Deep Hole Creek

These proposed Wild and Scenic Rivers in the upper Eel River watershed provide important habitat for threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead, as well as wildlife dependent on old growth forests. They also provide outstanding opportunities for outdoor recreation.

Deep Hole Creek flows through a proposed addition to the Yuki Wilderness. A tributary of Elk Creek, the stream provides suitable spawning and rearing habitat for coho salmon and steelhead. Federal officials identified the creek as essential for the recovery of threatened Chinook salmon and steelhead. The drainage also provides habitat for the spotted owl.

Management Agency: U.S. Forest Service ~ Six Rivers National Forest, Mendocino National Forest
Bureau of Land Management ~ Arcata Field Office

Location: Trinity & Mendocino Counties, CA 2nd Congressional District

Watershed: Upper Eel River

Wild & Scenic River Miles: 4.3 Miles

Outstanding Values: Anadromous fisheries, ecological, wildlife, cultural, scenery, recreation

Big Creek

Located in the King Range Wilderness, this highly scenic stream is part of a unique coastal backcountry backpacking and camping area along the Lost Coast Trail. The stream also provides spawning and rearing habitat for steelhead and federal officials identified the creek as essential for fish recovery.

These proposed Wild and Scenic Rivers flow from the King Range National Conservation Area and Wilderness, providing important habitat for endangered salmon and steelhead, as well as rare plants. These streams also provide nationally significant outdoor recreation opportunities.

Big Creek is recommended for protection by the BLM and 4.6 miles are proposed for Wild & Scenic River designation.

Management Agency: Bureau of Land Management ~ King Range National Conservation Area
BLM Arcata Field Office

Location: Humboldt County, CA 2nd Congressional District

Watershed: Mattole River

Proposed Wild & Scenic River Miles: 4.6 miles

Outstanding Values: Anadromous fisheries, wildlife, botanical, scenery, recreation

Big Flat Creek

Located in the King Range Wilderness, this highly scenic stream is part of a unique coastal backcountry backpacking and camping area along the Lost Coast Trail. The stream also provides spawning and rearing habitat for steelhead and federal officials recently identified the creek as essential for the recovery of threatened steelhead. Several significant prehistoric sites are located near the stream.

Big Flat Creek is recommended for protection by the BLM and 7.5 miles are being proposed for Wild & Scenic designation.

Management Agency: Bureau of Land Management ~ King Range National Conservation Area
BLM Arcata Field Office

Location: Humboldt County, CA 2nd Congressional District

Watershed: Mattole River

Proposed Wild & Scenic River Miles: 7.5 miles

Outstanding Values: Anadromous fisheries, wildlife, botanical, scenery, recreation

Gitchell Creek

The proposed Wild and Scenic Rivers flow from the King Range National Conservation Area and Wilderness, providing important habitat for endangered salmon and steelhead, as well as rare plants. These streams also provide nationally significant outdoor recreation opportunities.

Gitchell Creek is recommended for protection by the BLM. 3 miles of Gitchell Creek are proposed for Wild & Scenic designation.

Management Agency: Bureau of Land Management ~ King Range National Conservation Area
BLM Arcata Field Office

Location: Humboldt County, CA 2nd Congressional District

Watershed: Mattole River

Proposed Wild & Scenic River Miles: 3 miles

Outstanding Values: Anadromous fisheries, wildlife, botanical, scenery, recreation

Bear Creek

Bear Creek and its tributaries drain the eastside of the magnificent King Range. They provide suitable habitat for coho salmon and steelhead, as well as old growth forests for northern spotted owl. Federal officials recently identified the creek as essential for the recovery of threatened salmon and steelhead. Significant historic and prehistoric sites are located along the stream and a rare lichen grows there. Campgrounds popular with King Range visitors are located along Bear Creek, which is also the route of the popular Paradise Royale mountain bike trail.

Bear Creek is recommended for protection by the BLM. 11 miles of Bear Creek are proposed for Wild & Scenic designation.

