stays in the Trinity Alps Wilderness. Self-issue permits can be obtained at any ranger station.

REGULATIONS: Maximum group size is ten. Horses are not allowed on the trail over Sawtooth Ridge. No campfires at Stuart Fork lakes (Emerald, Sapphire, Mirror), or Four Lakes.

NEAREST CAMPGROUNDS: Big Flat—0.1 mile from starting Big Flat trailhead Alpine View—5 miles from ending Long Canyon trailhead

NEAREST AIRPORTS: Redding Municipal Airport (RDD)—110

miles Sacramento International Airport (SAC)—255 miles

NEAREST OUTDOOR RETAILERS: Redding Sports—103 miles

950 Hilltop Dr.

Redding, CA 96003

530-221-7333

Hermit’s Hut Outdoor Specialties—104 miles

3184 Bechelli Ln.

Redding, CA 96002

888-507-4455

OUTFITTERS: Coffee Creek Ranch

HC2 Box 4940

Trinity Center, CA 96091

800-624-4480

www.coffeecreekranch.com

TRANSPORTATION LOGISTICS: Driving an automobile is the only realistic way to get to the Big Flat and Long Canyon trailheads. Reservations for rental cars can be made at both Redding and Sacramento airports. Make sure your vehicle is reasonably durable, as most of the 20-mile drive on Coffee Creek Road beyond Highway 3 is over dirt road.

BACKCOUNTRY LOGISTICS: (A, B, L, Su) The original trail builders constructed a steep trail over the shoulder of Caribou Mountain into Caribou Basin that was later replaced with a longer but less steep trail around the mountain. Most parties elect to follow the easier, newer route, but doing so misses some of the Trinity Alps’s best views, as well as the opportunity to visit lovely Little Caribou Lake. If you don’t mind a stiff 1.8-mile climb (and the 0.8-mile round-trip, off-trail traverse to the lake), the scenic rewards are more than worthwhile.

Exits for shorter trips can be made via some lesser-used trails in the wilderness. Be forewarned, however, that these trails may be difficult to follow in places and overgrown with brush in others. Check with the Forest Service for current trail conditions if you decide to alter the route.

AMENITIES AND ATTRACTIONS: The small town of Weaverville, with a quaint and historic downtown built during the mining boom, is the jumping-off point for many Trinity Alps adventures. Weaverville has a number of budget motels, gas stations, and commercial establishments. LeGrange Café (226 Main St., 530-623-5325) arguably serves the best food in town for lunch and dinner. Garden Café (252 Main St.) is a favorite breakfast haunt among locals and tourists, especially when the weather allows for comfortable outdoor dining on the patio. Beneath the Garden Café is La Casita, serving ample portions of decent Mexican cuisine. Trinideli (201 Trinity Lakes Blvd.) is the best delicatessen for grabbing a sandwich on the way out of town. Outside the historic downtown core, Susie’s Bakery (1260 Main St.) serves traditional carbo-loading treats. Miller’s Drive-In (901 Main St.) is the town’s old-fashioned hamburger joint, serving hamburgers, fries, and shakes that put the fast-food franchises to shame. Along with the usual commercial establishments, a strip mall at the east end of town houses Top’s Sentry Market, which carries a wide assortment of food items suitable for the backpack.

The chief historical attraction in town is the Weaverville Joss House (404 Main St., [phone]), the oldest continuously used Chinese temple in California. Managed by California State Parks and open Thursdays through Sundays, the Taoist temple houses art objects, historic photographs, mining tools, and wrought iron weapons used in the Tong War of 1854.

The nearby Trinity River is renowned for both rafting and fishing. Consult the Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (www.shastacascade.com) for more information.

Upscale accommodations may be secured at the historic Carrville Inn, a bed-and-breakfast establishment on a 25-acre estate, 2 miles south of Coffee Creek (carrvilleinn.com, 530-266-3000).

Coffee Creek is a tiny community 40 miles north of Weaverville at the junction of Highway 3 and Coffee Creek Road. Trailhead Pizza is a recent entry into the Coffee Creek food scene. The eclectic Forest Café, immediately east of the junction, serves decent food at reasonable prices. On the opposite side of the highway, a side road leads to the Country Store, a small market with gas pumps and a laundromat. Along Coffee Creek Road are a few rustic resorts, including Bonanza King Resort (530-266-3305), Coffee Creek Ranch (coffeecreekranch.com), and Trinity Mountain Meadow Resort (mountainmeadowresort.com).

