In January 2024, a successful Regional Trails Summit was held, marking a significant collaboration among agencies and partner groups in northwest California forests. The summit focused on trail system improvement, with plans for future work and collaboration. Key objectives included community building, trail maintenance, and funding discussions. Notably, the summit saw participation from 35 in-person and 5 virtual attendees, signaling a major milestone for the region’s trail development.
2023 Volunteers of the Year
Michael Kauffmann, founder of the Bigfoot Trail Alliance, acknowledges the significant contributions of Karen and Les, professional trail work volunteers, who since 2018, have dedicated 160 hours to maintaining the Bigfoot Trail. Karen and Les recount their experiences and provides advice for potential new volunteers, encouraging newcomers to take a plunge into volunteering with backcountry trails.
2023 Annual Report
Founded in 2016, the Bigfoot Trail Alliance continues to grow and positively impact local communities. With initiatives like the Youth Stewardship Project, they work to engage youth through place-based experiences and career awareness. Moreover, they have secured significant agreements for trail work on National Forests. Alongside aiming to increase diverse board membership, they also plan to hire key personnel in 2024.
Marble Valley Trip #3
For the third time in 2023 the Bigfoot Trail Alliance returned to Lover’s Camp to get our crew into upper Wooley Creek. While our target is one of the most remote trails in California, we are making steady progress in its rehabilitation.
Marble Valley Trip #2
A volunteer crew of 12 worked down Upper Wooley Creek where we cleared around 40 logs and did about a mile of tread work.
Trinity Alps Trail Work
The Bigfoot Trail Alliance trip to Long Gulch Lake saw 9 Bigfoot Trail Alliance volunteers and 4 Forest Service employees from the Weaverville Ranger District spend a week in the northern Trinity Alps. Utilizing Long Gulch Lake as a base camp, the crew spent the week clearing trails and reestablishing trail tread to Rush Creek […]
Marble Valley trip #1
Trail work in the Marble Mountain Wilderness A Bigfoot Trail Crew of 13 volunteers spent the last week clearing trails in the Marble Mountain Wilderness. Together, we cleared over 5 miles from the junction of the Box Camp Mountain Trail, through Marble Valley, and over the pass into Upper Woolly Creek toward both Big Elk […]
South Russian Creek Trail
In late June we initiated our first Bigfoot Trail Family Trip. We trekked into the Russian Wilderness to work on a 5 mile stretch of the Bigfoot Trail. The Bigfoot Trail Volunteer Trail Crew worked and camped in hail, rain, and thunderstorms–with some sun mixed in. The crew cleared a least 50 logs, diverted snow […]