{"id":3244,"date":"2018-04-12T07:05:52","date_gmt":"2018-04-12T14:05:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/northerncaliforniahikingtrails.com\/blog\/?p=3244"},"modified":"2025-03-02T07:22:43","modified_gmt":"2025-03-02T14:22:43","slug":"backpack-mill-creek-trail-ishi-wilderness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/northerncaliforniahikingtrails.com\/blog\/2018\/04\/12\/backpack-mill-creek-trail-ishi-wilderness\/","title":{"rendered":"Backpack the Mill Creek Trail near Ishi Wilderness"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Black Rock on Mill Creek Near Ishi Wilderness in Lassen National Forest<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Mill Creek Trail in Lassen National Forest<\/a> offers backpackers a challenging spring hiking trip<\/a> just north of Ishi Wilderness. While hiking trails at higher elevations still lie under winter snow, this trail in the northern Sierra Nevada just south of Lassen Volcanic National Park<\/a> lets you enjoy views of a 1,000-foot-high canyon rim, a bounty of wildflowers, and fresh green leaves on deciduous trees, all in the home of the Yana\/Yahi Indians, Ishi’s tribe.<\/p>\n

This post gives directions to the trailhead and along the Mill Creek Trail itself, and it provides a map.<\/p>\n

2024 Trail Conditions Update<\/h3>\n

2024 Park Fire:<\/strong> This fire burned much of Ishi Wilderness, including the Mill Creek Trail.<\/strong> Contact the Almanor Ranger District<\/a> for updated info.<\/p>\n

Corton Olver led a team that improved the Mill Creek Trail, I believe from Black Rock upstream to the trailhead.\u00a0 Here’s the comment he left on April 26, 2024:<\/p>\n

Great news for anyone wanting to hike this trail! The trail has been cleared off all down trees and you shouldn\u2019t lose the trail anywhere. New trees has been cut, and a good corridor opened. I led a trail crew in 2023 to get this trail cleared and opened up. It should be in great shape now! Its still not a beginner trail, but it is much better than it was!<\/p>\n

It’s a very good idea to check with the Almanor Ranger District for current conditions of the trail and access roads before heading out!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mill Creek Hiking Trail Key Information<\/h2>\n

Distance: 29.6 miles round-trip
\nHiking time: 3 to 4 days
\nHigh point: 4,550 feet
\nTotal elevation gain: 3,000 feet
\nDifficulty: moderate
\nSeason: mid-April through November; very hot in summer!
\nWater: available from Mill Creek and other streams (purify first)
\nMaps: USGS 7.5\u2019 Mineral, USGS 7.5\u2019 Onion Butte, USGS 7.5\u2019 Barkley Mountain
\nInformation: Almanor Ranger District<\/a>, Lassen National Forest<\/a>
\nNotes: dogs allowed; a stream crossing encountered just past the trailhead can be difficult to cross during periods of high water flow. In addition, downed trees occasionally block the trail.<\/p>\n

Driving Directions to the Mill Creek Trailhead, Lassen National Forest<\/h2>\n

Drive to the intersection of CA Highways 36 and 172, which is located 9 miles east of Mineral and 9 miles northwest of the junction of CA Highways 32 and 36. Go 3 miles down Highway 172 to the town of Mill Creek. Turn left 0.3 mile past Mill Creek Resort onto Forest Road 28N06 in Lassen National Forest.\u00a0 Go right at an intersection 2.8 miles farther (where Forest Road 28N06C goes left to Hole in the Ground Campground). Currently a culvert is washed out on FR 28N06 about 0.2 mile south of this junction. If that’s still the case, park near the road block and walk south another 1.3 miles on FR 28N06 to the actual trailhead.<\/p>\n

Note: It is possible to do this hike one-way with a car shuttle. To reach Black Rock Campground, the terminus of the hike, take CA Highway 36 to the town of Paynes Creek. Then take Paynes Creek Road and turn right 0.3 mile farther onto Plum Creek Road. After 8 miles, turn right onto Ponderosa Way (Forest Road 28N29 in Lassen National Forest). Travel this dirt road for 20 miles to the trail, following signs for Black Rock and Mill Creek at all intersections. Note:<\/strong> The road is occasionally rough (though still passable for two-wheel-drive vehicles), and crossing Antelope Creek<\/a> may be difficult during periods of high water flow.<\/p>\n

Hiking\/Backpacking the Mill Creek Trail<\/h2>\n

The journey begins at the far end of the parking area. Douglas fir dominate the forest here and along most of the length of the Mill Creek Trail. These stately trees, along with a few incense cedar and large-coned sugar pine, provide ample shade as you gently descend 4 miles to a bluff that allows the first views of the rapids and waterfalls of Mill Creek.<\/p>\n

The trail undulates uphill as you pass by numerous dogwood trees (with large, white, six-petaled \u201cflowers\u201d in spring) and cross several streams. After slowly descending back to Mill Creek, you\u2019ll find the first good campsite at 6.3 miles. Spacious, well-shaded, and situated by the water, this makes a good first-day stopping point.<\/p>\n

The path again climbs, and at 7.3 miles you\u2019ll encounter the rare California nutmeg tree. It sports dark green, stiff, sharp needles; a gentle squeeze of a branch is all that is necessary to identify it. You\u2019ll notice dozens of others farther along the trail.<\/p>\n

At 8.3 miles the trail begins traveling along a dry, exposed, south-facing slope punctured by volcanic rocks. Chaparral shrubs such as buckbrush and whiteleaf and greenleaf manzanita dot the hillside, and white popcorn flowers, purple brodiaea, and numerous other wildflowers grow amid the grasses. This is also where you\u2019ll see the first open views of the steep, rock-studded mountain slope on the other side of Mill Creek.<\/p>\n

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The Top 100 Day Hikes and Backpacking Trips in Northern California<\/h4>\n

\"100The all-color fourth edition features the best trails in:<\/strong><\/p>\n