Management Agency: Bureau of Land Management ~ King Range National Conservation Area
BLM Arcata Field Office

Location: Humboldt County, CA 2nd Congressional District

Watershed: Mattole River

Proposed Wild & Scenic River Miles: 11 miles

Outstanding Values: Anadromous fisheries, wildlife, botanical, scenery, recreation

Honeydew Creek

Honeydew Creek and its tributaries are in the King Range Wilderness. The creek provides suitable stream habitat for anadromous fish and old growth forest habitat for northern spotted owl. Federal officials recently identified the creek as essential for the recovery of threatened salmon and steelhead.

Honeydew Creek is recommended for protection by the BLM. This proposal designated 10.6 miles.

Management Agency: Bureau of Land Management ~ King Range National Conservation Area
BLM Arcata Field Office

Location: Humboldt County, CA 2nd Congressional District

Watershed: Mattole River

Proposed Wild & Scenic River Miles: 10.6 miles

Outstanding Values: Anadromous fisheries, wildlife, botanical, scenery, recreation

Yolla Bolly – Middle Eel Proposed Wilderness Additions

YollaBollyMiddleEel_1 The proposed additions in the South Fork Trinity River watershed are dominated by the northern faces of Black Rock Mountain and North Yolla Bolly.

These prominent landmarks were inexplicably excluded from the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness when it was established in 1964.

These areas contain rich old-growth forests that shelter northern spotted owl, goshawk, pileated woodpecker and other species. The prominent ridge that forms these peaks is also dappled with small, yet rich springs and meadows that serve as the source of the East Fork South Fork Trinity River.

YollaBollyMiddleEel_2 The South Fork Trinity provides critically important habitat for salmon and steelhead. The popular Rat Trap Gap, Black Rock Lake, North Yolla Bolly Lake and Stuart Gap trails all pass through the proposed wilderness additions. The proposed wilderness additions in the North Fork Eel River watershed, by contrast, are dominated by low-elevation V-shaped canyons draped with grasslands, oak woodlands, and chaparral.

Protecting Casoose Creek (a proposed wild and scenic river) and other key streams on the western flank of the Yolla Bollys would be an important step in the effort to restore the North Fork’s anadromous fish populations. These lowlands also offer critically-important summer and winter range for deer, habitat that is rapidly being lost to development elsewhere in the state.

South Fork Trinity Proposed Wilderness

SouthForkTrinityPWA The Wild and Scenic South Fork Trinity River winds its way through lower elevation hardwoods that include madrone, maple, chinquapin and oak.

Further up the slopes, old-growth forests composed of pine, fir and cedar are found. These groves provide habitat for large mammals such as mountain lion and their frequent prey, the Columbian blacktail deer.
Black bear are also abundant in the canyon.

Occasionally, one may observe the endangered spotted owl, as well as goshawks and falcons. Along the river, red-legged frogs and pacific salamander, both threatened species, may be found along with other aquatic wildlife such as the river otter.

This segment of the South Fork provides some of the best spawning grounds on the stream for salmon and steelhead. Plummer Creek, a major tributary of the South Fork, hosts a native steelhead run and provides the Trinity with a valuable source of cool water.

Recreational opportunities are abundant, as the river provides whitewater rafters and kayakers with challenging spring runs and the swimmer refreshing pools for swimming. Trails give hikers access to some of California’s most scenic areas.

The world’s tallest ponderosa pine was recently located in the area. According to the Redding Record Searchlight, “The tree is 240 feet tall, or as tall as a 24-story building; trunk circumference of 290 inches, or almost 8 feet wide and a crown width of 70 feet.”

East Fork of South Fork Trinity Proposed Wild and Scenic River

The South Fork Trinity River is one of the largest undammed river systems in California. The river and its tributaries support important populations of threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead and old-growth forest dependent wildlife species. The river and tributaries also offer outstanding outdoor recreation opportunities.

The East Fork South Fork with headwaters in the Yolla Bolly Middle Eel Wilderness provides the greatest amount of habitat in the upper South Fork Trinity system for spring Chinook salmon and winter steelhead, contributing significantly to the maintenance of fish communities throughout the entire South Fork watershed.

