Bizz Johnson NRT and Southside Trail Loop

Eagle Lake Field Office BLM


(map link)

The Bizz Johnson National Recreation Trail is a rails to trails project following the Fernley and Lassen Branch Line of the Southern Pacific Railroad. It travels 25.4 miles from the Susanville station to the Mason station on old railroad grade, then continues on county roads (modified grade) to the Westwood station. It would be a pretty easy thing to through hike. (There's even bus service to make a one way hike or bike easy.) I was interested in the segment between Susanville and Devils Corral (named for sounds the wind makes in the rocks, supposedly) where both tunnels and many of the 12 bridges (11 from the railroad days) are found. Additionally, there is the Southside Trail, which gives a secondary route for a little different experience along this section. There are multiple connectors between these two trails, so a number of loops are possible.

00: roofed bench with signs in the middle
Small train stop themed information kiosk at the Devils Corral Trailhead

The trail travels on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service lands with a few segments that are only 150 foot wide right-of-way. Camping is restricted to the 5 miles in the middle of this eastern 7 mile segment and campfires are only allowed in the provided metal fire ring at Cheney Creek and day use stuff at Hobo Camp. (A free California campfire permit is required.) From the trailhead, it's a short connector to the trail. The trail is wide and smooth and flat like a well maintained improved dirt road. Most of it is ADA compliant.

02: railroad grade without tracks is like a road
The old railroad grade without any tracks. The small white sign on its right is where the Southside Trail takes off

04: dark cliff above shadowed river
Susan River below volcanic rock cliffs

06: grade following river with less steep sides
Path along the river where the canyon isn't so big

07: broad leaves and a few brown cylinders of seeds
A moist spot below marked springs has cattails and plenty of turning cottonwood trees

Of course I was really hoping to see some fall color. I found out later that this is considered a go-to place for it in the area. It was still a little early, but the hints of a grand color extravaganza were all over. Even at this stage, it was enough to evoke a big smile as I strolled along.

08: wide pointed leaves that have mostly turned yellow
Changing leavess of the black cottonwood

09: bits of yellow along the river
Trees along the river just starting to turn

The provided camp is a big bulge along a trail that otherwise doesn't really have camp sites. It's easy to spot and has lots of flat space.

11: metal fire ring surrounded by log benches surrounded by flat dirt
The camp at Cheney Creek

12: canyon side examples
Yellowing grasses, willows, and cottonwoods along Susan River

The tunnels were gated once, but there's clearly no effort keeping them closed now. It's a good idea to have a light if you want to walk through them. If you'd rather recognize the danger inherent in going through 100+ year old train tunnels, there's a trail around the side that may be used instead.

14: long dark space with light at the end
Light at the other end of the tunnel. A walk around trail splits off to the left

15: rock visible where boards are loose
The tunnel is sided with wood, some of which is hanging loose now and lets the loose rock through

I explored inside the tunnel a little, then headed back out for the walk around. The narrow trail stays rather flat as it makes its way to the far side.

16: strong bridge for holding up hikers and bikers and horses
The most common bridge design along this trail is obviously one that once held trains

17: river among dark rock outcrops
Susan River from beside one of the bridges

18: curved roof
Structures in the rocks. Cave? Lava tube? Certainly a temptation to go exploring

19: concrete arch in the rock cliff ahead
Approaching the second tunnel

I walked around the second tunnel too. They're cool to have but the view on the inside is a bit samey all the way through. The first connector trail to the Southside Trail is along this walk around.

21: purple flowers with flare
Showy invaders from someone's garden: spotted knapweed

23: grade may be on fill
There's a couple spots where the grade is obviously on fill

I took the next connector trail, which is in a section with two nearby bridges. This one heads off directly from the main trail to climb into the trees. Shortly, it arrives at an old road that is now the Southside Trail. It passes an open gate and then just sort of shrinks as it progresses. Oddly, the signs on the gate suggest this side is the one that was open when the gate was closed.

27: flat water above a wall of sticks
The beavers have been at work on the Susan River

I came to an unexpected junction where a high route has been added. The junction signs are all somewhat temporary made out of laminated paper, so they can drop in a lot of details if they like. Overlook or riverside? Overlook was very tempting although the sign said the trail was steep. Only one would take me by the lonely geocache I wanted to find, and I deeply suspected it wasn't overlook. Turns out, riverside didn't get very close either and I had to do a little off trail and round-about climbing to get it.

30: trees and river
Among the pines on the cooler Southside Trail

31: water with tufts of grass about
Susan River

The trails came together again, signed completely differently with names instead of descriptions. I had stayed on the Southside Trail and the other was the Canyon View Trail. The second does still get some description. It is wide and steep. Further along, trail starts to get lost in the pine needle covered flats.

33: trees in flat areas covered in needles
Following just the right faint old roads with faint newer bike derived needle crushing in the forest litter

The junction with the connector to near the tunnel came with a warning that the bridge ahead was removed in December, decorated with a note that it was put back in place in May. The bridge is seasonal and can only be expected in summer and fall.

36: trail vanishing into flat rock
A different look at the eastern tunnel

37: more overlooking details
Overlooking the Susan River now

The trail takes a big excursion upstream when it hits Cheney Creek. The colors along this creek were looking pretty peak even if I got there with the day growing late and a lot of shadows coming over it.

40: much yellow under a big pine
Looking down on Cheney Creek

There's a flimsy wooden bridge to cross Cheney Creek although there's not really need for it. The horses are directed to make a different crossing through the creek instead. It climbs back to the heights above Susan River where there's an alternate loop trail to get to some overlooks. I decided to go for this.

44: tree tops
Cottonwood tree tops along Cheney Creek

46: tree on the edge of a cliff
Pondering the rocks and the grip of the tree across Cheney Creek

47: bridge on the river
Bridge over the Susan River

The loop returns to the trail just about where it left. A bit of cable along the side is likely a remnant of logging, as are the faint roads. The trail travels along and then discards these roads, making some route choices that seem odd. There's a river access and the area might be nicer to camp than down on the river at the official site. The access it a little random and doesn't look well used.

48: drop, river, trail on the far side
Looking across Susan River to the Bizz Johnson NRT

51: lots of flat
Just a little of what is a vast, flat meadow the trail turns away from the river to cross

54: thick water below
Susan River

I entered into a recent burn scar. It appears this fire wasn't too bad for the trees here. Each has burn a little way up the truck, but only the very small seems to have died of it.

55: trail past rocks
Getting into some rocks on the Southside Trail

Down on the river, it was time to cross, bridge or no. There was bridge. It is a flimsy looking metal affair and someone has misplaced the railing. A sign warns of a 500 pound limit and there should only be one person on at a time. Horses are again sent to wade across the water.

57: metal bridge
Not so nice a bridge as those on the Bizz Johnson

58: slow water
Susan River undermining some trees on the far side in a slow spot

It's a little bit of a climb back up the far side. I was delivered practically to the trailhead once more. It all made a very nice and very easy hike. Southside had some climbs, but nothing that lasts very long.


*Lassen 2022 photo album*




©2022 Valerie Norton
Written 26 Dec 2022


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