South Fork: Up River

Shasta-Trinity National Forest

(red line for day 1, click for map)

DAY 1 | DAY 2 | DAY 3 | DAY 4 | DAY 5

Fall is here! I decided to greet the new season with a backpacking trip. I keep meaning to see what the South Fork Trinity River Trail (a National Recreation Trail over part or all, depending on which source you believe) has to offer. Last year I even got as far as calling Hayfork Ranger Station for conditions. They said the damaged bridge at Scott Flat was repaired, but couldn't say anything about the "other bridges". (They are as well as can be expected, as it turns out.) For some reason, there's two web sites for information about the trail (here and here) and they both give unusually bad information for a Forest Service site. For instance, they both still claim the bridge is closed as of this writing. One states that mountain bikes are allowed "on some stretches" although they are allowed (but discouraged) on all of the trail. Equestrians are also allowed, although the wisdom of riding it is questionable and the bridge from Scott Flat will not accommodate them. "Water is plentiful all along the trail": actually there's a few miles that are high and dry. "There is no shortage of excellent sites for primitive camping" in the sense that usage is light, but there's a few miles that aren't campable and some more that are on private property. "Each season offers new scenery to enjoy along the trail." Now this, I believe.

001: camp site and river — South Fork Trinity River from the road overlooking the first site at Scott Flat Campground.

I initially took one look at the narrow and slightly rough road heading up a small hill to access Scott Flat Campground and decided it might be wise to use the old spur road parking to the side instead for my small car. After walking the road, I found it was a false alarm. It is still suitable for passenger cars. I went back for the car to use the large trailhead parking and leave the river access for someone wanting river access. Advantage: fewer dead trees standing nearby. The fire killed trees have been removed from most the campground.

003: parking area — Lots and lots of hiker parking beside the footbridge and not one taker yet.

004: footings and cables — The trail starts with a suspension bridge across the South Fork Trinity River.

It's been quite some time since I've been on a suspension bridge like that. My knees felt a bit weak as I crossed. The decking and rails at the far end are bright and new from last year's repair.

005: water boardered with trees, far and right ones burned — The view up river (south) shows a lot of tree mortality from the August Complex 2020.

006: more water and trees and black sticks — The view down river (north) shows much the same.

On the far side, the trail joins Kennys Road on its way to a private inholding about 3 miles further. This portion of the trail is exactly as wide as the vehicle that drives it and well cleared of trees. I wouldn't want to drive it, but the landowners seem to make it work. There also seems to be a ford over to an inholding back on the other side of the river. That would be another route on my nope list for driving.

007: road and trail — Simultaneous Kennys Road and South Fork National Recreation Trail.

009: Jeep frame — The hood is up on the old Jeep. Guess it needs some repair.

010: creek water — Collins Creek and the stones to get over it with dry feet.

014: water and river access — A peek at the river and a bit of private land on the far side.

The map shows a second footbridge crossing South Fork, but use of it appears to be strongly discouraged. It does give a chance to see the bones of the bridge I started on, but it is just a pipeline holder now.

015: suspension bridge with pipe — The bones of an old suspension footbridge. It's a metal beam down the middle. I admit the cables are very hard to see.

The only footbridge on offer across the various tributaries is on Farley Creek and it is a little substandard compared to what used to be there.

017: stream crossing — The stream crossing at Farley Creek is helped by a board. It will sag in the middle while crossing, but the nail in one end might help it stay through winter.

018: pieces of bridge structure — The old footings for one end of the much nicer footbridge that once crossed Farley Creek.

019: one bare wire — Someone this way had a telephone line. I'll find a possible destination for it by the end of the day.

021: canyon of green trees — Green trees ahead! The August Complex didn't leave it all a tree mortality nightmare.

023: woodpecker looks around from the back of a small tree — Sneaky little downy woodpecker. One of many hopping from tree to tree.

024: tall trees and distant water — The water tends to be far below. Even when near, it would be tough to get to.

I found the bit of private property easily because it was signed.

025: private property sign — Okay, sticking to the trail/road and not thinking of camping.

