Preston: El Capitan

Klamath National Forest

DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3  |  DAY 4

Green lines for day 3. Click for interactive map

Well, I hadn't been too crazy about trying to go up Preston via the route that some claim has several solid class 3 climbs while others seem to think is just a "high class 2" all the way when I had rested muscles. I wasn't any more interested when my legs still felt done over from fighting an overgrown trail for much longer than it should have required. We settled on trying for Copper Mountain with a plan to walk the ridge from Cyclone Gap. We packed up and headed down with a rather more than brief stop to saw off all the limbs of a tree that had fallen along the trail. Daniil carried in the saw and cut the limbs and all who hike the trail this season should be thanking him, because it wasn't very passable before the saw came out.

A look back to the cirque of Raspberry Lake with Preston Peak rising up behind the false peak that dominates the lake's edge.

Pygmy Oregon grape was getting started with some blooms, this one surrounded by some Solomon's plume.

Youngs Peak being the tall one in the distance across a lot of burned forest and fly photo bomb.

Across the valley, Twin Peaks are the tall one on the left and Rocky Knob the tall one on the right.

The trail out of Raspberry Lake climbs a chunk, then drops a little and continues downward along toward an old mine. We wound from fire scarred openness into gullies flowing with lots of water and surrounded by green trees as we went.

Just a little water pouring over a short section of trail.

A little further and another water crossing.

Bear Mountain, the sharp peak on the left, becomes visible. The Del Norte County high point is off on its side.

A land already sparse with trees was made sparser by the last fire.

The mine comes into view shown by the long slope of waste rock falling down the hill.

Coming to the old mine, the trail expands into a former road.

Admiring the mosses along one wet section of road.

By the time we got to the junction with the trail up to Cyclone Gap, we weren't too enthusiastic about Copper Mountain. It clearly would have been easier from the western ridge and is just a short bump between two much higher peaks. But we definitely intended to see what was over the gap, so we dropped some heavy gear and headed up. It is signed just as "Cyclone Gap" and starts off as old road that soon shrinks to normal trail.

The view at Cyclone Gap. To the left, the trail continues. To the right, much snow and a couple camp sites.

It felt good to hike without so much weight on our backs. So good, we turned out attention to El Capitan with a thin use trail leading upward. We hadn't brought the water for climbing that peak, but a stream coming off the north side of Copper Mountain provided heartily.

Lovely mountain water.

Leaving the trail for the south face of the mountain was an instant win for finding wildflowers.

Siskiyou fritillary, although most the plants had been chomped.

Spreading phlox.

Scytheleaf onion.

Tiny Tracy's Collomia.

Thin trails had a few ideas on how to go up. Maybe it was better to risk the cliffs toward the east where things were clearer of vegetation? Maybe it was better to follow the lines of less dense vegetation upward?

Some more cliff maids.

Wavyleaf paintbrush.

The going was slow, but really only because it was steep.

Preston Peak rising on the left and Bear Mountain far in the back. Copper Mountain is the lower peak at the edge.

Shorthorn steer's head were actually on the trail just before the mine, but these were more mature.

Eventually we hit the ridge, but still had some climbing to the east to get to the top. Sometimes we followed thin trail but for a little bit we bypassed the rocks and vegetation for the snow. Well, until I got uncomfortable about the slopes off the north side.

Some north side snow for a short way.

Past the short ridge below, the East Fork Illinois River valley, Black Butte to the right.

Camp site near the top.

We arrived at quite the expansive view at the top. Marble Mountains in one direction, Trinity Alps a bit further, the faint snowy top of Mount Shasta was easy to pick out. Less easy in the pictures. Then we found the surprise second volcano! Off to the northeast was Mount McLoughlin.

Also plenty of Slater Fire burn to be seen out there to the east. Shasta is a faint white bump near the right side.

From that big dip in the middle, pop over the big dark bump and McLoughlin is the faintest white bump just to its right.

The Marble Mountains and probably some Salmon Mountains and Trinity Alps make a bunch of snowy bumps.

There were some closer bits of interest too.

Preston Peak with low Copper Mountain nearly lost in front of it in its rock and snow.

The nicer of a couple waterfalls.

Lenticular clouds forming.

After astonishment at seeing the far mountains and snacks, we headed down along the ridge.

An American lady that has seen much.

A yellow variation of wavyleaf paintbrush?

Back down the ridge toward the snow.

We kept on along the ridge. It proved to be a little more difficult than the way up with a couple little scrambles down boulders.

The mine on the way to Raspberry Lake had a few levels now visible.

And with someone along happy to harass the birds with recordings from Merlin, I was able to get pictures of birds I've not collected before.

The lazuli bunting wants to know who that is singing in his territory.

We found the trail again a short way from the junction. Once packed up, we returned to the heavy stroll down the mountain toward Youngs Meadow.

One Pacific chorus frog hiding on a branch.

I found the viewpoint for those who don't go up the mountain. It was a well trod little spur, but not quite so impressive.

The view around Clear Creek when it's coming from inside the valley.

It had an excellent supply of cat's ear (mariposa lilies).

There's little views along the trail, too. This quick way off El Capitan has been taken by a lot of snow, but may have not been so comfortable for us.

We found ourselves navigating a rather wet area. Piles of snow, flooded nearby flats, old road compromised by streams running down one side, then the other. Oh, and the close up of an impressive waterfall we had spotted on the way down.

A pond among the snow drifts.

A trickle of water coming down one little cascade.

A first look at the big waterfall.

It takes a little off trail work to get any look at the waterfall, and required trusting steps to randomly hollow snow drifts to get a good look at it.

Detail of strings of plant matter in the waterfall.

The water comes down in a torrent.

And then the trail dried out until the crossing of Clear Creek (newer maps) which was, surprisingly, over a bridge somewhere under the huge load of rock that topped it. We looked for possible camps as the trail dried again. There was one just before Clear Creek, maybe some among the chaotic forest after it, and plenty around Youngs Meadow. Not feeling like the extra quarter mile, we dropped down into an impacted edge.

Over the bridge over Clear Creek.

The junction with Poker Flat-Youngs Valley Trail, signed "Twin Valley", which hosts the Bigfoot Trail.

A bear was noshing on grass on the far side of the valley as we arrived. I know there are people who would see that and head off at least a couple miles. Frankly, the bear can walk much further in the night than I can and we both have bear cans to keep the food safe. We watched it as it meandered along, then vanished into the trees.

Black bear grazing on the greens on the far side of the meadow near what looks like a well used camp site.

After the bear, a pair of young bucks came frolicking closer and closer to camp. They started when they noticed us, ran off, then came back even closer. And closer. I was monitoring my flame, then defending my food (and just eating it) far from the camera, so they went unrecorded unless you count Daniil's hundreds of photos and video. They did seem to be enjoying themselves as they, too, had their supper.

Continue on to the next day ⇒

*photo album*




©2025 Valerie Norton
Written 22 Aug 2025