With no stoplights, only one person for every four square miles, and few streetlights, the Trinity night sky provides spectacular stargazing. The Milky Way is so dense and clear that you feel as if you could reach up and whip your fingers across the stars. Read moreTrinity County offers darkest of skies
Fishing for spring salmon begins around Memorial Day in the Trinity and these hard-fighting fish, along with the steelhead that follow them upriver, keep the anglers busy until the fall run season starts on Sept. 1. This year there will be severe limits on fishing; check the latest rules and… Read moreWorld-class fishing in Trinity
Whether you plan to travel by foot, horse or mountain bike, the abundance of national forest land in Trinity County supplies hundreds of miles of maintained trails for public access to backcountry adventure or enjoyment of an afternoon’s excursion just steps from town. Read moreHundreds of miles of maintained trails
Trinity County offers endless opportunities for recreational boating for those seeking anything from a slow, quiet paddle or fishing on Lewiston Lake to full motor speed for all types of water sports on Trinity Lake and Ruth Lake in Southern Trinity. Each lake offers a selection of campgrou… Read moreTrinity offers a variety of boating options
When summer wanes and the air turns brisk, an autumn visit to Trinity County reveals spectacular displays of fall color around every turn. Read moreTrinity County explodes with color in fall
A spectacular network of trails and dirt roads makes Trinity County a favorite destination for mountain bikers from all over the region, lured by the rolling dips and turns along historic ditch lines from the gold rush era that have been restored, maintained and mapped by the U.S. Forest Ser… Read morePlenty of trails offer mountain biking bliss
There’s one subspecies of human that almost universally appreciates curvy highways, which Trinity County has in abundance. Motorcycle riders come from around the region for the roads, rivers and views, not to mention hometown stores, secluded camping areas and a general lack of traffic. In f… Read moreFew straight roads here
Warm days and cool nights create perfect conditions for growing wine grapes in Trinity County’s remote mountains and river valleys where vineyards dot the landscape and local wineries are producing a wide variety of award-winning wines. Read moreA growing wine industry in Trinity County
 Campgrounds abound in Trinity County, offering a wide range of experiences from primitive areas well off the beaten path to easily accessed sites with piped water and toilets. Read moreCamping in Trinity County
Paddlers seeking a challenging ride, a serene afternoon float, or a bit of both need look no further than the Trinity River for some world class adventure. Read moreRafting and kayaking
We (Amy, Mike and I) were excited to get out in the wilderness one last time before the predicted Thanksgiving snow. We like Adams Lake in the winter; it’s a short hike for short days. Read moreOn The Trail: A Plan C kind of day in the Alps
All season long we had been looking forward to a two-night backpacking trip in the Trinity Alps in early August. But, as sometimes happens, life got in the way and we three found ourselves planning a day trip. Our big question was where to hike for a day that wasn’t too rugged and where we c… Read moreHike slowed by wildflowers
The Bear Creek/Boulder Creek trail connecting the Stuart Fork drainage with Canyon Creek in the Trinity Alps Wilderness received attention from five stalwart crew members during the weekend of July 11-14. Read moreOn The Trail: Bear Creek/Boulder Creek trail brush out
We hadn’t seen each other in weeks so it was with much glee that we realized we could both get away from our respective responsibilities for a couple of hours together last Saturday. So, where to go with only three hours? When you’re hiking with a best friend, any space is sacred space, but … Read moreHoofing it on the Day Ranch Trail; sharing it with new friends
Overnight catharsis in the Alps Read moreOn the Trial
This time of year, we start to get that itch. Local trails have served us well over the winter, but the wilderness beckons. In this wonderful, wet, snowy year, a big question among hikers is what trails are open? How far can we get? Can we make it to a LAKE? Read moreOn The Trail: First wilderness foray yields flowers, lots of snow
Wildflowers Galore Read moreOn The Trail
We’re big fans of the Weaver Basin Trail System, so we enthusiastically headed out to do our part for the trail workday. Read moreOn the Trail: Weaver workday
We pondered and plotted the hike to Alpine Lake for a long time. When your top speed on flat ground is 2 mph, a certain amount of cunning is needed to avoid hitting the last three-plus miles climbing 2,600 feet in the glare of the afternoon sun. Read moreOn The Trail: Alpine at Last
Lots going on here. A mountain bike rider sets out for a ride on the Weaver Basin Trail System as a paraglider who took off from Weaver Bally comes in for a landing on Saturday, Nov. 17. Read moreMultiple use
One of our hiking buddies had hiked to Lilypad Lake without us the previous week. Humph. Full of lilypad envy and determined not to be outdone, we set off for the lake one day in late June. Warned about the overgrown road, we took pruners and did quite a bit of lopping to make it to the trai… Read moreOn The Trail: Less-trodden trail leads to Lilypad
Hiking up Swift Creek is like going home. I have trekked up the trail over and over again in different seasons, different weather, different moods and with different friends. By this time, the trail is part of the fabric of me. I recognize every tree, anticipate every meadow, and have favori… Read moreOn The Trail: Swift Creek puts on show of flowers — but no bears