DIRECTIONS TO TRAILHEAD: From Interstate 5 in Redding, head westbound on Highway 299 for 45 miles to the town of Weaverville. In the historic downtown area, turn north on State Highway 3 and travel 22.5 miles to County Road 115, which is shortly past Guy Covington Drive on the right and just past a bridge over the East Fork of the Stuart Fork River. Turn left and follow paved road for 2.6 miles to Forest Road 35N10 and turn right. Proceed on gravel surface for 0.3 mile to an intersection and turn left into the Long Canyon trailhead parking area. This will be your ending trailhead.

To reach the starting trailhead, return 2.9 miles to Highway 3 and proceed north to Coffee Creek Road, immediately past a bridge spanning Coffee Creek (40 miles north of Weaverville and 17.5 miles north of the Road 115 junction). Proceed west, immediately coming to a road on the right leading 300 yards to the Coffee Creek Ranger Station (wilderness permits) and the Country Store. Follow Coffee Creek Road past campgrounds, trailheads, and resorts for 20.5 miles to the Big Flat trailhead beside Big Flat Campground. On the way, you’re likely to see the effects of the 2014 Coffee Fire on the north side of Coffee Creek Road. The primitive campground has nine no-fee sites with a vault toilet, but no running water or garbage pickup. As always, water from South Fork Salmon River adjacent to the campground should be treated.

TRIP DESCRIPTION: The start of the trail may be a bit confusing to first-timers, but travel south from the parking area on a dirt road that soon narrows to single-track trail and leads to a junction just before a crossing of South Fork Salmon River. Turn right (west) and cross the river, which should be straightforward unless you’re here early in the season when the river is running full. When such conditions exist, look for a footlog downstream from the ford. Climb away from the river to a junction with the Tri-Forest Trail, where the right-hand path heads toward Caribou Gulch.

Proceed ahead from the junction, soon ascending a series of switchbacks on a moderate climb, followed by a long ascending traverse across the east face of a ridge, through dense manzanitas and ceanothus. A copse of forest provides a bit of shade along the way, interrupted briefly by a clearing with a tantalizing view of the sparkling granite slopes of Caribou Mountain. Back in the trees, the trail switchbacks and ascends south, with panoramic views of Big Flat and Mountain Meadow Ranch below, and across the canyon to the Yellow Rose Trail. After a half mile, the trail switchbacks and heads southwest for 0.6 mile to Caribou Meadow, a sloping clearing at a saddle on the ridgecrest. Very shortly after entering the meadow, you reach a junction, 3 miles from the trailhead, where the old and new trails over Caribou Mountain diverge.

Unless you just don’t possess the extra energy for the more grueling ascent and would prefer the longer but less taxing route of the new trail, veer left (southwest) onto the old trail, which is a much more scenic alternative. The steeper grade of the old trail is immediately apparent on a steep, switchbacking climb, zigzagging away from the meadow. After 0.4 mile of climbing, reach a rock knob, where the grade eases and the trail makes a slight descent to the crest of a ridge. The stiff climb resumes, with good views of Caribou Mountain through breaks in the forest, eventually switchbacking up the ridge to where ducks mark a junction with the 0.4-mile-long use trail heading west to Little Caribou Lake.

Away from the use trail junction, the trail continues a steep climb via switchbacks to the top of Peak 8,118, where you’ll behold a stunning vista. To the northeast is majestic Mt. Shasta, the 14,179-foot volcano standing guard over a vast area of far northern California. Closer at hand to the southeast, Caribou Mountain towers over Caribou Basin, with the surface of Caribou Lake sparkling in the customary sunshine, surrounded by a sea of white granite. Lining the far side of the basin is the serrated profile of Sawtooth Ridge, with the snow-tipped summits of Thompson Peak, Mt. Hilton, Sawtooth Mountain, and the rest of the central Trinity Alps providing a dramatic backdrop. This is one of the prime views in all of the Trinity Alps.

SIDE TRIP TO LITTLE CARIBOU LAKE: Drop down the ridge away from the old trail across rock slabs into the forest. Avoiding steep talus above, follow a nearly level traverse over granite boulders and slabs toward the notch through which flows the seasonal outlet of the lake toward Caribou Gulch below. Periodic cairns may help guide you, but the route is fairly clear and quite obvious. Upon reaching the drainage, turn upstream and follow the gully to the northeast shore of Little Caribou Lake.

Little Caribou Lake occupies a beautiful cirque basin nearly encircled by angled granite cliffs and dotted with clusters of mountain hemlocks. A few campsites along the north shore seem plentiful enough to accommodate the usual low number of overnight visitors, and firewood seems to be in adequate supply. Although the water temperature in the north-facing basin is quite chilly, swimming in the south end of the lake should be refreshing, where conveniently placed rock slabs offer fine spots for sunbathing after a dip. After a stay at Little Caribou Lake, retrace your steps 0.4 mile to the main