Trinity Alps & Vicinity: Including Whiskeytown, Russian Wilderness, and Castle Crags Areas. Mike White
tools are required for a trip into the wilderness. One important tool many hikers and backpackers like to carry is a shovel—not the big, cumbersome, or heavy type that you would use in your garden, but a short one with a sturdy blade and a strong handle. This kind of shovel serves three purposes: to scrape out a place for a fire, to put the fire out, and to dig a hole for disposing of human waste.
A fire can only be fully extinguished by drowning it out with water, stirring, and repeating the whole process over again. Simply covering a fire with dirt is usually insufficient enough to put out a campfire. Don’t attempt to put out a fire simply by dumping some dirt on it and covering it with rocks.
Human waste should be disposed of in a 6- to 8-inch hole in mineral soil a minimum of 200 feet from a campsite or water source. If you must dig a hole in sod, remove and replace an intact piece, using a shovel, as opposed to a stick. Please don’t bury garbage—buried garbage will be dug up by some critter. Only cook as much food as you can eat.
Modern backpacking tents have done away with the need for ditching, or digging shallow ditches around the perimeter of your tent. Digging out a level place to pitch a tent is also unnecessary. Such scars remain for a long time.
The second important tool is a good pocketknife or multitool, which is invaluable for a number of purposes: making repairs or cleaning fish, for instance. A pocketknife or multitool with a pair of pliers can be particularly useful.
Permits and Practices in the Wilderness
WILDERNESS PERMITS
Although regulations are prone to change, a wilderness permit is likely to be a continued requirement for any overnight stay in the Trinity Alps Wilderness. Free wilderness permits are available by self-registration at any ranger station around the Trinity Alps. Currently, wilderness permits are not required for the Russian Wilderness or Castle Crags Wilderness. However, if you are planning to backpack and have a campfire in the national forests covered in this guide, you will have to procure a campfire permit, which is free and available from any USFS ranger station or information center. Whether or not wilderness permits are required for overnight visits, you should still inform a responsible party about your plans and itinerary, providing them with information about what agency to contact if you fail to return on time.
Visitor and information centers and ranger stations administered by USFS, NPS, and state park personnel can usually provide good information on the current status of trails and conditions in the backcountry. For more information, contact the following facilities:
• Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area
Whiskeytown Unit
PO Box 188
Whiskeytown, CA 96095
530-242-3400 (headquarters), 530-246-1225 (visitor center)
• Trinity Alps Wilderness
Shasta-Trinity National Forest
3544 Avtech Parkway
Redding, CA 96002
530-226-2500
WEAVERVILLE RANGER DISTRICT
210 Main St. (CA 299)
Weaverville, CA 96093
530-623-2121
Klamath National Forest
1312 Fairlane Road
Yreka, CA 96097
530-812-6131
SALMON RIVER RANGER DISTRICT
11263 N. CA 3
Fort Jones, CA 96032
530-468-5351
• Russian Wilderness
Klamath National Forest
1312 Fairlane Road
Yreka, CA 96097
530-812-6131
SCOTT RIVER RANGER DISTRICT
11263 N. CA 3
Fort Jones, CA 96032
530-468-5351
• Castle Crags Area
California State Parks
1416 Ninth St.
Sacramento, CA 95814
800-777-0369 or 916-653-6995
CASTLE CRAGS STATE PARK
PO Box 80
Castella, CA 96017
530-235-2684
Shasta-Trinity National Forest
3544 Avtech Parkway
Redding, CA 96002
530-226-2500
MOUNT SHASTA RANGER DISTRICT
204 W. Alma St.
Mount Shasta, CA 96067
530-926-4511
CAMPING RULES AND ETIQUETTE
Campsites should be at least 200 feet from streams and lakes where possible. Only dead wood lying on the ground may be used for firewood. Don’t cut green foliage or upright trees for any purpose. The use of motorized equipment within wilderness areas is strictly forbidden, except where specifically authorized on existing mining claims. Equestrians should check with the USFS about forage and tie regulations for saddle and pack animals. A maximum group size of 10 persons is in effect for all wilderness areas covered in this guide.
CAMPFIRES AND FIRE RINGS
Most recreational enthusiasts appreciate a fire at their campsite as a marvelous, cheery accessory to their wilderness experience. However, wise use of the firewood supply today will allow future wilderness visitors to enjoy the same experience. Nowadays, some of the most heavily used areas lack an adequate supply of firewood, and as a result campfire bans have been instituted at a handful of the more popular locations. In other areas, please consider whether or not a campfire is appropriate, and if so, keep it small.
Fire rings can be eyesores, particularly the high, built-up variety, which tend to collect trash that is hard to remove from between the rocks. They also make fully extinguishing a fire much more difficult, as coals continue to smolder in the chinks between the rocks. Start a campfire only in existing fire rings—never construct a new fire ring, and don’t cook over an open fire—backpacking stoves are much more efficient.
This campsite is too close to the water.
TRAIL COURTESY
Cutting switchbacks causes erosion and could possibly dislodge a rock onto an unsuspecting hiker below—so don’t do it. When meeting others on the trail, downhill hikers should yield the right-of-way to uphill hikers. Saddle and pack animals have the right-of-way; when encountering stock, quietly step well off the trail on the downhill side, as they may become nervous when crowded or frightened by unexpected noises or movements, which ultimately could result in potential injury to both hikers and riders.
Any form of trash is an affront to a wilderness experience.