Last Camp: Sugarloaf Mountain, Minnie Lake, and Solomon Peak

Mendocino National Forest

DAY 1  |  WORK DAYS 2-3  |  DAY 4  |  WORK DAYS 5-6  |  DAY 7

Orange line for day 4. Click for interactive map

Wednesday is a free day, and while one chose to simply rest, there evolved two excursions among the small group. The more relaxed characters who still wanted to do something planned to head over to a small swimming hole tucked away above camp just out of sight of our trail in, then off to Solomon Peak for the views and memories. Unfortunately the swimming hole was dry this year, but the peak hadn't lost its views.

I dreamed up the "Double Peak Extravaganza". First we would continue along the Summit Trail to where the Bigfoot Trail joins it coming out of Ides Cove. I mean, here we were on a BFTA trip and we weren't even expecting to touch the Bigfoot Trail? So we would tag it. Then we would continue a short way further on Summit Trail to where someone has marked (on OpenStreetMap) the "Sugarloaf Trail" over the top of Sugarloaf Mountain, the first peak. That comes back to Summit Trail just short of the Minnie Lake Trail, which we would take to see the lake, then back up to Soldier Ridge and the Solomon Peak Cutoff. The Cutoff essentially goes over Solomon Peak, so we would take the short spur to the top on our way back around the camp to get the second peak. So really the "Tag Bigfoot Trail, Two Peaks, and One what they are willing to call a Lake around here Extravaganza" but that's a bit long to call it.

Advertised as "probably 10 miles, 3200 feet of gain, according to the app" and I got three takers. After breakfast was sorted, we got going just like we had the previous two days. We didn't get a very early start and we probably should have. At least I definitely should have.

Heading north along the trail worked on the first work day with a faint Mount Shasta to accompany us.

One of the numerous little water flows on this part of the trail.

It took us about an hour to the stashed tools. The work does quickly get far off.

Just past our viewpoint excursion and now on trail new to us.

The trail after work was faint and slanted, but generally there was something there. One section with a tree down on it is moving up the hill to a new tread, so both are really hard to see. We ultimately found our way back to the trail. Another spot split and what is apparently the real trail goes suddenly steeply up the hill. The most confusing spot was where there is a large log with two ends cut off, but the trail doesn't go past either of them. It goes up into a willowy area above. It is easy to follow in the other direction. Toward the end, we got another steep section to pass a rock and then faint trail to the junction.

Some of the corn lilies come with patches of flowering Pacific bleeding hearts.

Somewhere in these slopes ahead, we found the trail.

A steep wiggle gets the trail around this rock outcrop.

Somehow there's actually water here.

Thomes Creek on its way to the Sacramento River.

Last Camp is right back there.

D-Camp Trail and the continuation of Summit Trail were a little easier to see, perhaps because they are up on the ridge. The Bigfoot Trail follows them. The little bit we were on wrapped around the side with much better tread than we'd been on.

D-Camp Trail goes that way to connect with Ides Cove Loop under South Yolla Bolly, nearly hidden from here by Harvey Peak.

"You can't miss it," there's even a sign.

Next stop, North Yolla Bolly (center) with its nearby fire lookout on Black Rock Mountain (left) if continuing on the correct trails.

When we got around to the appointed spot, we did find a well trod bit of tread, at least as much so as anything else around, going up the ridge line toward the peak of Sugarloaf Mountain.

Tread up the mountain. You can see it, right? To the left of center?

Solomon Peak pops up behind already looking taller.

That ridge to South Yolla Bolly again, with Harvey Peak directly between.

A faint snowy smudge of Mount Lassen is visible on the far side of the central valley.

There's a pointy high spot at the north end of the large high area of the peak. Views were obscured by the trees in some directions at the top. It didn't take too much effort to recover those views, though.

It flattens out beyond. There's good dry camping up here.

Adding in Windy Peak, the closer lump at the left, to the view of Black Rock Mountain and North Yolla Bolly.

Mount Lassen at the far side of the valley, a little piece of city visible through the gap of Cottonwood Creek.

Mount Shasta on past Bully Choop, the last dark one on the left.

We had snacks and rest under the trees and found out there would be complications with the mules. It would make minimal difference to participants. I used the long rest to push a few electrons into the camera battery before we headed down the other side of the mountain. The trail on that far side was a little less obvious, especially as we got into burned area and bushes growing back differently than they once were.

The ocean may be visible on the Middle Eel River side of things.

Solomon Peak ahead, but first we'll drop way down to the right.

At the saddle, the trail supposedly continues down along the side of the mountain to join with Summit Trail again. We didn't immediately see where and Petr announced that he'd been poking along the other end of that trail yesterday and it was bad. The rest of us shrugged and stuck to the ridge line instead. It had some brief rough patches, but there were clear animal trails heading our way.