Eventually a driveway splits off to the right and the trail follows some river access. Soon that splits to the left and the trail edges around a hillside to what is listed as a footbridge on the map and steel mule bridge on one of those Forest web sites. It is in excellent shape and actually could accommodate a vehicle.

028: trail in trees — Yeay! Trail! Briefly, but trail!

030: bridge across it all — The steel mule bridge. The private road rejoins the trail briefly and that really is, just barely, enough to fit a vehicle.

031: big water far below — The downstream view while high above South Fork.

032: more trees surrounding water — The upstream view from high above South Fork is much the same.

A driveway splits off and that's the last of any current roadway on trail. The private property ends soon after. However, it was once (or so we are told) a narrow gauge wagon trail to a water powered mill. It stays wide as it goes. While it's not as clean as the road was and there's a few trees down, someone logged it in the last year or two and users with up to hand saws have made sure the rest is easy to pass.

036: trail marker — The first National Recreation Trail crest I saw. None of them are in good shape.

As I came to Rattlesnake Point, I got to thinking it might be nice to have a closer look at the river and this looked like a place to do it. I had a wander, stopped for a snack. On the east side was a camp so well used there was a trail down to it. I followed that back up, passing another more sheltered (and more Leave No Trace compliant) camp on the way up. Other than at the camp, getting to the water was challenged by a line of thick willows.

038: flower and insect — A common flower fly on a common madia.

039: gravel and a line of willows — Off trail at Rattlesnake Point where willows line the river.

041: river water — A little river access through the horsetails.

Across Stockton Flat, I found the dotted line creeks to be flowing quite well in the late season. I also found a broken sign post for the Cable Creek Trail, mapped by the Forest Service almost a mile back ridiculously crossing back over the river a few hundred feet from the bridge.

047: broken sign — Badly mapped and out of inventory trail, but it must have been important. It's one of only three signposts on this trail. Just 4 miles to South Fork Mountain.

The trail was obvious. I let my curious feet wander down it. It quickly joined an older version of this narrow gauge wagon road with a "trail" sign tacked on a tree as it took a precipitous drop toward Peyton Creek. The old road crossed the creek. The trail might do that or might follow bear along the edge. The crossing isn't a good one anymore and the track was covered in horsetails. That was as far as I explored this abandoned trail.

050: Peyton Creek — The old ford of Peyton Creek has deep pooling water and downed trees to cross. Nope.

051: trail sign on a tree overlooking South Fork — I found the trail sign on the way back up although it is set for the other direction. And there's the river to ford below.

I took the old track back expecting it to join quickly. It is surprising how visible this route is across the flat, covered in needles and crossed with downed trees. It didn't get to joining quickly enough and I eventually just cut back over to get on my way.

053: small creek — The Peyton Creek crossing is much easier on the current trail.

As the trail passes opposite Hoffman Flat (or Hoffman Bluff on one of those Forest sites or Hoffman Bend I saw somewhere) and then rounds the Devils Elbow, all expectations for a wide trail vanish. The Hoffman named area is especially worrisome. In between is a nice, cosy, wooded area. It happens to be populated with the materials to shore up a sliding trail, should they have the money to pay the personnel to do the work.

054: long water — Being high on Hoffman Bluff, the eroding outside of Hoffman Bend, across from the much tamer Hoffman Flat, certainly does make for some long views of South Fork Trinity River.

056: fencing — Materials awaiting some sophisticated trail work.

057: trail corner and manzanita — The pointy bend of the Devils Elbow is somehow much less impressive in the photo than it was supposed to be.

058: trees and dark — The river is way down there in that darkness.

And then everything was tame again. I even spotted road outside the trail, closer to the river, going down to Bee Tree Flat before arriving at another section of private property at Silver Flat. This must be the Ostrat Ranch.

062: shaggy trees in rows — The old orchard at Ostrat Ranch. There's some buildings of varying ages, too.

There's a road down to the ranch that is totally available to the public, so says the MVUM, but there's no parking near the trail except on the ranch. The trail sign says I've only done 6 miles and got 12 to go to finish the thing.

