Tag: Shasta-Trinity National Forest

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Carolyn Napper Joins MSTA Board of Directors

The Mount Shasta Trail Association is pleased to announce that Carolyn Napper has joined its Board of Directors.

Carolyn grew up in Connecticut and Pennsylvania and graduated from Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT with a degree in Marketing and a minor in Economics. Her cross-country running coach encouraged her to join the U.S. Peace Corps and off she went to the Philippines for 3 years where work involved helping a large farmer’s cooperative. Upon returning to California, she pursued a Master’s Degree in Agriculture specializing in Soil Science at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Carolyn returned to the Philippines to instruct incoming Peace Corps volunteers. The last group that Carolyn trained as new Peace Corps Volunteers included a couple who had just retired from the Forest Service in Oregon, and they encouraged Carolyn to pursue a job with the Forest Service.

Carolyn started at the Stanislaus National Forest in 1989 as a soil scientist and spent 8 years working and living in Murphys, California doing soils, range, and hydrology. The range management involved lots of long hikes into the wilderness to evaluate range conditions and use.  Carolyn met her husband Greg, a civil engineer who also worked for the USFS. Carolyn and Greg moved to Chester, CA and raised two boys before moving to the USFS San Dimas Technology and Development Center in Southern California. Carolyn was able to travel to visit other National Forests from Alaska to Florida and helped on wildfire recovery in Greece, Australia, and Israel.

In 2011, Carolyn was selected as the District Ranger on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest in Mount Shasta, CA and has worked closely with the MSTA since then. Upon arriving in Mount Shasta, Gateway Phase I was being implemented and was well received by the community. Carolyn retired December 2023 and is delighted to be able to continue to help serve the community on the MSTA board.

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Trail Challenge 2024 – Thank You Rotary!

The 2024 Mount Shasta Trail Challenge has only just started and we already have a huge announcement!!!   The Rotary Club of Mount Shasta has made a significant donation and we are excited to announce that our regular capacity has increased from 100 finishers to 150!   That’s right, we now have 150 RTIC water bottles and 150 Dragon Graphics sticker sheets.

The Rotary Club is specifically hoping to attract the younger trail users of Mount Shasta with this additional capacity.  The Trail Challenge is open to all abilities and that includes trail users of all ages!   Hit the paved portion of the Lake Siskiyou Trail with your baby stroller.  Young kids may love checking out the HUGE crane on the Dunsmuir River Trail.  Try out the brand new Muir’s Ascension trail with your young adult mountain biker.

The Mount Shasta Trail Association is working with the Rotary to reach out to local youth organizations and spread the word about this great program.  Feel free to support this effort by reaching out to your local schools, scout troops, church groups, and sports teams.

 Click here for your passport.

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MSTA Trail Challenge #7

As the summer goes by quickly, we’re now at the penultimate MSTA Trail Challenge Treasure Hunt.

To begin your search for the seventh trail treasure, start at a high mountain lake that reminds you of sticky shoes. Continue past the campground and kiosk and cross a small rock dam. Hike a short distance around the lake until you find two large pines and a small circle of carnivorous plants. Trek up the trail for approximately 15- 20 minutes. You will the will find the smaller namesake of the lower lake. This is the trail treasure.

Here are the rules of the hunt. Each time you locate a treasure, send us a photo or description of the treasure along with your contact information to: mtshastatrail@gmail.com. Then, your name will be entered into a drawing for the grand prize. In addition, the first person to locate each new treasure will receive their choice of a prize, and their name will be placed into the grand prize drawing. For example, if you find 5 treasures your name will be added five times to the grand prize drawing.

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South Fork Sacramento Field Trip — June 19, 2021

The Shasta-McCloud Management Unit is hosting a field trip to facilitate understanding of the proposed South Fork Sacramento Public Safety and Restoration Project on Saturday June 19th. One aspect of this project is the proposal for additional non-motorized trails. If interested, note that you must sign up by the end of Thursday June 17th. See the poster below for more details.