Fish biologists identified the East Fork South Fork to be a high priority watershed for the recovery of depressed South Fork fish stocks. Although its watershed is recovering from past forestry abuses, the stream possesses the greatest amount of fish habitat in the South Fork system and will play a key role in the recovery of the South Fork as one of the most productive steelhead streams in the region. The East Fork South Fork also supports coho salmon and its watershed provides habitat for spotted owl, goshawk, Peregrine falcon, and Pacific fisher and several sensitive plants.

Management Agency: U.S. Forest Service ~ Shasta-Trinity & Six Rivers National Forests
Location: Trinity & Humboldt Counties, CA 2nd Congressional District
Watershed: Trinity River
Proposed Wild & Scenic River Miles: 11.8

Outstanding Values: Anadromous fisheries, ecological, recreation

South Fork Trinity Proposed Wild and Scenic River

From its source high in the Yolla Bolly Middle Eel Wilderness, the South Fork Trinity River flows north 82 miles to its confluence with the Trinity River. On its long journey north, the South Fork Trinity serves as a natural corridor for fish and wildlife, thus helping to connect islands of ancient forest and wild places that would otherwise grow increasingly isolated in an expanding sea of roads and clear-cuts.

The river provides critical habitat for spring-run Chinook salmon and summer and winter-run steelhead trout. It also flows through one of the most diverse and pristine forests in California – forests that shelter spotted owl, goshawk, bald eagle, fisher, marten and several rare plants.

The natural beauty of the Upper South Fork Trinity River is unsurpassed. The South Fork National Recreation Trail parallels much of this section of the river, allowing visitors to follow in the footsteps of Native Americans, early fur trappers, and miners. This long but easy trail offers expansive views of the river’s many rapids and pools, with a backdrop of pines, firs, and oaks. Two National Forest campgrounds provide excellent base camps to explore the river and trail.

For these reasons, the Forest Service recommended Wild & Scenic River protection for the upper 26 miles of the South Fork Trinity. The upper river also flows through the unprotected Chinquapin roadless area, which deserves wilderness protection. Improved designation status for other sections of the river is also recommended.

Outstanding Values: Anadromous fisheries, ecological, recreation

Upper Middle Eel and Balm of Gilead Creek Proposed Wild and Scenic Rivers

From their sources in the Yolla-Bolly Wilderness to their confluence, the upper Middle Eel River and Balm of Gilead Creek flows through rugged and little-visited canyons clothed in mixed Douglas fir, Jeffry pine, and oak forests, forming numerous cascades, waterfalls, and large pools along the way.

The Forest Service recommended Wild & Scenic protection of these important headwater streams of the existing Middle Eel Wild & Scenic River because they provide outstanding habitat for rare summer steelhead and represent an important aquatic refuge for the southernmost population of summer steelhead on the West Coast. The Middle Eel also supports the largest single run of summer steelhead in the state.

The upper Middle Eel and Balm of Gilead watersheds are defined by some of the least-used trails in the Yolla-Bolly Wilderness, allowing for true solitude for hikers, equestrians, anglers and others seeking a primitive experience in one of the more pristine upper watersheds of the Coast Range. In addition to summer steelhead in the streams, the forested watersheds provide habitat for the endangered spotted owl and goshawk.

Wild & Scenic protection of the upper Middle Eel and Balm of Gilead Creek would complement the existing Middle Fork Wild & Scenic River downstream.

Management Agency: U.S. Forest Service ~ Six Rivers National Forest, Mendocino National Forest
Bureau of Land Management ~ Arcata Field Office

Location: Trinity & Mendocino Counties, CA 2nd Congressional District

Watershed: Upper Eel River

Proposed Wild & Scenic River Miles: 50.1 Miles

Outstanding Values: Anadromous fisheries, ecological, wildlife, cultural, scenery, recreation

Redwood Creek Proposed Wild and Scenic River

Redwood Creek and its tributaries flow through or are located upstream of Redwood National Park. They provide important habitat for threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead and nationally significant recreation opportunities.

