Whiskeytown National Recreation Area just west of Redding on Highway 299 was badly toasted in the summer 2008 wildfires. The flames created a lot of bare soil, and with the recent rains in Northern California, the potential of slides on trails and roads has increased dramatically.
There is an excellent downloadable brochure on Whiskeytown National Recreation Area hiking trails. However, the bad news is that on November 1, officials issued a list of Whiskeytown National Recreation Area trail, road, and campground closures that will last until late spring, when the rains cease and the ground dries up. The list includes the Mill Creek Trail in the Tower House Historic District, one of my favorites, which is Hike 62 in my book 100 Classic Hikes in Northern California.
I have spent many, many hours hiking the trails around Whiskeytown Lake and swimming in its warm summer waters, beginning when I was just a little boy. I also crewed a 505 sailboat for my skipper-father in Whiskeytown Sailing Club races. And many of the trails around Whiskeytown Lake were featured in my out-of-print first book Best Short Hikes in and Around the North Sacramento Valley.
Herewith the explanation and closures from the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area website:
Starting 11/1/08
With the arrival of the first significant storms the National Park Service will close many trails and roads that were impacted by this summer’s wildfires. Over 6,244 acres burned on the rugged slopes of Shasta Bally in highly erosive soils. The potential for large scale mudslides and debris flow is high. These areas will be evaluated on a regular basis, but visitors should expect these closures to remain in effect during the wet season.
Trail Closures:
Brandy Creek Falls
Boulder Creek Falls
Mill Creek Trail
James K. Carr (Whiskeytown Falls)
Crystal Creek Water Ditch
Crystal Creek Falls
Salt Gulch
Rich Gulch
Upper Kanaka Loop
Campgrounds/Picnic Sites:
Boulder Creek
Crystal Creek
Sheep Camp
Brandy Creek
Brandy Creek Picnic Area
Road Closures:
South Shore Drive
Brandy Creek Road
Mill Creek Road
Shasta Bally Road
Queen Mary Road
Davis Gulch Trail
Oak Bottom Water Ditch
Clear Creek Vista
Camden Water Ditch
Peltier Valley Road
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The rain was really coming down here, yesterday afternoon. I’ve got some real concerns over Mt. Madonna and Pfeiffer Big Sur. I’m hoping we get a couple weeks of dry weather now, which might give at least some grasses time to sprout and help hold the soil.
Twitter: @TheJohnSoares
Roy, good point about grasses holding the soil in place. I was in the Redding foothills a couple of weeks ago and a recent rain had already brought the first green shoots.
I was in the town of Mount Shasta yesterday for my yoga class. The rain came down hard all day. This morning I see snow on all the mountains from about 5500 feet up.
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