Shell Mountain: North Fork Middle Eel and Yellowjacket Creek

Six Rivers National Forest

Mendocino National Forest

DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3

Blue line for day 1. Click for interactive map

I've got a Caltopo map of fairly random maybe trips, including some along the more western side of the northern edge of Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness where I'd like to explore more and Daniil has never been. This is possibly the only part of this wilderness that can be visited on paved roads. He picked a small loop, about 15 miles, going out of Little Doe Wilderness Trailhead (perhaps better known as Waterspout, named for a spring the trail used to go to when traveling away from the wilderness) and traveling Yellowjacket Creek and Doe Ridge by Shell Mountain. It should be a snow-fest this time of the year, just not this particular year. We gave it three days, starting very early to maximize the time to cut away trees in the road. The trees are still down. Folks with emblems painted on their doors were working high up the ridge and had cleared the road that far. After that the chain saw came out several times. Walk and cut for over half a mile in fact. Just short of Four Corners, we came up against a very large oak and ultimately made the first of several decisions that would change the course of the trip, most of them for the better. This was the one that was NOT for the better, but I'm willing to call it a forced error. Besides the very big and heavy hardwood, the trees for the last few miles were very frequent and we still had over 2 miles to go. Never mind, there's room to park back there with trails that only add a half mile and some road walking. We got parked and got walking.

Not much information posted at Four Corners. If this tree hadn't stopped us, the next one was another substantial challenge.

We popped over the ridge to find a lot of evidence of burn, a lot of view with briefly snowy mountains, and very little trail. The burn is mainly the 2020 August Complex, the mega fire that burned 97% of Mendocino National Forest. This is the Doe Fire part of it, the largest piece. There's also contributions from 2008 Yellow Fire and Grouse Fire.

Looking out through the trees burned in 2008 to North Yolla Bolly and neighbors with snow.

One could imagine there's a trail bench here heading off to the left of the little oaks. Shell Mountain in the background with points of snow.

We followed the line on the map, which turns out to be a line on the USGS map only and not a current, official trail anymore. It got us a bit of game trail where it didn't matter and nothing at all when it did. Getting down the steep dirt slopes to North Fork Middle Fork Eel River was, in a word, difficult.

Water is flowing.

Big tree! Winding down through the forest to the river crossing.

The slopes down to North Fork are steep enough to be awkward.

We're pretty high up on the river stem, but it's still got breadth. The crossing was probably low and offered many rocks, but ultimately we did have to get our feet wet to get to the other side. Splish splash!

North Fork Middle Fork Eel River it all its glory?

Once across, we had hope of finding the River Trail (signed North Fork Trail), but we climbed right past where it was supposed to go. (The line was the official Forest Service one, which is definitely wrong in so so many ways. I have since traced out the tread visible in the USGS's 3D rendering of the landscape, so there's a much better line for a lot of it. I still have no idea how it is supposed to get along here and across Yellowjacket Creek.) So we just climbed the correct ridge area and did find ourselves on trail shortly before reaching Water Spout Trail and Yellow Jacket Trail. (The FS does not offer consistency in spacing for the spelling.)

A sign! There's a sign! Expectations of no signage were met for all junctions after this.

Water Spout Trail. The trail we would have been on does not need any imagination to see.

Yellow Jacket Trail was also a fine trail, at least until Sulphur Camp, a large meadow area with a spring and a junction. It looked pretty enough.

Looking across the spring and up the meadow at Sulphur Camp.

A bit of the green are these meadow baby-blue-eyes.

We stopped for snacks in the meadow. The plan was to go up Doe Ridge Trail to a flat shoulder of Shell Mountain where there is a spring nearby. However, that was feeling a long way off in the afternoon. It was still too early to stop and we didn't feel like trying the water at the camp. We made a another decision to change the trip. Turn the loop around and head up Yellow Jacket Trail to wherever we felt like camping along the way. It took a little looking to find the trail leaving the meadow, but it was super easy to follow once we were on it.

This stream with its lovely little waterfalls just a short walk from the camp probably doesn't taste of sulphur.

More water with more little waterfalls.

Nice trail high above Yellowjacket Creek.

Looking down on the big creek.

Eventually the trail crosses the creek and starts up a tributary. Here, we did mostly get across on rocks.

The crossing of Yellowjacket Creek and the tributary coming in.

I found these vegetative stepping stones to cross on.

We started up the other side. Just as someone was about to point out that this is the type of trail that can be completely blocked by a well placed tree on a slope, nature went ahead and made the point for them.

Very shortly up the trail, there's this block. One could probably go up the hill and past, though.

We were able to hop along the gravel and rocks in the stream to pass the tree and then find a well worn path up to the trail on the far side. Nothing else tried as hard to block our progress although there were trees down.

Serpentine bittercress was frequently beside the path.

A log to go under on the left and another to step over on the right as the trail makes a long stretch to a crossing of a stream.

Tributary to the tributary as we walk up the trail through the twice burned forest.

After a stream crossing and a turn up the hill, we found an area with a couple flat spots for a couple tents. Now it was feeling like time to stop and there was a stopping point presented to us. Perfection! Admittedly, there would be no cool sunset or sunrise from here.

Continue on to the next day ⇒


*photo album*




©2026 Valerie Norton
Published 21 Apr 2026