Redwood Creek flows past old growth and second growth redwoods in Redwood National Park, including the tallest tree on earth. The park is a World Heritage Site recognized by the United Nations. The creek supports endangered coho and Chinook salmon, steelhead, and coastal cutthroat trout. Federal officials recently identified the creek as essential for the recovery of threatened salmon and steelhead. Ospreys nest along the creek and elk graze nearby prairies. The popular Redwood Creek Trail parallels much of the stream, which also offers class III whitewater boating opportunities.

After its journey through Redwood National Park, Redwood Creek flows past the small community of Orick, and into the Pacific Ocean. Approximately 20 miles of Redwood Creek are located in Redwood National Park. The upper 6.2 miles of Redwood Creek is proposed as a “potential” Wild and Scenic River pending acquisition for public conservation purposes.

The creek supports a diverse anadromous fishery, including endangered Coho and Chinook salmon, steelhead, and coastal cutthroat trout. Ospreys nest along the creek, elk wander its banks, and river otter play in the creek’s riffle and pools.

One of the most popular trails in the Park, the Redwood Creek Trail parallels much of the creek and leads to the Tall Trees Grove. The Redwood Creek Trailhead picnic area and the Elam and 44 Camp backcountry camps offer respite for hikers and backpackers. The Redwood National Park Information Center is located near the mouth of Redwood Creek and the Pacific Ocean.

Management Agency: National Park Service ~ Redwood National Park
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) ~ Arcata Field Office

Location: Humboldt County, CA 2nd Congressional District

Watershed: Redwood Creek

Proposed Wild & Scenic River Miles: 25.3

Outstanding Values: Anadromous fisheries, wildlife, ecological, recreation, World Heritage Site

Little South Fork Elk River and Salmon Creek Proposed Wild and Scenic Rivers

The Headwaters Forest Reserve encompasses the headwaters of the Little South Fork Elk River and Salmon Creek. These streams are key components of the old-growth redwood forest community. The ecological values of the streams include unparalleled diversity of plant and animals species, including old growth redwoods, marbled murrelet, northern spotted owl, bald eagle, Coho and Chinook salmon, and steelhead. Salmon Creek in particular is dominated by old growth redwood forest and possesses abundant woody debris and deep pools – key habitat features needed for healthy salmon and steelhead fisheries. The stream corridors are also rich in historic and prehistoric resources.

In recognition of these outstanding fish, wildlife, historic, and prehistoric values, the BLM has recommended Wild & Scenic River protection for the Little South Fork Elk River and Salmon Creek. Designating the streams would protect their outstanding values and free flowing character, as well as complement the overall protection provided by the Headwaters Forest Reserve.

Canyon Creek Proposed Wild and Scenic River

These proposed Wild and Scenic Rivers flow from the magnificent Trinity Alps Wilderness, providing important habitat for salmon and steelhead migrating to and from the Trinity River, as well as outstanding outdoor recreation opportunities and scenery.

Beautiful alpine lakes high in the Trinity Alps Wilderness are the source of Canyon Creek. From there, this remarkable stream flows south through scenic alpine meadows, over numerous waterfalls, through a rugged forested canyon, and past former Native American village sites and historic Gold Rush mining towns to its confluence with the Trinity River at Junction City.

Heavily degraded by past mining, Canyon Creek today runs clear and cold, supporting a healthy fishery of salmon, steelhead, and resident trout. But in recent years, Canyon Creek has been threatened by the proposed resumption of industrial mining.

A National Forest road parallels the lower half of the creek, providing access from Highway 299 to the Ripstein Campground and the Canyon Creek Trailhead – the gateway to one of the most scenic and popular hiking trails in the Trinity Alps Wilderness.

The Forest Service has recommended Canyon Creek for Wild & Scenic River protection.

Management Agency: U.S. Forest Service ~ Shasta-Trinity National Forests

Location: Trinity County, CA 2nd Congressional District

Watershed: Trinity River

Proposed Wild & Scenic River Miles: 17.8 miles

Outstanding Values: Anadromous fisheries, ecological, wildlife, recreation, scenery

Underwood Proposed Wilderness

Underwood This proposed wilderness is located along the canyon of the South Fork Trinity Wild and Scenic River.

