Throughout 2026, Bigfoot Trail Alliance crews, volunteers, youth, and partners revitalized the Yolla Bolly–Middle Eel Wilderness by restoring 21 miles of trail and removing 398 fallen trees. Supported by the Mendocino and Shasta-Trinity National Forests, these collaborative efforts have left the wilderness in its best condition in years, with more work ahead.
Connecting the Dots of Life: Returning to the Yolla Bollys
A Bigfoot Trail Alliance volunteer crew spent a week restoring remote trails in the southern Yolla Bollys while sharing camp with former Mendocino National Forest employee Vaughn Hutchins. His return to the mountains he helped steward decades ago became a powerful reminder that trails connect landscapes, memories, and generations.
2025 CCC Collaborative
In October 2025, a crew of recent CCC Backcountry Trails Program graduates joined the Bigfoot Trail Alliance to restore two rugged miles of the Ides Cove Loop Trail in the Yolla Bolly Wilderness—reviving long-lost tread, removing 102 fallen logs, and continuing a legacy of stewardship, resilience, and connection to wild places.
Ken Graves and the Heart of Backcountry Trail Work
In this episode, Ken Graves shares reflections from a lifetime in the saddle, the evolving challenges of maintaining wilderness trails, and why he’s committed to mentoring the next generation of packers. It’s a heartfelt look at the labor, love, and legacy behind trail stewardship.
Reclaiming the Trail: Two Weeks of Wilderness Stewardship in the Yolla Bolly–Middle Eel Wilderness
Over two weeks in the Yolla Bolly–Middle Eel Wilderness, 28 Bigfoot Trail Alliance volunteers restored 6.8 miles of trail from the Ides Cove Trailhead. Supported by the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Ken Graves, and the Backcountry Horsemen of California, the crew cleared 139 logs and rebuilt fire-damaged trail with hand tools.
Yolla Bolly – Middle Eel Wilderness 2024
A dedicated team of volunteers and leaders worked for over three weeks in the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness, restoring the Bigfoot Trail and surrounding paths. Supported by the Shasta-Trinity and Mendocino national forests, and aided by horse packer Ken Graves, they made the trails walkable again since 2004.
2019 Yolla Bolly Brush Out
A crew of 13, including two Forest Service fire crewmembers, spent most of a week (June 22 – 29) doing trail work between West Low Gap and a point almost […]
Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Trailwork
Stellar Volunteer Work! From June 23rd-June 29th 2018 a crew of seven volunteers set out to clear one of the most difficult to navigate sections of the Bigfoot Trail, through […]