This June marked an exciting milestone for the Bigfoot Trail Alliance as we welcomed our first American Hiking Society Volunteer Vacations crew to the Bigfoot Trail. We hope this inaugural project is the beginning of a long partnership dedicated to stewardship, adventure, and caring for our public lands.
Volunteers traveled from seven states—California, Oregon, Arizona, Michigan, New Hampshire, Virginia, and Florida—to spend a week restoring a remote section of the Bigfoot Trail where it enters the Siskiyou Wilderness from Poker Flat on the Klamath National Forest. Living together in a primitive camp, they hiked into the wilderness each day carrying crosscut saws and trail tools to clear fallen trees and restore safe passage.
By week’s end, the crew had accomplished an impressive amount of work:
- Trail Restored: 3.2 miles
- Trees Removed: 30
- Volunteer Hours: 819
Every log removed helps reconnect hikers with one of North America’s most biologically diverse mountain ranges while ensuring the Bigfoot Trail remains accessible for years to come.
Beyond the work, volunteers experienced the rugged beauty of the Siskiyou Wilderness—towering conifer forests, crystal-clear streams, and the ancestral homeland of the Karuk Tribe, whose enduring relationship with these lands continues to guide stewardship today.
We are deeply grateful to the American Hiking Society for choosing the Bigfoot Trail as a Volunteer Vacations destination and to every volunteer who dedicated a week of their vacation to improving trails for future hikers. We also thank the Klamath National Forest for its continued partnership and support.
Thanks for bringing in the outside help and doing whatever it takes to keep our wilderness trails well maintained and available. BTA has proven to be a key asset for trail maintenance in our region. Keep it up!
Thanks Joe — we appreciate all that you do for trails too!