Recreational opportunities abound in Underwood with boating, hiking and wildflower viewing in the spring followed by swimming in its many pools during the summer. One can often see salmon and steelhead holding in these same pools in the summer and spawning in the fall. The proposed wilderness hosts a fall run of Chinook salmon as well as a lesser run of coho salmon.

Fishing opportunities for trout attract many anglers. For some 5 miles, the South Fork Trail winds through the steep and rugged terrain above the river. This trail is popular with hunters and hikers, and is used for river access by anglers. Spring wildflower displays can often be quite stunning.

South Fork Mountain, which forms the approximate western boundary of the proposed wilderness, is notable for being the longest ridge found in the western hemisphere.

Underwood provides important habitat for mountain lion and bear, as well as raptors such as eagle and osprey. Along the river, both otter and mink are found.

Butter Creek Proposed Wild And Scenic River

Butter Creek is a key tributary for the protection and restoration of South Fork anadromous stocks. The creek is an important source of cold water providing thermal refugia for rare summer steelhead and coho in the South Fork. The watershed’s serpentine soils support a unique assemblage of endemic plant species. Peregrine falcon and spotted owl nest in the watershed.

Trinity Alps Wilderness Proposed Additions

Trinity Alps Additions The southern proposed additions are composed of rugged, heavily forested mid to low-elevation country that would complement the adjacent highlands of the Trinity Alps Wilderness if protected.

The Wild and Scenic New River, Canyon Creek Proposed Wild and Scenic River and other streams that flow out of the proposed additions provide cold, clear water essential for the survival of endangered steelhead trout and coho and Chinook salmon populations in the Trinity River. Large boulders and abundant small waterfalls grace many of these streams, and the fish can often be seen leaping up the rapids to spawn.

The New River watershed is well known for its purity, even during fierce rainstorms. The proposed additions are an extremely important refuge for unique and endangered species, including nine rare plants. Reminders of the area’s Gold Rush history abound in the proposed additions in the form of abandoned mines, rock piles, and ditches. As is the case in the adjacent Trinity Alps Wilderness, these disturbances are more often than not covered by vegetation, and do not in any way detract from the region’s overall wild character. Indeed, these historical features simply add to the public’s fascination with this wild, remote country. The New River offers challenging whitewater for boaters who are brave enough to negotiate its narrow gorge filled with deep troughs and house-sized boulders.

Siskiyou Wilderness Proposed Additions

If Bigfoot lives, he or she dwells in the Siskiyou Mountains. The northwestern portions of the proposed wilderness additions are in the Smith River and Illinois River watersheds.

The Smith is California’s only undammed river and it hosts one of the “best salmon and steelhead fisheries on the west coast” according to the Six Rivers National Forest. The stream is known for its beautiful blue-green color, scenic vistas, challenging whitewater, abundant fish and other wildlife populations, rare plants and recreation opportunities. These superlative features lead Congress to designate the California-portion of the watershed the Smith River National Recreation Area in 1990.

A significant portion of the Smith’s headwaters are protected by the Siskiyou Wilderness. Unusual soils, great rises and drops in elevation, and plenty of water all combine to make the Siskiyou Wilderness a refuge for a great diversity of species, many of which are found nowhere else on earth. Ancient forests consist of an amazing fourteen species of conifers, the second greatest conifer diversity in the world.

North Fork Eel Proposed Wilderness Additions

The proposed additions are clustered along the canyon of the North Fork Eel Wild and Scenic River which is where the North Fork Wilderness is situated.

The existing 8,100-acre North Fork Wilderness is almost certainly the least visited of all of northern California’s designated wilderness areas. This lack of visitors is not due its features or habitat, but simply because it is located far from any major thoroughfares and population centers in extremely remote, rugged country.

The proposed additions shelter important low-elevation old-growth forest as well as wildflower-dappled grasslands, oak woodlands and chaparral. The area is known to be used by peregrine falcons, the world’s fastest bird that can reach speeds in excess of 200 miles an hour when diving for prey.

The North Fork Eel provides habitat for coho salmon and steelhead trout in its rugged and beautiful canyon. Red Mountain Creek Proposed Wild and Scenic River, a tributary of the North Fork that drains a large portion of the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness to the east, also hosts steelhead trout and provides cold, clear water essential for the health of the river.

