Swift Creek Snow Survey

Shasta-Trinity National Forest

Click for interactive map

We hit the Swift Creek trailhead for a day hike up to the snow survey cabin. Daniil wanted to do a survey of the terrain, but the fact of the cabin suggests it's pretty safe hiking in winter. We only hit snow on the road shortly before the trailhead around 4000 feet, although the trailhead parking was totally covered in white. We started out with the snowshoes on our backs.

Snow exists, as we see at the trailhead. Into the wilderness that started a quarter mile back down the road according to the map.

Soggy trail with a little running water at the second sign for the Trinity Alps Wilderness.

The morning wasn't freezing and the trail ran with water. We passed several very seasonal streams and the ones marked on the map tended to need a well placed rock to keep the feet out of the water. When we hit snow, it was neither hard nor particularly soft.

Swift Creek churning below.

Closer to Swift Creek.

Being the snowy time, the green stuff to look at were trees and a bit of bushes and, for some reason, lots of Darlingtonia. Who knew that pitcher plants were a winter plant? I'd have thought they died back for the cold.

Some of the California pitcher plants found along the way.

A rather large patch of California pitcher plants.

Daniil actually has been to the area before, so was careful to be sure the bit of Swift Creek far down a canyon and full of noise was seen.

Did you ever see so many chutes on one boulder?

The waterfall is even prettier in context.

We did eventually get into consistent snow cover, even on the trail. We even eventually got snowshoes on. We still had to navigate bare rocks across the streams and creeks.

Snow thin, but covering.

Wide icicles hanging above a stream.

Even a small stream is breaking through the snow.

There's a little bit of view to the surrounding peaks from in the canyon.

Swift Creek again.

Half the crossing at Steer Creek, or thereabouts.

Another of the many streams.

There is one crossing of note and that is Parker Creek. It was given a bridge once, as shown by the concrete footings for the bridge. The first one looks a little smashed up from the calamity that took the bridge away. We were able to find a crossing on large rocks, mostly above the water rather than in it.

The bridge footing on the far side of Parker Creek.

It looked like older trail went to this area, now blown out a bit by heavy flows.

Just across the creek there are options for places to go, or at least some signs stuck on trees say so. We continued on without making a turn to find soggy meadows. The snow was getting high enough that the hills beside each crossing were difficult.

A bit longer a view.

Somewhere here is a trail crossing many streams.

One stream's carving.

A random impressive incense cedar along the way.

Closing in on the peaks around the head of the canyon.

More water to cross, this one with some little patches of California pitcher plants left.

Swift Creek below with one of the streams off to meet it.

More of Swift Creek.

The cabin is somewhere a little off trail and we strolled across a meadow a little before turning back and walking toward the structure just visible in the trees. The first thing spotted turned out to be the barn, which happens to be a year older than the cabin. It might not be getting as much love either.

Barn among the trees.

Plenty of support has been given to the barn and the roof looks pretty good on this side.

I took so long photographing the barn that the cabin was already occupied when I got there.

The cabin is smaller, but looks a lot cozier.

Pulleys at the top for getting things into the higher space.

Inside we found a little history and a little of the current workings. Fosters Cabin was built in 1946 for the snow surveys as well as the Fosters who grazed cattle in the area. It's not the first, because there's remains of a cabin from the mid to late 1800s further down the meadow. The snow surveys started using helicopters in the 1960s and this cabin was basically abandoned by the end of the decade. As of 2010, they are trying to be a little more adherent to the Wilderness rules and surveyors are skiing in again. Except for those dates (listed) when the cabin will be used for snow surveys, visitors are welcome to use it themselves so long as they treat it kindly and keep it clean. Also, please don't use the snow surveyor's food and wood supplies and such.

Inside, we have tables and a wood burning stove.

Four beds in the space beside the door.

Around the back of the cabin.

Leaving the cabin latched up tight.

It was already late as we left to head back down the trail. I was already tired of battling my snowshoes, constantly trying to kick ice blocks off the bottom. They have a rectangle of tall metal grip under the foot area and in the above freezing day, it quickly compacted "wet" snow into blocks. It felt like it was doubling the weight of the things although, really, it's not that much volume of ice. Still, one wonders if these Austrians know what they're doing. Must stay nice and frozen in their mountains. It was dark before we finished. Daniil's snowshoes, made by the locals of Cascadia, did just fine in this type of snow. (That's Komperdell and the MSR bit of Cascade Designs, just to be clear.)

Already in long shadows as we cross back over the upper meadows.

We did get past all the rough stuff before dark.


*photo album*




©2026 Valerie Norton
Published 1 Apr 2026