{"id":3849,"date":"2018-10-10T16:54:35","date_gmt":"2018-10-10T23:54:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/northerncaliforniahikingtrails.com\/blog\/?p=3849"},"modified":"2023-03-03T16:11:46","modified_gmt":"2023-03-03T23:11:46","slug":"sugar-lake-trail-russian-wilderness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/northerncaliforniahikingtrails.com\/blog\/2018\/10\/10\/sugar-lake-trail-russian-wilderness\/","title":{"rendered":"Sugar Lake Trail in the Russian Wilderness"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Sugar Lake Trail takes you into the beautiful glacial granite of the Russian Wilderness<\/a>. It’s a great option for day hikers and backpackers who want solitude<\/a> along with stunning scenery.<\/p>\n

\"This
Ridge between Sugar Lake and South Sugar Lake<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sugar Lake “Miracle Mile” Conifer Diversity<\/h2>\n

The drainage is famous for containing a very high level of conifer diversity<\/a>. Here’s the list of the 18 Sugar Lake “Miracle Mile” conifers:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Ponderosa pine<\/li>\n
  2. Sugar pine<\/li>\n
  3. Western white pine<\/li>\n
  4. Jeffrey pine<\/li>\n
  5. Lodgepole pine<\/li>\n
  6. Foxtail pine<\/li>\n
  7. Whitebark pine<\/li>\n
  8. Douglas fir<\/li>\n
  9. White fir<\/li>\n
  10. Shasta fir (red fir)<\/li>\n
  11. Subalpine fir<\/li>\n
  12. Incense cedar<\/li>\n
  13. Brewer spruce<\/li>\n
  14. Engelmann spruce<\/li>\n
  15. Pacific yew<\/li>\n
  16. Mountain hemlock<\/li>\n
  17. Common juniper<\/li>\n
  18. Western juniper<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Some are quite common and are near the trail. You’ll have to explore the basin ridges to find foxtail pine and whitebark pine. How many will you find on your explorations?<\/p>\n

    Sugar Lake Trail Key Data<\/h2>\n

    Distance: 6.2 miles roundtrip
    \nDifficulty: Moderate
    \nType: Day hike or Overnight (    good late spring backpacking destination<\/a>)
    \nElevation gain: 1200 feet
    \nHigh point: 5950 feet
    \nSeason: Mid-June to October
    \nContact:     Klamath National Forest<\/a>, Salmon\/Scott River Ranger District
    \nMaps:     USFS Marble Mountain Wilderness & Russian Wilderness<\/a>, USGS Eaton Peak
    \nTrailhead GPS coordinates: N 41 18.631 W 122 54.179
    \nNotes: dogs allowed<\/p>\n

    Sugar Lake Trailhead Directions<\/h2>\n

    Drive CA Highway 3 to French Creek Road, which is 30.9 miles from the junction of CA 3 and I-5 in Yreka and 8.3 miles from Callahan. Drive west on French Creek Road. At 5.4 miles the pavement ends; you\u2019re on good dirt roads the rest of the way. At 6.9 miles turn right onto Forest Road 40N22, and then go left at another junction onto Forest Road 41N14 at 7.6 miles. Go another 1.7<\/span> miles and look for a wide area on the left for parking, large enough to hold eight or so vehicles. This is just 100 feet past a gated road that rises to the right, and 200 feet before Forest Road 41N14 crosses Sugar Creek on a bridge. The Sugar Lake Trail sign is nailed to young sugar pine (makes sense!) about 15 feet up the trail on the right, but it’s difficult to see from 41N14.<\/p>\n

    \"Sugar
    Sugar Lake Trail Map, Russian Wilderness. Note that the outlet creek is always to the south of the trail. It’s placed incorrectly on topo map. Old trail to South Sugar Lake is not on current USFS Russian Wilderness Map. (Courtesy of Caltopo.com<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Hiking the Sugar Lake Trail<\/h2>\n
    \"Sugar
    The Sugar Lake Trail is relatively easy to follow.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Start climbing steeply and southwest past ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, Brewer spruce, and sugar pine, with the sound of Sugar Creek to the left. Be grateful to the California Conservation Corps, which did major maintenance on the trail in 2013, making the route fairly easy to follow.<\/p>\n

    Smell tobacco brush on hot days as you wend your way between granite boulders, large and small. The gradient moderates at 0.4 mile as you continue through old-growth forest that now includes plenty of white fir.<\/p>\n

    South Sugar Lake: No Trail?<\/h2>\n

    On old topo maps, including the one I used for the map above, you’ll see an unmaintained trail heading southwest from the main trail about 1.5 miles from the trailhead to rise to South Sugar Lake. I briefly looked for the South Sugar Lake Trail but didn’t find it. I suspect that much of it is overgrown, so if you want to do it, have strong cross-country hiking skills and the ability to navigate well.<\/p>\n

    Update From Facebook Discussions<\/h3>\n

    One person said he found the trail by first noticing a rock cairn on the south side of the Sugar Lake Trail. He continued about about 100 yards southwest to find another cairn upstream of the confluence of the two streams that emerge from the two lakes.<\/p>\n

    Another person said the trail was “sketchy… steep… rough… brushy.”<\/p>\n

    I have one Facebook friend who hiked cross-country to South Sugar Lake by first taking the Bingham Lake Trail, heading toward Russian Peak, and then dropping down to the lake. I know it’s quite steep and only for experienced cross-country hikers.<\/p>\n

    \n

    Camp for Free in California National Forests<\/h4>\n

    \"CampCalifornia’s national forests and BLM lands have thousands of miles of dirt roads with lots of spots for dispersed camping (boondocking).<\/strong> My book provides all the info you need to get started (but is not a guide to specific sites):<\/p>\n