Bluff Creek, another tributary that flows through the additions, provides habitat for both coho salmon and steelhead. Lastly, the North Fork Eel provides challenging whitewater opportunities for experienced kayakers and rafters. The additions are mostly trackless, though there are a few rugged historic trails through the region.

Mad River Buttes Proposed Wilderness

This small yet ecologically diverse proposed wilderness encompasses the headwaters of Redwood Creek, a critical salmon and steelhead trout stream that eventually flows into Redwood National Park to the north.

Redwood Creek flows off of the north-face of this ridge, while Bug Creek (an important tributary of the Mad River to the south) flows from its southern slopes. Large meadows grace the region, offering breathtaking wildflower displays in early summer.

Ancient forests of pine and fir cover much of the area, as do outstanding groves of black oaks. These diverse habitats provide homes for a large number of wildlife species, including the northern spotted owl, goshawk, Pacific fisher, pine marten, Pacific giant salamander, prairie falcon, pileated woodpecker, and Roosevelt elk among others. Unique plant communities are also formed by “serpentine barrens,” places where soil conditions are so poor that only highly specialized plants can survive.

MRiverElk This is the closest proposed wilderness to the greater Humboldt Bay area, thus making it an excellent destination for day-visits from Humboldt County. The Bug Creek Trail provides access to the area and offers views to the King Range, Trinity Alps, Mount Shasta, Yolla Bollys and beyond.

English Ridge Proposed Wilderness

English Ridge The proposed wilderness is covered with an ancient forest of Douglas fir, live and black oak, ponderosa pine, sugar pine, tan oak, and other species.

The Wild and Scenic Eel River bisects the western portion of English Ridge from south to north, in fact, the river provides the only legal public access to the area because it is surrounded by private land.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) found Fish Creek and Indian Creek (two tributaries of the Eel) in the proposed wilderness to be eligible for wild and scenic river status because of their old-growth forests and habitat for salmon and steelhead.

The forested slopes in the area are nearly trackless, so most recreation use consists of kayaking, canoeing, and rafting the Eel River.

In 2011 the Department of the Interior released a report highlighting BLM lands around the nation that ought to be designated as wilderness by Congress. It included English Ridge among what it called these “crown jewels” of the BLM’s potential wilderness portfolio.

Chanchelulla Proposed Wilderness Additions

Chanchellula The Chanchelulla Wilderness is an extremely rugged landscape with rocky, sparsely-forested ridgetops, old-growth dominated northern exposures and chaparral-draped south-facing slopes. Visitors to the area are greeted with outstanding views in all directions, including distant Mount Shasta, Lassen Peak, the Sierra Nevada, the Yolla Bollys, the Trinity Alps and beyond.

When the area was designated as wilderness in 1984, thousands of acres of ancient cedar, pine and fir forest, several cave-riddled outcrops of limestone and over four miles of Hayfork Creek (a key salmon and steelhead stream) were left out.

These potential additions to the wilderness host many rare or endangered plant and animal species, including northern spotted owl, goshawk, fisher, marten, Peanut sandwort (a delicate white flower), and Stebbins’ madia (a striking yellow flower with a sage-like smell).

While most of the proposed additions are trackless, a single historic trail follows the Potato Creek drainage and enters the existing wilderness. Hayfork Creek has been rated as a very challenging class III-V kayak run by American Whitewater.

Bonanza King Proposed Wilderness

Bonanza King Photo This strikingly rugged region is characterized by steep, mountainous terrain, with elevations ranging from 2,500 feet along the Trinity River to 7,000 feet along the Bonanza King Divide that commands spectacular views of the surrounding countryside, including the Trinity Alps Wilderness to the west and Mount Shasta to the northeast.

These steep slopes are cut by numerous small creeks and ravines, with ancient forests, lakes, meadows, oak woodlands, and grasslands in between. The area is noted for its exceptional botanical diversity due to unusual geology and a large number of wet seeps and meadows. These wet areas provide spectacular wildflower displays over a long blooming season, while also providing habitat for many sensitive plants and trees, including the rare and beautiful Port Orford cedar.

