October 2023 Update All routes and trails are open. There is some snow on the highest north-facing slopes. Great time to be out! September 2023 Update Active fires are all across northwest California right now…most of the trail is closed. June 2023 Update Current conditions include regular afternoon thunderstorms, fast moving creeks and rivers, along […]
2022 Bigfoot Trail Siskiyou Wilderness Collaborative
OCTOBER 2022: This collaborative includes working with the CCC Backcountry Trails Program, Six Rivers National Forest, and other volunteers to work the Kelsey Trail in the Siskiyou Wilderness clearing approximately 6 miles of trail including brushing, tread work, and downed tree removal.
Grove of the Titans
The 2.5 miles of the Bigfoot Trail that follows the Mill Creek Trail in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park (Miles 347.6 – 350.1) is in the process of being renovated and realigned. Part of this $3.5 million project (it also includes new bathrooms, if you are shocked at the price tag) is the last mile […]
Ryan Batjiaka
Thru-Hiking Journal Ryan Batjiaka, from San Francisco, California, hiked most of the BFT in June 2021. He has always wanted to explore the wilderness areas in northwest California and felt the Bigfoot Trail was the perfect way to do so. Because of some Yolla Bolly closures, he started about 4 miles east of the Chanchellula […]
2021 Forest Closures
Klamath and Six Rivers national forests announce wilderness closures A series of fires began in late July across the Klamath Mountains due to lightning strikes. Several sections of the trail are now closed because of these fires. Use our interactive map to see where the fires are and what sections should be avoided. Also, the […]
Trinity Alps Trail Work
June 19-26th, 2021 A crew of 15 adults and 4 kids spent a week working the Bigfoot Trail between Packer’s Peak and Fish Lake in the Trinity Alps Wilderness. This section of trail has not been formally maintained since 2010. Along the way, we maintained 9 miles of trail, logged out 50+ trees, and re-treaded […]
Hiking the Bigfoot Trail in 2021
Whether you are hiking the whole trail or just section hiking the trail is ripe for exploration. Most thru-hikers will start in the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel in mid-June and hike north. The advantage to this approach is that the snow in the higher mountains to the north will have time to melt off and river levels will drop so crossing them will be less dangerous. Another important consideration for hiking the Bigfoot Trail in 2021 is the trail’s yet unknown conditions after 2020 Slater and August Complex Fires. Please be safe out there!
Oregon Big Trees on the Bigfoot Trail
There are big trees on most sections of the Bigfoot Trail. However, an exceptional collection can be found along a short stretch of trail in Section 17. Only 15 miles of the trail are in Oregon and along three of those miles, with a little searching, the Oregon champion incense-cedar, a 31′ circumference Douglas-fir, and […]