South Yolla Bolly: Mount Linn

Mendocino National Forest

Work DAY 1-2  |  Move/Rest/Play DAY 3  |  Work DAY 4-6

Yellow and brown for day 3: interactive map link

Moving day! Also there is usually a do your own thing day on these week long trips and it was determined that if we were going to, this would be the day to do it. First up, moving ourselves and gear to Square Lake. Group gear had to be packed up in time for the packers to load it up as they liked. Packing our own gear was a little more relaxed. With bear canister and chair and hammock and tent and and and, it was a little heavy, but the hike isn't bad.

Our new home for the rest of the week: Square Lake.

The weekend campers had taken off mid-Sunday, so the lake was otherwise deserted when we arrived. Most the volunteers were gone again by the time the stock showed up. The packers were ready to drop everything in the same meadow the campers occupied until it was mentioned the crew all wanted the gear a quarter way around the lake, pointing at the few people waiting there for it.

The packers and stock head for the flat among the trees.

Meanwhile, there was the rest of the day to decide upon. I wanted to look for South Yolla Bolly Trail on the west end and I wanted to head up the peak that is not only the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness high point, but the Mendocino National Forest high point: South Yolla Bolly, AKA Mount Linn. I decided this would be best achieved by making a nice loop seeing a bit more of the Ides Cove Loop National Recreation Trail, then hiking up the other trail a little before leaving it for the ridge. I could tag the lower peak that seems to be labeled South Yolla Bolly on some maps and enjoy the stand of foxtail pines on the way. For heading down, I liked the look of the eastern ridge by the lake better than the western ridge although both are fine for travel.

The view out between Tomhead Mountain and Elkhorn Peak toward a bit of central valley.

Above Tomhead Mountain, Mount Shasta, high point of its own wilderness and Shasta-Trinity National Forests, is (barely) visible (as distant floating white snow) again today.

Across Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness to the North Yolla Bolly Mountains.

Behind, South Yolla Bolly waits really quite close. The actual top is a little past the curve of the side.

Everyone else who got wind of the plan and liked it had already gone on ahead. Yep, they all left me behind, but hiking on my own leaves me exactly as much time as I want for each space along the way.

The trail we'd already been on approaching Long Lake, which sits over that far ridge.

Over that high, small saddle and there's Long Lake. It's lacking something. Reports were: fish.

A Pacific chorus frog tucked away in a hole right in the middle of the trail.

Watching carefully.

I didn't see it, but I am told there is a trail down to Long Lake, so access is easy. I saw that there are camp sites by the inflow and the trail. The inflow was currently flowing.

The inflow is small, but flowing. Probably as long as the snow lasts.

A California tortoiseshell finds some minerals.

A bit of the trail not yet seen.

As I neared the junction with South Yolla Bolly Trail, I started to see some high cliffs off to my left. I worried that ridge I wanted to follow wouldn't be quite as easy as it looked on a smooth contoured map. However, none of the people ahead of me had returned disappointed.

As promised, one piece of snow on trail. It is just before the junction with South Yolla Bolly Trail.

The environment changed enough at the rocky junction that I had to spend some time distracted by the new flowers that had popped up.

Mountain pride (Penstemon) had a few good clumps.

Davis' knotweed.

This junction is signed.

The junction is signed for Ides Cove Trailhead either direction. Also, Mount Linn to the left, Long & Square Lakes to the right. Not much to say about keeping on going, though. Not to be a stickler about it, but the trail does keep on going. And, officially, doesn't go to the top of Mount Linn.

The trail pretty obviously curves around just left of this to follow that ridge. That's where the Bigfoot Trail goes.

Meanwhile, South Yolla Bolly Trail was pretty obvious heading on back toward the trailhead. So I followed it.

South Yolla Bolly Trail. For now.

Western bladderpod... I think.

