The Trinity Alps Wilderness is a designated wilderness located in northern

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

, roughly between Eureka and Redding. It is jointly administered by Shasta-Trinity,

Klamath Klamath may refer to: Ethnic groups * Klamath people, a Native American people of California and Oregon **Klamath Tribes, a federally recognized group of tribes in Oregon * Klamath language, spoken by the Klamath people Places in the United States ...

, and Six Rivers National Forests. About are administered by the Bureau of Land Management. The wilderness is located in the Salmon and Scott Mountains, subranges of the Klamath Mountains region. The high,

granitic A granitoid is a generic term for a diverse category of coarse-grained igneous rocks that consist predominantly of quartz, plagioclase, and alkali feldspar. Granitoids range from plagioclase-rich tonalites to alkali-rich syenites and from quart ...

and ultramafic peaks of the eastern half of the

wilderness area Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...

are known as the Trinity Alps. Granite peaks at the core of the area are known as the White Trinities, reddish ultramafic peaks in the southeast are known as the Red Trinities, and the forested mountains in the western half of the wilderness are known as the Green Trinities.

Flora and fauna

The botanical diversity of the Trinity Alps is quite unique. The region has intrigued botanists for many years because of the predominance of the Sierran flora only from the Pacific Ocean. Conifers common in the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...

such as foxtail pines,

lodgepole pine ''Pinus contorta'', with the common names lodgepole pine and shore pine, and also known as twisted pine, and contorta pine, is a common tree in western North America. It is common near the ocean shore and in dry montane forests to the subalp ...

western white pine Western white pine (''Pinus monticola''), also called silver pine and California mountain pine, is a species of pine in the family Pinaceae. It occurs in mountain ranges of northwestern North America. It is the state tree of Idaho. Descriptio ...

whitebark pine ''Pinus albicaulis'', known by the common names whitebark pine, white bark pine, white pine, pitch pine, scrub pine, and creeping pine, is a conifer tree native to the mountains of the western United States and Canada, specifically subalpine ...

ponderosa pines ''Pinus ponderosa'', commonly known as the ponderosa pine, bull pine, blackjack pine, western yellow-pine, or filipinus pine is a very large pine tree species of variable habitat native to mountainous regions of western North America. It is t ...

, red firs, and

white fir ''Abies concolor'', the white fir, is a coniferous tree in the pine family Pinaceae. This tree is native to the mountains of western North America, including the Cascade Range and southern Rocky Mountains, and into the isolated mountain ranges ...

s are also common in the Alps alongside the endemic Brewer spruce. Large wildfires swept through the western forests in recent years. Wildlife species include

American black bear The American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), also called simply a black bear or sometimes a baribal, is a medium-sized bear endemic to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most widely distributed bear species. American black bea ...

s, black-tailed deer, cougars, coyotes, and bobcats. Bears are common in the wilderness, so use a

bear bag Bear-resistant food storage containers, also called bear canisters or bear cans, are usually hard-sided containers used by backpackers to protect their food from theft by bears. Bear canisters are seeing increased popularity in areas where bear ...

or bear canister.

Geology

Glacial cirques dominate the high country. The highest point is Thompson Peak at 9,001 ft (2,744 m).

Recreation

The wilderness contains approximately of hiking trails, including of the

Pacific Crest Trail The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), officially designated as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, which lie ...

and of the

Bigfoot Trail The Bigfoot Trail is an unofficial U.S. long-distance hiking trail in northern California. The Bigfoot Trail was originally proposed by Michael Kauffmann in 2009 as a suggested route to navigate the Klamath Mountains from south to north as well ...

. The most popular entry points into the wilderness are from the Weaverville area around Trinity Lake or from Junction City. Additional routes are seasonally accessible by car from the north and west. The paved road north from Junction City leads to the Canyon Creek trail, the most popular trail in the wilderness. The longest trails take several days to complete. The Pacific Crest Trail traverses the Scott Mountains in the northeast portion of the wilderness. Glacial cirques hold many small lakes stocked with trout and ponds frequented by newts. Streams offer trout fishing, and tributaries to the lower Trinity River hold migratory steelhead and chinook salmon. Hunting occurs in late summer and fall for deer, bear, and bandtailed pigeon. Although some of the high lakes are popular in summer, most of the land is infrequently visited. Many of the trails are in poor condition and hard to follow, so skills with map and compass are essential. Rock climbing opportunities are excellent on vast granite slabs and peaks. Historic gold mining structures and relics add interest for visitors in various parts of the wilderness. Gold panning continues to be good for the experienced amateur. Granite Peak is a good destination for views as well as Silligo peak, on the Four Lakes Loop. Trinity Lake is visible to the south, and much of the rest of the area is visible as well. Remnants of the old lookout station remain.

Private land

Until recently, about of private land (

inholding An inholding is privately owned land inside the boundary of a national park, national forest, state park, or similar publicly owned, protected area. In-holdings result from private ownership of lands predating the designation of the park or fore ...

s) remained within the Trinity Alps Wilderness. Purchases by the Wilderness Land Trust have reduced this acreage by more than 40 percent.

References

External links

Trinity Alps Wilderness
- Wilderness Connect
The Wilderness Land TrustThe Trinity Alps - Celebrating 30 years of wilderness designation
{{Authority control Wilderness areas of California Klamath Mountains Protected areas of Humboldt County, California Protected areas of Siskiyou County, California Protected areas of Trinity County, California Klamath National Forest Shasta-Trinity National Forest Six Rivers National Forest Protected areas established in 1984 1984 establishments in California