A free day between dog-sits and a backpack with my hiking buddy Cathy ... I think I’ll go check out Poison Canyon again. Read moreOn The Trail: June jaunt to Lilypad Lake
Even though I grew up here, I didn’t start hiking in the Trinity Alps Wilderness until about eight years ago. It’s hard to believe now, when my life is so woven into the wilderness, that a mere decade ago I had never passed a wilderness sign, lounged in a mountain meadow, or enjoyed an alpine lake. Read moreBig Bear Lake rewards tough hike
A hat full of water from a mountain stream is just what’s needed to cool off during a hike in the summer temperatures. Cathy Anderson takes a moment to cool off on a hot day at Little Deep Creek on the Stuart Fork Trail in the Trinity Alps Wilderness during a backpacking trip over the weeken… Read moreBeat the heat
Almost everyone goes left. I, however, in my quest for solitude, habitually go right. And so I found myself in early June standing with my hiking buddy Mike at the fork 1.2 miles up Swift Creek Trail excitedly veering left. It had been an unexpected Friday-morning summer-miracle that there w… Read moreOn the Trail: Beating the weekend crowd to Granite Lake
We were giddy with anticipation as Memorial Day weekend and thus our first backpack of the season approached. Two friends, Susie and Jane, would be joining us for the Friday to Sunday trip. This was Jane’s first ever backpack so that made the planning even more special. We had new gear to br… Read moreOn The Trail: Union Creek with friends
It was time for my annual break-in-the-boots, brush-off-the-dust, late spring trek up to Stonewall Pass. My hiking buddy Mike happened to be dog-sitting for a friend so the three of us headed up Stoney Ridge Trail in the Trinity Alps Wilderness; me, Mike and a dog named One. We had the trail… Read moreOn The Trail: Hiking with ‘One’ to Stonewall
On a sunny Sunday in early January we headed up to Poison Canyon in the Trinity Alps Wilderness hoping to hike to Lilypad Lake. We had reservations about the road to the trailhead, knowing that when it traversed to the north side of the ridge we could be stopped by snow. But the road was sno… Read moreOn The Trail: Pitcher plants to ponderosa pines
On a Friday in late November, the Forest Service opened Canyon Creek trail north of Junction City after the long closure due to fire. And if that wasn’t enough to inspire us, the weather apps on our phones promised a warm, sunny Saturday after a cold, rainy stretch. With a recipe like that, we had to go hiking. Â
Early the next morning we jumped in the car and headed to Junction City. We ignored the mean, double-crossing rain clouds looming overhead. Read moreWhen Canyon Creek beckons
Right around Halloween, the arduous climb to the top of Mount Eddy gets feasible. Not easy — but late enough in the hiking season to avoid heat stroke, early enough to steer clear of hypothermia. Read moreOn The Trail: Toiling to the top of Mount Eddy
As the rain fell and thunder boomed early this morning (Thursday, Sept. 7), hopefully helping and not exacerbating our local fires, I cringed and thought of my backpacking experience earlier this summer. Read moreOn The Trail: Surviving a stormy Alps night
My parents and I decided to take our horses for a trail ride July 31 on the loop that connects Big Gulch Lake and Trail Gulch Lake, located near Forks of Salmon in the Trinity Alps Wilderness. Read moreOn the Trail: Horseback adventure to two lakes
It was 6:02 p.m. when we hoisted our packs, heading toward Lion and Foster Lakes — about eight miles distant. Before you think we were either crazy or very fast hikers, you need to know Boulder Lake was only two miles away, and our first night’s destination. Read moreOn The Trail: Lion, Foster lakes offer a choice of spectacular adventures
One of my favorite Trinity County backpacks during June and July is the northern part of the Yolla Bolly Wilderness. It is the southern boundary of the Klamath Province and has all the beauty of the Trinity Alps on a smaller scale, but hardly any people because of its remoteness.  Read moreOn the Trail: Solitude in Southern Trinity’s Yolla Bollys
Toward the middle of July my brother and his two boys joined me for a trek into Caribou Basin, home of the Upper and Lower Caribou and Snowslide Lakes. The trail is also part of the Bigfoot Trail, a 360-mile route through the Klamath Mountains featuring the second-highest level of conifer biodiversity in the world. Read moreOn the Trail: On the ‘new’ Bigfoot Trail to Caribou Basin
Union and Landers lakes in the Trinity Alps Wilderness have their differences. Union is relatively easy to get to and has a lot of greenery around it. Landers, cupped high amongst some rocky pinnacles, doesn’t get a lot of inflow and often has a moonscape appearance. Read moreOn the Trail: Union and Landers lakes
There are many reasons to hike up the Stoney Ridge Trail, so we find ourselves doing this day hike into the Trinity Alps Wilderness several times each summer. In mid-June we decided to take a challenging hike to a marvelous tree in Red Mountain Meadow that we call The Lunch Tree. It was predicted to be over 100 degrees but we pictured ourselves lounging under the Lunch Tree in a meadow while staring at peaks and, umm, yes, eating lunch. Read moreOn The Trail: Day hike to the 'Lunch Tree' in Red Mountain Meadow
The Trinity Lakeshore Trail runs along the west side of Trinity Lake. It is captured between the lake and the campgrounds, so there are no long climbs, more like a roller coaster. The four-mile multi-use trail is an out and back so you may turn around when you feel the need. Read moreOn The Trail: Take a ride along the lake
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