I had a sense that I had got to where I wanted to leave the trail, the only problem was the trail seemed to be leaving with me. The map indicated I should be leaving the trail but careful examination of the ground didn't show it. Further along and looking down, there was still no indication of trail where there officially should be trail. Further still, I clambered up a boulder for a brief but notable excursion from the expectations of what trail should do because it is not formal built trail. It is well enough used.

Dwarf purple monkey flower? Just click on the link to offer your better identification! Or confirmation.

Amazingly shaped trees even before getting to the foxtails.

There's more than a few of these double decker slow mountain grasshoppers hopping around.

Or perhaps you know this Pentstemon? I think it's a Pentstemon anyway.

Looking south across a forest that was 97% burned in 2020. The slightly higher distant bump seems to be Black Butte.

The plant that most piqued my interest was this tiny Brandegee's springbeauty.

Scytheleaf onions were frequent.

Dusky onions were looking much happier than some I found near Burnt Camp.

A rather beautiful wavyleaf paintbrush.

I couldn't sort these out, but Karen Oso has labeled them maybe Gray's bedstraw and that does look highly plausible.

The track headed for some snow and I climbed for the lesser peak of South Yolla Bolly.

Yolla Bolly! The greater peak from the lesser peak.

Yolla bolly! The distant Trinity Alps are also some high, snowy peaks.

Back down the ridge to the gap that is the headwaters region of the Middle Fork of the Eel River.

Oh, found some of the others already on and leaving the high peak.

Silverleaf Phacelia.

I headed down the ridge once more, heading for the foxtail pines they'd been telling me would be up there along it. I hadn't managed to get around the snow patch, so had to track its trackless surface. The others hadn't come that way.

Foxtail pine. They weren't lying.

Passing above Long Lake once more.

There's a quick change in trees going down the north slope.

One last steep climb on loose rocks to get to the top.

Looking back to the lesser peak. There's a lot of other trees mixed into this foxtail pine patch.

It's not all rock. There's some cut-leaf fleabane. This one will open up more; it's not another "rayless" aster.

Almost there with big southeast views!

At the top, I found a view, of course. Also a pair of unnumbered reference marks from 1933 triangulating at a thick scattering of rocks. The datasheets from NGS only mention a wooden target (not found) on this peak, so I couldn't find if I should be able to dig out a marker at the center. I didn't dig and enjoyed the view.

The second unnumbered reference mark. Now to follow the arrows to... um, yeah.

A pair of day hikers came up the other side. I was quite surprised to see people who weren't "us" on the mountain now that it was a weekday.

The eastern ridge where the use trail continues to the trailhead.

Somewhere in the south is Snow Mountain, a spot I hope to visit in the future. It happens to be a wide bump roughly in the middle.

Eventually, one of our group who started much later came up from Square Lake along the eastern ridge, aiming to continue around the long way down with a stop at Long Lake for a swim. Apparently it's shallow and warmer, full of frogs but free of fish. So there was one other person who thought the east ridge looked better. I headed that way as planned.

Arrowleaf buckwheat had a couple blooms out.

Nuttall's sandwort was nearly all bloom.

Following a distinct track along the ridge.

The track goes right (south) of the point and I broke off to the left to follow the ridge down. It's a bit wide to "follow".

I broke off to get to the ridge perhaps a little too soon. It doesn't matter all that much. I got around the snow patches and what downed wood there was and generally found easy enough walking. Just sort of toward the lake, but a little extra north for the lesser slope.

Square Lake from the eastern ridge. Admittedly, there is something to dislike about this ridge.

A clearer view of Square Lake from lower down.

Everything changes once one is close to the lake once more.

Western columbines are just a few of the water loving flowers near the lake.

Water tumbles down for us to drink instead of lake water.

A Lincoln's sparrow sits among the corn lilies on last year's stalk holding a bit of lunch.

And then I still had to decide exactly where to put my tent. I put it, but still wasn't sure and decided to try sleeping in the hammock anyway. I had a nice sheltered spot in the trees for it. With my mat about half inflated, I was comfortable and warm and it seemed to work.

*photo album*




©2025 Valerie Norton
Written 14 Sep 2025