As the name “Bonanza King” implies, the region was pored over by prospectors in the Nineteenth Century. Like the nearby Trinity Alps Wilderness, physical reminders of this mining boom are not hard to find in the form of abandoned equipment and old, primitive structures.

Chinquapin Proposed Wilderness

Trinity_Chinquapin_PWA The proposed wilderness contains what is possibly the largest, most intact swath of unprotected ancient forest in northern California.

Extremely rich groves of douglas fir, ponderosa pine, Jeffrey pine, black oak, and incense cedar cover much of the area.

Chinquapin, usually a shrub, grows in an extremely rare tree-form here. Some of these giant chinquapin reach heights of 80 feet or more.

Bald eagle, fisher, marten, Howell’s lewisia (an ornate purple and white flower), Niles’ madia (a yellow-flowered plant with a sage-like smell), pale yellow stonecrop (a succulent), and the tall, slender Umpqua green gentian plant are just a few of the rare or endangered species that call this area home.

According to Forest Service data, Chinquapin is an integral part of the largest and densest populations of northern spotted owls and goshawks in the Trinity side of the two million-acre Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Coho and Chinook salmon and steelhead trout also live in the South Fork Trinity Proposed Wild and Scenic River which bisects the area.

The popular South Fork National Recreation Trail also passes through Chinquapin, following the river and offering excellent swimming, hiking, and horseback riding opportunities.

Lower Hayfork Creek Proposed Wild and Scenic River

Hayfork Creek is the largest free flowing tributary to the South Fork Trinity River. The Forest Service recommended Wild & Scenic River protection for the lower segment of Hayfork Creek because its cold water tributaries support moderate to high populations of steelhead, salmon, and native rainbow trout, which also contribute to the outstanding fishery value of the South Fork Trinity.

The creek carves a scenic gorge along the foot of Pattison Mountain and the proposed Pattison Wilderness. Many of the small streams draining into Hayfork Creek provide cold water refugia for the creek’s anadromous fish. Hayfork Creek also offers class IV-V whitewater boating opportunities. Much of Hayfork Creek is recommended for protection by the Forest Service.

Pattison Proposed Wilderness

Close to the confluence of the South Fork Trinity River and Hayfork Creek, the Pattison Proposed Wilderness provides outstanding opportunities for outdoor recreation and refuge for threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead. Old growth and mixed hardwood forests provide important habitat for endangered spotted owl and other wildlife.

Young wilderness enthusiasts from the Bar 717 Ranch’s Camp Trinity hike, ride horses, and camp in the Pattison area and frequent the many swimming holes in Hayfork Creek. Many Pattison trails served as key transportation routes for both Native Americans and early western pioneers. Hayfork Bally and Pattison Peak may be climbed by the adventurous. Fishing in Hayfork Creek and other streams is a popular pastime for locals and visitors to the area. During the high water season, expert kayakers challenge Hayfork Creek’s class IV-V whitewater.

Miner’s Creek and other Hayfork tributaries, provide important cold water refuges for threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead that migrate up the South Fork Trinity River and into Hayfork Creek to spawn. The U.S. Forest Service has recommended Hayfork Creek for Wild & Scenic River protection to preserve its outstanding fishery and scenic values. The Trinity County Board of Supervisors supported wilderness protection for the Pattison area in 1978.

Redwood National Park Proposed Wilderness

Unfortunately, few protected wilderness areas include coast redwoods, despite their iconic nature. The Redwood Creek drainage contains the largest remaining groves of ancient forest in Redwood National Park.

More information coming soon!

Headwaters Forest Proposed Wilderness

Activists waged a long battle to preserve this once privately-owned grove of stately old-growth coast redwoods. While much of the Headwaters Forest Reserve has been logged, the proposed wilderness is composed of the ancient forests that form the area’s core.

More information to be added soon!

Rattlesnake Creek Proposed Wild and Scenic River

The federal recovery plan for coho salmon identifies Rattlesnake Creek as a high priority for restoration. It’s one of the few South Fork tributaries with several miles of accessible fish habitat without natural or man-made barriers.