Читать книгу Trinity Alps & Vicinity: Including Whiskeytown, Russian Wilderness, and Castle Crags Areas. A Hiking and Backpacking Guide онлайн
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From the junction, continue ahead on the Stuart Fork Trail, traversing 0.5 mile of dense forest before breaking out into more open terrain well above the river on the east side of the canyon. The trail runs along the embankment of the old La Grange Ditch through here, the first place you’ll notice much evidence of the mining efforts along the Stuart Fork. From this vantage point, you’ll also have your first look at the high Alps at the head of the valley. Some more first-rate campsites lie in a flat between the ditch and the river. The trail soon climbs away from the ditch on the brushy east slope, and then levels off before dropping through some terminal moraines on the way to a crossing of Salt Creek. The fern- and wildflower-lined stream runs swift, clear, and cold. The remnants of an old log cabin are slowly moldering back into the soil, and some poor-to-fair campsites are nearby.
Other Backpacking Options in the Area
If you would prefer not to retrace your steps all the way back to the Stuart Fork Trailhead and you have the luxury of two vehicles, a strenuous 30-mile, point-to-point trip over Sawtooth Ridge and through scenic Caribou Basin to Big Flat is one possibility. Another possibility is to go up Willow Creek and over the very steep divide west of Tri-Forest Peak to Big Flat, a 38-mile adventure. An even longer, 44-mile near-loop takes in the Four Lakes, Siligo Meadows, and Van Matre Meadows; crosses Stonewall Pass; passes through Red Mountain Meadows; and then descends to the Stoney Ridge Trailhead. From there you must walk a mile on a dirt road and then take the Elk Gulch Trail to the trailhead on Trinity Alps Road, just above Trinity Alps Resort and 2 miles below the Stuart Fork Trailhead. Additional shuttle alternatives are to go from Deer Creek to the Long Canyon Trailhead, or over the divide to Granite Lake and then out to the Swift Creek Trailhead.