Shasta-Trinity Backcountry Discovery Trail

Many say the Pacific Northwest begins in the far northern reaches of California; a place that locals adoringly refer to as the State of Jefferson. Largely disconnected from the population centers to the south, it's a region filled with emerald forests, wild rivers and streams- where the granite monoliths of the northern Coastal ranges meet the lava flows and volcanic peaks of the Cascades.

Route Overview

Trip Length & Rating

Adventure Rating: Epic Trip Length:  3-6 days, 257 miles miles Season:   Late April - November (depends on snowpack on Hull Mountain)

Technical Ratings & Terrain

Avg Technical Rating: 2

Peak Technical Rating: 4

Typical Terrain: Dirt forest service roads, some pavement, and a short stint on a rocky jeep trail. Tamarack Lake, which is a short out-and-back trail is the only section of trail with a rating of 4.

Recommended Vehicle / Moto / Adventure Vans

Recommended Vehicle: Stock 4x4 or AWD Crossover with AT tires

Recommended Moto: Mid-weight and big adventure bikes should have no problems on this route. Big Bikes should skip the out-and-back to Tamarack Lake.

Adventure Vans: Sprinter 4x4s are good to go. Sprinters may not be well suited for the short out-and-back jeep trail to Tamarack Lake.

Fuel, Provisions, and Recommended Gear

Fuel:

• Ruth Lake to Douglas City - 105 miles

• Douglas City to town of Mt Shasta - 115 miles

• Mt Shasta to end of track and then take Hwy 97 to Weed - 50 miles

Provisions: Provisions can be obtained at/near all fuel stops along the route. Gear: no specialized gear is recommended for this adventure.

Alternative Routes

Mud Creek Bypass Distance: 23 miles Technical Rating: 1 In recent years, the concrete culvert crossing Mud Creek has washed out making the creek impassable, and as of 2024, it's unclear when the Forest Service will fix the creek crossing. Use this alternative track to get around mud creek and back onto the route.

Camping Recommendations

Dispersed camping is permitted through the national forest, but some of our favorite campsites include:

• Hobart Creek (just south of the NF campground is a lakefront campsite at Ruth Lake)

• East fork of the Trinity where it meets Trinity Lake

• Bear Flat (East fork of the Trinity)

• Tamarack lake

• Pickett Peak Campground (dispersed)

• Cliff Lake (rocky jeep track similar to Tamarack Lake)

• Gumboot Lake Campground

• Cliff Lake

• The southern flanks of Mt Shasta (dispersed camping)

• Shasta view (north of Mt Shasta off of Hwy 97)

Discovery Points

• DP1 - Ruth Lake

• DP2 - Mad River

• DP3 - Pickett peak Lookout

• DP4 - Horse Ridge Lookout

• DP5 - South Fork Trinity River

• DP6 - Hall City Cave

• DP7 - Deerlick Springs Outpost

• DP8 - Browns Creek

• DP9 - Douglas City

• DP10 - Trinity River (main fork)

• DP11 - Clear Creek

• DP12 - Trinity Mountain Heliport & Viewpoint

• DP13 - Trinity Alps

• DP14 - Trinity Lake

• DP15 - East Fork Trinity River

• DP16 - Trinity River Gold Rush

• DP17 - Carville Hotel & Stage Stop

• DP18 - Alpen Cellars Winery

• DP19 - Tamarack Lake

• DP20 - Tamarack Jeep Trails

• DP21 - Grey Rocks

• DP22 - Castle Crags View

• DP23 - Gumboot Lake

• DP24 - Headwaters of the Sacramento River

• DP25 - Mount Eddy

• DP26 - Lake Siskiyou

• DP27 - Town of Mt Shasta

• DP28 - Mount Shasta

• DP29 - Shasta Scenic Loop / Road 31

• DP30 - Mud Creek water crossing

• DP31 - Military Pass

• DP32 - The Whaleback

Permits, Permits & Other Resources

Permits & Papers: n/a

Resources:

• Shasta-Trinity National Forest

• Castle Crags State Park

• Ruth Lake Community Services District

Digital Maps & GPX Files

Download Digital Mapping Files

• Shasta-Trinity BDT

If you need help working with digital mapping and GPX files, please check out our FAQ section.

Adventure Badge  OTG has partnered with All Roads Taken to offer an adventure badge for this route. >> Buy your adventure badge today!

