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.