065: pipe on cable — That's definitely not a footbridge, no matter what the map says. The tree on this side has eaten the cable it anchors, so it's old.

I was about to go dry, so I stopped by Silver Creek to filter some water. The trail comes right down to the river on a sandy spot the creek overruns when it floods. I got water from the creek since Redwood National Park has taught me to be warry of the larger bodies of water, especially when it's hot. It's hot.

067: big pool — The spot comes with a big swimming hole on South Fork Trinity River.

068: rocky — Silver Creek is one of the bigger tributaries.

070: more water and trees — The upstream view of South Fork Trinity River, past the tufted grasses.

072: deer running off — The mule deer that stopped by the gravel flat on the far side, now running off just in case. It's riffle season.

It looked like there might be a little trail up to a camp, but I didn't happen to check that one out. An excellent place for it. I followed the trail across the creek, admiring the extensive footings that held up a long gone bridge.

075: elk on the run — And that's a bull elk on the far side of the creek heading the other way.

It's just a little bit further to Smoky Creek.

078: river water — Another thin river view through the trees.

I got to the junction with Smoky Creek (or Smokey Creek on the sign), but was briefly distracted by catching sight of some ruins, most easily noticed by the metal barrel stove. This would be the old guard station at Smoky Creek, a possible destination for that telephone line. It could have finished at one of the private inholdings too.

079: flattened — A rectangular flat and some metal debris marks the location of the old guard station. I didn't find the phone.

082: falling sign — The junction with Smoky Creek where this trail is called Up River Trail.

And now a dilemma. My primary goal was to hike the South Fork Trinity River Trail including whatever part of it is National Recreation Trail. (That could be all the way, to a seemingly random spot about a mile further, to here, or maybe to the ranch back a mile. I have references to support all of these end points. It's very confusing.) Secondary goal was to hike the bits of Bigfoot Trail that pass through this area. (That's from the far end to here and then up Smoky Creek Trail. It's quite clear.) As such, my loose plan was to walk along the river to the far end, then take excursions as I saw fit on the way back which would definitely include this trail up. However, the river trail skirts within the limits of yet another piece of private property up ahead and I might be wanting to stop before it is proper. At 5 miles to Bramlet Road (or "Bramlot" on the sign), Smoky Creek Trail could make a good day hike with a repeated camp, but I wasn't really wanting to stop just yet. Then I recalled the exact plan had been "camp somewhere on Smoky". Now that felt like the right thing to do in the moment. I would head up to the bottom of the first climb and camp there.

084: grey rocks behind trees — The rocks on the far wall of the canyon give it a smoky look.

085: water below — Smoky Creek is the largest of the tributaries until the river fork.

This trail has also seen work on the logs in the last year or two, but it hasn't seen so many users cleaning up what has come down since. I found myself moving a bit more dead wood than I had been.

086: red flower — There's still a few little red spots from the smallest of the cardinal catchfly.

087: trail littered with leaves — The character of the trail is still high on the side of a big bit of water with this scruffy section where things get steep.

I got to the North Fork, where trail dropped down, crossed, and then followed in the creek a few yards before climbing out again. There had been a strand of trail to the left that might have been a reroute to try to avoid that, but this is what is getting used.

088: water and trail — The North Fork Smoky Creek with the trail in the flood zone on the far side.

089: trail sign — Going the other way, you get directions. Well, you did.

After the crossing, I was climbing. I stepped off the trail to overlook the flat I was aiming at. It is definitely a campable area. Two rough and steep animal trails dropped down from there to that flat, but I decided to loop back around to try to follow the well beaten track I could see running through it.

090: flat land with grasses — Overlooking the flat along the main stem of Smoky Creek.

Other than low hanging branches, the old trail was good. I found a half demolished fire ring beside a slightly scattered pile of sticks. I'm not the first to decide to camp here. I wandered a while to see where the old track goes and turned back when it crossed the creek to a steep climb on the other side. It seemed ever so slightly wide and a little well worn to be animal trail, but it is animal trail now.