Here’s a chance to do TWO trails on the Mount Shasta Trail Challenge!

First off, the Spring Hill Trail is a great moderate hike with some elevation right off I-5 and downtown Mt Shasta. There is an Instagram ready view of Mount Shasta on the way up and views of Black Butte and Castle Crags from the summit. Dogs are OK, bikes are not, and kids will love it:)

Secondly, Mount Shasta City Park offers 2 miles of easy trail. The headwaters of the Sacramento River are are a great place to cool down after your hike! The headwaters are a very special place. Another option is to hike the City Park before tackling the moderate hike up Spring Hill.

Still a few months to finish the 2023 Mount Shasta Trail Challenge! Check out these and all the other great Mt Shasta area hikes on the Trail Guide tab of the MSTA website here.

Great Day Yesterday, Another This Saturday, 9/23

Big thanks to the nine folks who came out this Monday to do finishing work on Middle Muir’s Ascension (Eric Blomberg, Mark Derby, Dave Peterson, Steve Diaz, Neil Jacobs, Mike Hupp, Bryson, and Renee. We got so much work done!

Help us finish up the hand work on a new Gateway trail this Saturday, Sept 23rd at 9am. We’ll meet at 9am on the south side of Everitt Memorial at the gravel road a half mile below the McBride Springs Campground. Look for a gravel pullout and small parking area just off the gravel road (we’ll be waiting for you there). 

From Everitt Memorial we’ll carpool (high clearance vehicles only) or walk about a quarter mile to the trail. We’ll work our way down, raking and shaping the trail. This is light to moderate work with some amount of walking. We plan to wrap up by noon; stay only as long as you like. Bring water, gloves and a snack. We have hardhats and tools.

This is a great chance to see a new section of trail that’s part of the current buildout. Middle Muir’s Ascension is the section that connects Muir’s from the new parking lot across from the McBride Springs Campground down to Moon Doggie. Once this trail has sat over the winter, it’s going to be really fun to ride and hike. 

This is part of a series of fall workdays to finish this trail and go to work on other new trails to put them to bed for the winter. Mount Shasta Trail Association, Bike Shasta and Siskiyou Outdoor Recreation Alliance are partnering to bring people together to help finish the work done by Trail Labs Co and to build a diverse community of trail users who care about and care for these trails and lands.    

Trail Day this Monday, Sept. 18 at 9 am

Sorry for the late notice. We’ll be primping up the Muir’s Ascension Link (between McBride and Moon Doggie) on Monday, Sept. 18 at 9 am. Meet across from McBride Springs Campground along Everitt Memorial Hwy, about 3 miles above the GW Trailhead. The hike to the trail work is about 50 yards; we’ll have Sherpas to help if you can’t make it on your own. The goal is to rough up any deep tire tracks, smooth the tread, and open up any clogged drainages, much as we did recently on Strawberry Valley Trail. So, this is light to moderate rake/McLeod work. Come for an hour and hang with the crew.

Trail Challenge 2023 — Check out the McCloud River Trail

Looking for a great trail that has something for everyone? How about the McCloud River trail on the Mount Shasta Trail Challenge! THREE waterfalls, swimming holes, tall trees, campgrounds, fishing spots, and dogs are OK. This trail is ADA accessible around the trailheads and otherwise mostly flat and easy. There’s still time to download and finish the 2023 Trail Challenge!!

Check out the Trail Challenge here.

Fun Trail Work Yesterday on Strawberry Valley Trail

Sixteen of us had a great morning together yesterday heading into the Gateway Trails to buff up the lower portion of the new Strawberry Valley Trail. Half of us trimmed out the encroaching brush that had nearly closed off the trail while the rest hiked up to clean up the tread and the drainages that had suffered a bit from the recent rains. The photos show that it was as much a social event as it was a successful work day. Many thanks to Renee Casterline, Davis Bowden, Kerry O’Brien, Neil Jacobs, Dave Pfurr, John Kelly, Mark Derby, Eric Blomberg, Steve Diaz, Neil Posson, Tony Mills, Mike Bradley, Chris Marrone, and Pat Titus, and Bryson Schreder.

Stay tuned; there will be many more trail days this fall as MSTA, BikeShasta, SORA, and the USFS get together to prep all the new trails for winter (and more importantly, spring!).

TRAIL WORK TOMORROW MORNING AT 9

Remember that we’re meeting tomorrow morning at 9 at the Gateway Trailhead to do some trail maintenance/cleanup.

We recommend boots or sturdy shoes, long pants, long sleeve shirt, eye protection, gloves (although I have those if you need them), and water. I have the hardhats, which we have to wear on USFS property.

Hope to see you!

Bear Springs Trail – Make It Part of Your Trail Challenge!

The recent rain has really cleaned the smoke out of the air and made the dirt perfect for mountain biking or hiking. What a perfect time to check out Bear Springs Trail on the Mount Shasta Trail Challenge! Great views, flowing cross country, and technical elements with go arounds. Did you know Bear Springs Trail is expanding further up Mt Shasta to Everitt Vista AND all the way down to the town of Mt Shasta! Check out the exciting plans at https://www.gatewaytrail.org/

Trail Work this Thursday, Sept 7 at 9 am

Please join MSTA on a trail work day this Thursday, Sept 7 at 9 am at the Gateway Trailhead on Everitt Memorial Hwy. We’ll enter the Gateway System through the green gate (hopefully in carpools) and drive to the North Gateway Crossing (about 6-8 minutes) where we’ll organize to trim back the brush and improve the tread on the lower part of the new Strawberry Valley Trail. This is light to moderate work with either a very short hike (for the brushers) and a slightly longer hike for those doing tread work. Stay only as long as you like. Bring water and a snack. We have all the tools.

This is a great chance to meet new trail crew members as well as Bryson Schreder, trail steward coordinator for the Siskiyou Outdoor Recreation Alliance, who will be helping organize some trail work days in the future.