Hike to South Gate Meadows — Saturday August 21, 2021

The Mount Shasta Trail Association invites the public on a 4.6-mile roundtrip hike to South Gate Meadow on Saturday, August 21. The hike is moderate with a 400 ft elevation gain and a high point of 7,900 ft.

The South Gate Meadow Trail is one of the most scenic and interesting trails on Mount Shasta. The trail starts at the Old Ski Bowl and passes through spectacularly barren moonscape toward the South Gate, a gap between the south end of Sargent’s Ridge and Red Butte, a large volcanic dome unsurprisingly composed of reddish colored andesite. The first part of the route stays above tree line, giving constant views including Black Fox and Buck Mountains to the east. Beyond the boulders the trail enters into a canopy of red fir forest leading to the Squaw/South Gate Meadow.

The meadow is an idyllic scene with lush grass carpeting the ground as numerous spring-fed creeks course their way through the meadow. The creek birthed at the springs responsible for the meadow is Squaw Creek Valley, which flows off of Mount Shasta, through the town of McCloud and into Squaw Valley Creek, beyond which it courses its way into the McCloud River. Above the meadow is Sargent’s Ridge, topped by Shastarama Point, Thumb Rock and Konwakiton Glacier.

Please note that dogs are not allowed in the Mount Shasta Wilderness which is where this hike is entering. Meeting place is 111 Morgan Way, the street in front of the Best Western Tree House Motor Inn (near Ray’s) at 9:00 am. Participants will carpool. Bring lunch, sun protection and water. Hiking poles are recommended. Expect to return by 3:00 pm. For further questions, call Joan Roemer 530-925-9644.

Courtesy of hikemtshasta.com

New Map Kiosks on the Lake Siskiyou Trail

Exciting news! There are now 5 new maps installed on the two existing and 3 new kiosks at Lake Siskiyou. The maps have great information for all lake visitors to use for planning their outdoor adventures. Check them out the next time you are at Lake Siskiyou. Or, use this post as an excuse to get down to the Lake for a little outdoor fun!! Enjoy.

One of the new kiosks along the Lake Siskiyou Trail
New map on existing kiosk at Lake Siskiyou Trail parking across from tennis courts

Volunteers needed for Grinduro Race

The Siskiyou Outdoor Recreation Alliance is one of MSTA’s “sister organizations” because they promote many of the same activities and events that we do and are focused, obviously, on outdoor recreation. They have a massive event coming up from Sept. 15-19 when more than a thousand people will arrive for a nationally recognized gravel road race called Grinduro. They need volunteer help to pull this off, so if you are interested, check it out at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0c44abab22aafcce9-volunteer

St. Barnabas Trail Cleared

A dozen volunteers showed up on a cool, cloudy (and sometimes sprinkly) morning to remove the 5-foot high weeds covering the St. Barnabas Trail. Armed with power tools and rakes, the big, eager group made short work of the overgrowth. We even had 4 new appearances on this crew. Thanks so much for all the effort.

Trail Clearing at St. Barnabas July 27 at 9 am

The St. Barnabas Trail has become totally overgrown and completely obliterated by weeds, so we’re having a work morning next Tuesday, July 27, starting at 9 am. We need 4 volunteers to run weed whackers (2 walk-behind and 2 portable) and 2 or 3 people to rake away the weeds so the weed whackers can proceed. This is not terribly hard work, and the reward is a nice, clear trail and some comraderie. If you can show up for even 30-60 minutes, it would be appreciated. With a dozen volunteers, we’ll be done in 60-90 minutes.

Please meet in the St. Barnabas Church parking lot on Lassen Lane just west of the freeway overpass and Doctors’ Park. I’ll be there between 8:30 and 9:00 preparing the power tools and rakes. Bring water, gloves, ear and eye protection (if you don’t have the gear, I’ll have some).

Fourth Trail Challenge Stewardship Prize Winner

The Mount Shasta Trail Association is pleased to announce our fourth stewardship prize winner, Bubba Suess. Bubba and his kids often volunteer for MSTA’s trail work days and the cleanup of illegal dump sites.

Bubba won a $25 Mount Shasta Chamber of Commerce gift certificate that can be used at local businesses. This prize is sponsored by the MSTA. All prizes can be picked up at the Mount Shasta Visitors center.

Here they are with Bubba and his Boy Scout troop working on the Spring Hill Trail.

Helping with trails runs in the family!

Hike to Gray Rock Lakes — Saturday July 17, 2021

On Saturday, July 17th the Mount Shasta Trail Association invites the public on a moderate 2.5 mile hike with a 600 foot elevation gain to Gray Rock Lakes above the South Fork of the Sacramento River. While the trail is a bit of a scramble at times, the spectacular views and the pristine lakes makes it well worth the effort. Four-wheel drive vehicles with high clearance are needed to get to the trailhead. We will be carpooling as there is limited parking.

The meeting time and place is 9:00 am at 111 Morgan Way in Mt Shasta, in front of the Best Western Treehouse Motor Inn. Bring water, lunch and if interested, a bathing suit for a refreshing swim. A hiking pole is recommended. We will return by 4:00 pm. For further questions call Joan Roemer 530-925-9644.

Timber Lake on the way to Gray Rock Lakes

New Gateway Trail Website

You might want to check out the Gateway Trail website that was recently finished and taken live. It features a lot of content, including the following sections: Location (explores local attractions with links), Expansion (reviews the Gateway project, including a video), Partners (all the folks and organizations who’ve joined us in this endeavor), Stewardship (how to be kind to nature), Frequently Asked Questions (hopefully helpful), and a Donate page. The website should help familiarize locals and out-of-towners with exactly what is being built.

Attached is a map of the three zones planned (Community, Big Mountain, and Learning).

Here’s the link: gatewaytrail.org