Three Bears: Bear Creek

Shasta-Trinity National Forest

DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3

Blue line for day 1. Click for interactive map

Daniil decided to go up Bear Creek for a couple nights, allowing a hike about on the middle day. Bear Creek Trail is just south of Tangle Blue and is surrounded by sufficient contour lines to make it look interesting. Indeed, I got interested in going there when looking over the Tangle Blue route, so I went for it. We had a big group along this time, 6 of us and 2 dogs! The plan was an afternoon hike up to find a camp, a day probably devoted to hiking up to Little Bear Lake and around the area, then back down after another night's rest.

Signed Bear Lakes Trailhead.

The trail starts at a washed out bridge for Bear Creek. The sign beside the trail has been edited by sharpie just because it quite randomly points at a spot halfway up a mountain from the nearest trail and states "you are here". While they had the marker out, they added that the trailhead was "here" and not over by the bridge where another trail is visible climbing down to the creek. You get a gentler way down by following the official trail, but any way you go about it, there's a large creek crossing to start. The high water evidence is impressive. While there's what looks like a route from the other side following the rest of the old road after the long gone bridge, that route does have some washouts where it gets too close to the Trinity River and probably does not serve as a high water entry route.

After the crossing and a short bit of old road, the trail climbs up into Trinity Alps Wilderness.

The lower trail is tree lined with some creek views and some poison oak. A touch of color could be found here and there. It was very much the last days of summer.

The trail is well established and easy to follow.

Bear Creek is easy to cross right now.

A lot of fall color on one tree and touches on the far trees.

We were moving slowly since our youngest member was having some trouble getting her big sister's backpack adjusted correctly for her shorter body, plus it's a bit more weight than one is used to and the trail has a very steady uphill trend.

The waterfall below a bridged crossing.

Climbing gains a bit more openness and something like views.

More looking out over the nearby hills.

Granite to be seen now.

Lots of white granite visible as the evening gloom gathers.

Our start time did not prove to give us enough time to get up to the lake and find camp. As darkness fell, so did some rain. I got to try out a new shaped poncho a bit like a Packa, but a pullover version. It worked out well for my upper section, but I didn't bring my rain skirt and parts of the trail were sufficiently brushy that we were getting plenty wet from the leaves too.

The last light in the rain clouds.

We got to Big Bear Lake with the rain easing. There is a site right at the end of the official trail, but it didn't meet our exacting standards. We tried walking the use trail around the left side of the lake, passing someone "bear bagging" by hanging his expensive pack high up in a tree, but close to the trunk in easy reach of any bear that might have tried for it. The trail gets very hard to travel and unsafe in the dark on your first go, so we turned around. Another group had come up behind us and was setting up at the end of the trail. More people were off in a site to the right. We ultimately found minimal spaces for each of 3 tents back down the hill slightly. It took a bit of working to find, but we did, ultimately, rather like the spot we selected.

Tent spots found in the dark from my own higher, tiny tent spot. Actually from the gloom of early the next morning.

Continue on to the next day ⇒


*photo album*




©2026 Valerie Norton
Published 14 Jan 2026