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Forest Service Virtual Town Hall — Wednesday March 3, 2021

South Fork Sacramento Public Safety and Forest Restoration Project – VIRTUAL Public Meeting: Wednesday, March 3, 2021 from 5 to 7 p.m.

The Forest Service will provide an overview of possible opportunities and challenges for improving public safety and reducing wildfire risks in the South Fork Sacramento watershed above Lake Siskiyou.

To participate: click on the Join live event link. For those that want to join by telephone, the number is listed below as well.

Microsoft Teams Join live event: https://tinyurl.com/southforksacramento

+1 323-886-7051 United States, Los Angeles (Toll)
Conference ID: 413 700 194#

The Forest Service has been collecting data on this area and doing fire modeling to better understand current conditions. We invite you all to hear about the current conditions and to meet our team of specialists. We hope to continue this open forum and once weather conditions improve we will conduct field trips to the area.

South Fork Sacramento River View
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Shasta-Trinity NF Closure Order Lifted — With Some Exceptions

The temporary closure of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest has been lifted as of 8 a.m. on Saturday the 19th. Therefore, the Shasta-Trinity National Forest is OPEN for public entry, with some exceptions. Many other national forests in California remained closed.

Specifically, the Shasta McCloud Management Unit established a forest closure order prohibiting dispersed camping in certain areas on the Unit. These areas are open to day use. The two areas are: South Fork Zone and a Mount Shasta Zone. This is in effect until October 31st. Additionally, the Bunny Flat gate will remain closed for the remainder of the season, which includes no camping in Panther Meadows Campground (area behind the gate is open to day use). The gates on Castle Lake Road and just above McBride Springs CG on the Everitt Memorial Highway will be opened on Monday when the County is able to do so. That’s when day use sites above these gates will re-open

All fire restrictions are still in effect. Therefore, no campfires, no propane grills, no ignitions of any sort – this includes in developed campgrounds.

Here are links to a news release, the closure order and map identified the areas closed to dispersed camping.

View of Gateway Trail expansion area
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West Parks Creek Lake Trailhead — Closure for Bridge Replacement

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.

Meadow along West Parks Creek

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Get Ready For New Gateway Trails!

The Mount Shasta Trail Association (MSTA), in partnership with the Forest Service and Bike Shasta, is pleased to announce work has begun on the expansion of the Gateway Trail network.

This project, located on national forest system lands administered by the Shasta McCloud Management Unit, will add 46.5 miles of multi-use non-motorized trail to the existing Gateway trails. While the final trails will be open to hikers, equestrians, trail runners and bikers, the primary use is expected to be mountain biking.  Thus, the trails are being located, designed and built, meeting USFS trail standards, with mountain biking in mind.

District Ranger Carolyn Napper approved the project on October 18, 2019, after a thorough review of all applicable environmental requirements and the Forest Plan for the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.  Funding the planning effort came from a variety of partners and grantors, including BikeShasta, the McConnell Foundation, the Mountain Wheelers, and the Mount Shasta Trail Association – truly a project with the community pulling together!

On-the-ground trail construction under direction from the Forest Service is being coordinated by the MSTA and Trail Labs, CO., a small business owned by internationally-known trail designer Andrew Pellkofer. The initial work is the clearing of vegetation from the trail construction corridor, making way for future building of the trail itself.  On-the-ground construction of the trails by Trail Labs, CO. is expected to begin later this year.  Trail Labs has hired local labor to conduct these activities.  Completion of the project is expected to take 4-5 years.

At this time, work is proceeding with strict COVID-19 safety precautions.  While the post-COVID-19 future is unclear, the Mt. Shasta Trail Association, Bike Shasta and the Forest Service are pleased to share this good news with the community.  Construction of the Gateway Trails will be a major contribution to outdoor recreation around Mt. Shasta.  As we move forward on this project, we expect that it will contribute significantly to Mt. Shasta City’s reputation as a hub for muscle-powered and trail-based recreation.  When things get back to normal, these fantastic trails will be there for everyone’s enjoyment.

Trail Corridor Clearing by A Crew From The Deadwood CDCR Camp