---

Route Details

In the 1990s and into the 2000s, the US Forest Service, in association with the California State Parks OHV Division, created the California Backcountry Discovery Trail. In reality, the BDT (Backcountry Discovery Trail) was actually a series of independent overland routes that crossed the public lands of Plumas NF, Lassen NF, Modoc NF, Mendocino NF, Six Rivers NF, and Cow Mountain (BLM) that could sometimes be interlinked. For whatever reason, the USFS abandoned its work, and in some cases, the corresponding materials were removed from their websites altogether (Mendocino NF and Six Rivers NF). At Overland Trail Guides, we recognize the good yet laborious work of the USFS in creating the California Backcountry Discovery Trail, and we plan to pick up where the USFS left off, which brings us to the importance of the Shasta-Trinity Backcountry Discovery Trail.

Straddling the coastal ranges to the west and the southern Cascades to the east, the Shasta-T (as locals call it) sits at a key geographical location. We've dubbed the Shasta-Trinity BDT (Backcountry Discovery Trail) the "missing link" as it enables overlanders and off-road enthusiasts alike with the ability to interlink the various Backcountry Discovery Trails, creating a network of mostly dirt roads and trails that extends over 1,000 miles. At over 2.2 million acres, the Shasta-Trinity spans a number of unique geological zones. The mostly sedimentary coastal mountains to the south begin to uplift into craggy granite peaks and monoliths as you move towards the Trinity Alps, while to the east, the volcanic soils and mountains of the Cascades dominate the landscape. The 250+ miles of the Shasta-Trinity BDT travels through lush conifer forests that the Pacific Northwest is famous for, drier and rockier alpine forests at higher elevations, and the high desert that surrounds the northern and eastern flanks of Mt Shasta, extending to the Modoc Plateau.

While the Shasta-Trinity BDT follows a north-south trajectory, it can be driven in either direction. We recommend running the route starting at the southern end, as this allows the opportunity for Mt Shasta to present as the grand finale along the final leg of the route. The track consists primarily of graded dirt forest service roads (and a short stint on a rocky jeep trail on the way to Tamarack Lake), but there is some pavement (backroads and highways) which allows the connection of various dirt backroads and byways. The backroads of the southern portion of the route see very little vehicular traffic, so make sure that you're equipped to handle any potential mechanical issues along the route. As you near Tamarack Lake, expect to see a lot more people in the forest. Speaking of Tamarack Lake, this is one of our favorite campsites along the route, and if you arrive early, you may be lucky enough to snag the lakefront campsite.

Like Shasta-Trinity National Forest, which is well known for its fishing, swimming, and boating/kayaking, the Shasta-Trinity BDT affords similar opportunities. There is an exquisite swimming hole at the South Fork Trinity River (DP4), and more swimming and fishing opportunities at Tamarack Lake, Gumboot Lake, and the East and Main Forks of the Trinity River. If hiking is your thing, consider checking out some of the lesser-traveled trails near Ruth Lake (DP1) and Pickett Peak (DP3). Mt Shasta (permits required in some cases) and the surrounding mountains near Mt Eddy (DP25), Castle Crags (DP22), and Tamarack Lake (DP19) all feature extensive trail networks as well, while Tamarack Lake also features a network of technical jeep trails.

Traveling through a number of diverse ecological and geological zones, the Shasta-Trinity really is an outdoor wonderland. Those that seek solitude will love the emptiness of the southern half of the route. And for those that yearn for the craggy and snow-capped peaks of the alpine, the northern section presents astounding vistas of the Trinity Alps (DP13), Castle Crags, and Mt Shasta. And if you're looking for something a bit more technical, consider exploring the dozens of miles of jeep trails surrounding Tamarack Lake. You really can't go wrong with this track!

---

Gallery

---

Terms of Use: Should you decide to travel a route that is published on overlandtrailguides.com, you do so at your own risk. Always take the appropriate precautions when planning and traveling, including checking the current local weather, permit requirements, trail/road conditions, and land/road closures. While traveling, obey all public and private land use restrictions and rules, and carry the appropriate safety, recovery, and navigational equipment. The information found on this site is simply a planning resource to be used as a point of inspiration in conjunction with your own due-diligence. In spite of the fact that this route, associated GPS track (GPX and maps), and all route guidelines were prepared under diligent research by Overland Trail Guides, the route accuracy and current conditions of roads and trails cannot be guaranteed.