In June, a dedicated Bigfoot Trail Alliance (BFTA) crew journeyed deep into the Trinity Alps Wilderness, supported by the Klamath National Forest, to restore access to the long-overgrown McNeil Creek Trail—a segment that accesses the Bigfoot Trail through some of the most rugged and remote country in Northern California and that was burned in the 2021 River Complex fire.
The approach via Rush Creek Trail was promising. The first 3 miles to the McNeil Creek junction were in excellent shape—thanks to a BFTA crew that had pre-cleared that route a month earlier, including the first 1.5 miles of McNeil Creek Trail. This stretch, likely built or maintained by the Civilian Conservation Corps decades ago, was well-constructed and still held its form.
Beyond that point, however, the crew encountered a landscape transformed by high-intensity wildfire. The trail was buried beneath downed trees (including several over 36 inches in diameter), washed-out tread, and thick regrowth. The McNeil Creek Trail had all but vanished.
Undaunted, the BFTA team sprang into action. Over the course of the trip, they cleared more than 60 fallen logs and re-established roughly 2 miles of nearly disappeared trail. In total, they restored 6 miles of trail from the trailhead, stopping just before two creek crossings—about a mile from the Packers Peak and Lady Gulch junction (41.12249, -122.97997). Beyond that point, the trail becomes increasingly obscure and impassable. We will return!
This work represents a powerful collaboration between volunteers and agency partners, made possible by the support of the Klamath National Forest. With each cleared mile, we reconnect people with place—and trails with the wild landscapes they traverse.
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