Mount Shasta Trail Association
Inspire • Create • Conserve
Due the unprecedented number of extreme wildfires, as of 5:00 PM today, the Forest Service has temporarily closed all national forests in California, including the Shasta-Trinity. That means no nothing. No hiking, mountain biking, running, fishing camping, etc. The temporary closure will be evaluated every day, so stay tuned. Here’s a link to the news release.
The Mount Shasta area and surrounding Shasta-Trinity National Forest lands offer plenty of beautiful natural areas to do dispersed camping. To help you do dispersed camping safely and ethically, Northern California hiking guidebook author and former Mount Shasta Trail Association board member John Soares has just released his latest book: Camp for Free: Dispersed Camping & Boondocking on America’s Public Lands.
Dispersed camping (also called boondocking) entails driving down a road on national forest land (such as Shasta-Trinity National Forest and Klamath National Forest) or Bureau of Land Management land (common in desert areas) and finding a beautiful and legal site to camp. These campsites are usually far from organized campgrounds and often also far from other people — and they’re usually free.
Camp for Free is not a guide to specific campsites; there are several hundred thousand sites on the over 400 million acres of public lands in the United States. Instead, the book is a how-to guide that includes all the details of enjoying dispersed camping, and how to do it both ethically and safely.
Introduction
Chapter One: Dispersed Camping Defined
Chapter Two: Vehicles
Chapter Three: Where You Can Go
Chapter Four: Before You Go
Chapter Five: Finding the Best Dispersed Camping Sites
Chapter Six: Best Practices
Chapter Seven: Safety
Chapter Eight: Sleep for Free in Towns and Cities
Appendix: What to Take
There are hundreds of places to do dispersed camping in the greater Mount Shasta area on Shasta-Trinity National Forest and Klamath National Forest lands, and they are all great for exploring more remote areas where you can hike. (The Mount Shasta Trail Association has lots of info on Mount Shasta trails.)
Shasta-Trinity National Forest has a series of rules you need to follow.
Camp at least 200 feet from streams, springs, meadows, and trails, and at least a quarter-mile from campgrounds, picnic areas, trailheads, state highways, and private property.
Seriously, make sure you have a California campfire permit and be aware that for much of summer into autumn all fires are prohibited in California national forests, including Shasta-Trinity National Forest and Klamath National Forest. Even if it’s early in the season and campfires are allowed, strongly consider skipping it. Always make sure you follow all regulations and understand fire safety.
As the Mount Shasta area becomes more popular, hikers and campers tend to congregate in a few popular areas, especially on the west side of Mount Shasta and nearby. Try to go farther out so that you have more privacy and can minimize the impact of humans on the environment.
Call the ranger station that has jurisdiction and ask about best places for dispersed camping, including which roads are open and any current restrictions or rules.
Get all the details of Camp for Free here. For now, the book is primarily for sale on Amazon, but will have wider distribution by the end of 2020.
John has several key resources on his Northern California Hiking Trails website:
Since we still have 11 of the prizes (Hydro Flask tumblers) remaining, we’ve decided to extend the Challenge to October 1st. All you have to do is complete 8 trails listed on the passport and email us the list of those trails. Here’s a link to more information: link
From the Forest Service:
Starting August 31, the Shasta-Trinity National Forest will begin work to replace the West Parks Creek OHV trail bridge with a new bridge. The new bridge will provide a safe crossing of the stream for motorized vehicles 50” wide or less, reduce sediment delivery into West Parks Creek, and restore meadow conditions adjacent to the trailhead. The West Parks Creek bridge is located at the end of Road 41N73, on the Shasta McCloud Management Unit off of Parks Creek Road, 42N17. The trailhead to West Parks Creek Lakes will be closed during construction so parking will be limited. The project is scheduled to last 30 days, but may be completed within a couple weeks of the start date. If recreating in this area, please use caution when around heavy equipment and only pass the worksite when signaled to do so. Please call the Mt. Shasta Ranger Station if you have any further questions at (530) 440-4509.
Twenty volunteers showed this morning to make the library and Sisson Meadow look good. Rarely have I seen a crew work this hard. Love to see so many people who believe that cleaning up makes their community a better place. We had fun, too. Check out the before, after, and crew photos.
Don’t forget that we’ll be tackling the weeds behind the MS Library on Tuesday, Aug 4, at 9 am. Bring weed whackers, rakes, and wheelbarrows.We’re gonna have so much fun. Photo of the jungle below.
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Feeling so cooped up that you’re smacking the cat? Gained 5 pounds because you eat every time you walk by the kitchen?
Let’s meet at 9 am on Tues, Aug 4 to clean up the jungle that has grown in Sisson Meadow behind the MS library. We’ll stay 6 ft apart (or more) in the fresh air and get some exercise (and make our city look good).
Glenn Harvey and I will bring lots of tools, but you can also bring weed whackers, rakes, loppers, gloves, and water. It’s OK if you just want to work for 30 minutes; we’d still like to see you. When it gets warm, we’ll quit (you, however, can quit any time you want). I doubt anyone will work past noon.
Hope to see you.
JH
There is continued monumental interest in Mossbrae Falls, as evidenced by a recent report of more than 800 people walking down the RR tracks to the falls on a single weekend. Efforts by locals and visitors to escape the confines of their homes in Covid-19 times have increased this activity.
The Mount Shasta Trail Association, in concert with the City of Dunsmuir and Union Pacific Railroad, is pleased to announce early progress on a safe, scenic route to the falls. This proposed trail will start at the Hedge Creek Falls Trailhead, pass by Hedge Creek Falls down to the Sacramento River, where a pedestrian bridge will cross the river to the west side. The trail will continue along the river below the RR tracks to the falls.
The City of Dunsmuir has signed a preliminary engineering agreement with Union Pacific Railroad to explore the complex issues surrounding this proposed trail. In the words of a UP official, “…the agreement allows the stakeholders to progress design plans through UP’s formal engineering process, allowing the parties to take a step toward the final decision on the feasibility of constructing the trail without negatively impacting UP operations or the stability of the site.”
We are still a long way from having this trail become a reality, but these are very encouraging developments. If successful, the project will cost approximately $1 million. For all those who visit this spectacular site or support the concept of a safe trail, please consider a donation to the Mount Shasta Trail Association at mountshastatrailassociation.org.
Ten volunteers cleaned up an access road off Old McCloud yesterday. The attached photo shows Mary Marcina (who identified the mess) barking orders to the crew like a master sergeant as they gather up a discarded, plastic, above-ground pool. It didn’t take this eager crew long to finish the job.
