Thru-Hiking Journal Ryan Batjiaka, from San Francisco, California, hiked most of the BFT in June 2021. He has always wanted to explore the wilderness areas in northwest California and felt the Bigfoot Trail was the perfect way to do so. Because of some Yolla Bolly closures, he started about 4 miles east of the Chanchellula […]
Hiking the Bigfoot Trail in 2021
Whether you are hiking the whole trail or just section hiking the trail is ripe for exploration. Most thru-hikers will start in the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel in mid-June and hike north. The advantage to this approach is that the snow in the higher mountains to the north will have time to melt off and river levels will drop so crossing them will be less dangerous. Another important consideration for hiking the Bigfoot Trail in 2021 is the trail’s yet unknown conditions after 2020 Slater and August Complex Fires. Please be safe out there!
Seiad Valley to Canyon Creek
A group of ultramarathoners orchestrated a 120 mile section-hike of the Bigfoot Trail that involved a car shuttle and key-swap. Suzanna Bon and Sean hiked from Seiad Valley to Canyon Creek while Lucas Horan hiked the opposite direction. While they executed this epic trip in only four days, the approach exemplifies the endless possibilities that […]
Mark Schramm
Thru-Hiking Journal Mark Schramm, from Medford, Oregon, completed his 2020 thru-hike in mid-July by combining the Bigfoot Trail and Trinity Alps High Route. He began on June 20th and finished on July 19th. During a phone conversation he reported a fabulous trip highlighted by seeing barely anyone along the trail (outside the Pacific Crest Trail […]
Day Hikes
On the Bigfoot Trail This is the summer for outdoor adventure and, while there are many folks visiting the wilderness of northwest California, not so many are venturing out away from mountain lakes. What follows are a few ideas on how to visit the Bigfoot Trail on a day-hike (or shorter backpacking adventure) and enjoy […]
2017 hiking season
I have tracked how Klamath Mountain snowpack is correlated with the beginning of summer hiking season since 2003. In 2009 I started the Bigfoot Trail on the summer solstice, and it worked out perfectly—I found the perfect mix of snow, open trail, and manageable river crossings. 2010 was a late snow year and June was only open […]
Tule Creek Trail
Hayfork, California In the summer of 2015, The Fork Complex fire swept through Hayfork Valley and the surrounding Trinity Mountains. It was a scary time as many locals moved from their homes into the Hayfork fairgrounds to wait out the burn. Several Bigfoot Trail hikers were also waylaid from their journey. Two years later, the […]
BFT in Backpacker Magazine
Laura Lancaster wrote a feature for the January 2017 issue of Backpacker Magazine about her adventure on the Bigfoot Trail in the Marble Mtns.