Dwarf purple monkeyflowers.

I guess growing from a rock doesn't always save a tree in fire.

We had been heading back to Summit Trail again. Then when noticing that there's no more up and down on the way to Minnie Lake Trail, we took that more direct ridge instead. Arriving at the saddle, we again didn't notice the trail down to the east. It would get sorted out once the tools below got working again. We were headed west and did notice that trail. It was quite good, until it wasn't.

Trail goes across the right side of this meadow, and then where?

The group split around a meadow where the trail turns out to go to the right edge, staying right by the green, then along a gully to another clear bit of trail at the side of a canyon. Getting the group back together was a challenge.

Stepping past some woodland pinedrops on the way to finding the trail again.

Finding the trail again was only brief. As we came over an edge to drop down to Minnie Lake itself, there was no obvious trail. There was a ledge of land that was tempting to follow. Mostly, it was done free form. Collecting the group at the lake proved particularly challenging, but was eventually managed.

Dropping down toward Minnie Lake through a fire devoured forest.

Not on trail on the way down to Minnie Lake. The inside scoop is the trail as built crosses above the spring and travels the other side where there is a camp site.

"The best spring in the Yolla Bollys," is just above that large log.

Swamp onions drinking in that water.

Columbian monkshood by the pond.

Minnie Lake has no visible outflow, but was very low even with the input from the spring.

Trying to make Minnie Lake look less mini.

From the lake, the trail just drops enough to cross the lower gully beside it before climbing again. It is still heading away from Solomon Peak during this climb, but we were getting closer in elevation. There was a little more free form trail before coming to a distinct tread leading down to the stream below. Once a little way up the other side, most the climb was on distinct tread. Well, there was one trail search on the way. It was brief. It wasn't so hard to get the group collected afterward.

One of the rocky outcrops below Solomon Peak with the lovely green valley found below Minnie Lake.

A lovely bit of water at the bottom which required a climb down and up again.

Another view of the lovely green valley below Minnie Lake.

More green spaces, behind the fire killed trees nearby and below the barren Solomon Peak.

I found a mystery while finding a corner. There's inholdings around, but not aware of one here.

The Salmon Peak Cutoff looked like good trail when we met it. We headed up a gully to meet it and then I remembered that it might be nice to know if there's a sign there or not anymore. It almost looks like there is in the picture. There's definitely a cairn.

The Solomon Peak Cutoff on its way to the junction with Minnie Lake Trail and Soldier Ridge Trail. There's at least a cairn there.

We stopped under a big tree for shade as we looked upon the last great climb. The afternoon was getting decidedly into the warm range and this eastern face held about half the day's climb. There was some suggestion that maybe we should skip the peak, but really the trail goes up it anyway. We had a peak to climb.

Enjoying some of the few trees while we can before the big climb, hidden by those trees.

Looking back at Sugarloaf Mountain.

And somewhere down there is Minnie Lake.

We had a nice, easy climbing experience until the trail suddenly dumped all the uphill we had just done since the junction. From there, it's a bunch of little wiggles going steeply up. There's almost no trees and somehow it manages to have a tree across it leaving an awkward walk around.

There's more of those Anthony Peak larkspurs.

The Brandegee's springbeauty showing this is a high place.

No longer looking up to Sugarloaf Mountain.

Found balloon milkvetch too on the seemingly barren slopes.

Everyone else chugged up faster than me. I found them enjoying slushies on some nice sitting rocks and elected to pop into the limited shade of a small tree instead. It really was hot out there.

Caught in the act of grabbing snow for slushies!

At the top, we veered off trail for the obvious peak. The closer one is clearly the tallest. (And Peakbagger agrees with its peaks now calculated from DEM files.) However, one wandered over to the far peak and announced that there was a benchmark over there, so we had to visit it too. There's nice dry camping on that one, too, since it has flat area and a big tree.

Found this USDA station as well as two USC&GS reference marks

Last Camp from up on Solomon Peak.

Finding the trail again as it left the peak was hard. Where we left it, it was easy to miss. Almost like lots of people get distracted from continuing along the trail right there. Further down, it was easier. We decided to shortcut the long loop around the ridge and head directly down. But first, off to the next saddle.

Back on Salmon Peak Cutoff.

We found the slope not so steep nor loose as to be tumble-worthy, but the whole area has been badly burned. There were various levels of sidehill or just down and find the trail below philosophies. We all made it without incident.

This guy went for a lot of sidehill and found a bucket to show off.

At the bottom, we were asked if we had found the old trail. Apparently the original trail down into the area went through that valley rather than around the side as it does now. Except for a crossing of a wet spot that had a distinctly long, flat, stone cobbled character, there was nothing suggesting trail that we saw, though.

Continue on to the next day ⇒


*photo album*




©2026 Valerie Norton
Published 3 Jul 2026