The Bigfoot Trail

Help us fill a $7,500 funding gap to support our work with the California Conservation Corps (CCC)!

This year, after applying for, and being notified in January of 2022 that we would receive $10,000 in funding from the U.S. Forest Service to step up the goals of the program, we were subsequently contacted on August 20 with a reversal.  Due to internal USFS capacity challenges the USFS would not be able to process our grant funding. Obviously, this is disappointing on many levels including the fact that we have already planned the trip and recruited 10 CCC members (at $750/week) to join us to continue our mutual work similar to past years.

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About the trail

The Bigfoot Trail is a long distance hiking trail through the Klamath Mountains of northwest California and, briefly, southwest Oregon. The trail begins in the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness and ends near Redwood National and State Parks at the Pacific Ocean near Crescent City, CA. The establishment of this route will lead to a deeper understanding and awareness for this little known corner of California—in essence promoting greater future sustainability for this botanical wonderland. The major focus along the trail is conifer diversity, passing 32 species along the 360 miles. Also, en route, one traverses six wilderness areas, one National Park, and one State Park.

Of the 360 miles, approximately 100 miles (160 km) are along seldom used Forest Service roads while the remaining segments are backcountry trails, either in wilderness or on National Forest land. The Pacific Crest Trail briefly coincides with the Bigfoot Trail in the northern Marble Mountain Wilderness and north of Seiad Valley to the edge of the Red Buttes Wilderness. Due to the strenuous nature of the trail and the fact that some section have been un-maintained for many years it is not a trail that can be hiked quickly. Experience using map and compass as well as the ability to read the landscape are necessary for a successful thru-hike. The Bigfoot Trail was originally proposed by Michael Kauffmann in 2009 as a suggested route to navigate the Klamath Mountains from south to north as well as a long-trail to introduce nature lovers to the biodiversity of the Klamath Mountains region.

Bigfoot Trail frequently asked questions:

• How many miles of trail are in designated wilderness? 168 miles. 
• How many miles of trail are along wild and scenic rivers? 
  • South Fork Trinity 16 miles
  • Salmon 15 miles
  • Smith 18 miles
• How many miles in Jed Smith and Redwood NP? 12 Miles
• How many miles on each of the National Forests? 
  • Mendocino 15 Miles
  • Shasta-Trinity 115 Miles
  • Klamath 152 Miles
  • Rogue-Siskiyou 14 Miles
  • Six Rivers 40 Miles
• Total elevation gain and loss. ~100,000’ 

County		Trail Miles
Del Norte, CA	–	59
Josephine, OR	–	14
Siskiyou, CA	–	157
Trinity, CA	–	129
Tehama, CA	–	13

Visit Conifer Country to learn more about regional conifer diversity