Construction of 45 miles of New Trail Beginning in 2020 in Shasta-Trinity Forest
Shasta-Trinity’s ‘Gateway Phase II’ Project Map showing where nearly 45 miles of new trail will be laid [map submitted]
The Shasta McCloud Management Unit of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, in partnership with the Mt. Shasta Trail Association (MSTA), has finalized and signed the Gateway Phase 2 Environmental Assessment and Decision Notice which will allow for the following:
• Construct 44.8 miles of new multi-use, non-motorized trails and 1.7 miles of trail that would be designed and permitted to equestrians and hikers only.
• Construct two new day-use trailheads at Ten Gallon Plantation and the south side of the Everitt Memorial Highway across from the McBride Springs Campground.
• Develop two existing recreation facilities as day-use trailheads at the John Everitt Vista Point and the Nordic Center on the Ski Park Highway.
• Expand the McBride Springs Campground by adding a loop for 8-12 campsites.
• Decommission unauthorized, unsustainable, user-created trails and trail segments in the project area.The project area encompasses over 5,000 acres joining the existing 11.4 mile Gateway trail system off the Everitt Memorial Highway and Ski Park Highway, and contributes to the community’s “100 miles of Trail” campaign that launched in 2013 by MSTA and BikeShasta.
The proposed trail expansion has been designed to address multiple non-motorized trail users – hikers, trail runners, mountain bikers, and equestrian riders and incorporates consideration for trail-user objectives and desired experiences. This resulted in a “zoned” approach to the trail network that includes:1. Community Zone – close to town and easy to access, designed to build upon the existing Gateway network and creates more opportunities to quickly get out and enjoy the forest.
2. Learning Zone (Discovery Center) – trailhead will be located at the Nordic Center, a short connection to the Mt. Shasta Ski Park, and mellow, rolling terrain with fantastic views all around. The Learning Zone will be ideal for those new to trails and will provide a series of loops that allow users to begin easy and add mileage if they feel up to the challenge.
3. Big Mountain Zone – designed to provide a variety of trail experiences, but with an emphasis on mountain biking, including a portion where the “preferred-use” would be mountain biking. The Vista Point trailhead
will function as a drop point in which users can descent into an assortment of routes ranging from intermediate level flow trails, to advanced downhill directionally designed trails, and connect with the Community or Learning Zones.Over the last two years, the Forest Service has worked closely with the MSTA, who funded the NEPA analysis and completed the technical resource reports and Environmental Assessment following Forest Service guidelines. “This project was truly a community-led effort with support from all user groups, local businesses, and residents. It is an exciting time for our area with such an emphasis on recreation and tourism. This project compliments the designation of the city of Mt. Shasta as a Pacific Crest Trail Town and the larger concept of the Mount Shasta Trail Partners,” explained Shasta McCloud Management Unit District Ranger, Carolyn Napper. “This project provides the Forest Service an opportunity to work with the City of Mt. Shasta and surrounding areas to diversify the economic base of the community and promote partnerships with user groups to assist in the operation, maintenance, and developed of recreation sites and facilities.”
With the grant funding the Mt. Shasta Trail Association received from the McConnell Foundation in 2017, trail building will begin in the spring of 2020 in the Big Mountain Zone. Construction will be a phased approach and once trail segments have been integrated into the National Forest System Trails system they will be open for public use. Both the Forest Service and the MSTA is continuing to apply for additional grant funding (Prop 68 and Recreation Trails Program) to support the construction and maintenance into the future.
“The completion of the environmental analysis and the signing of a decision for the Gateway Phase 2 Trail Project is a monumental event for the Trail Association and all of our donors and partners — especially the support we got from the local Forest Service employees,” stated Mt Shasta Trail Association board member, John Schuyler. “We see national forest lands as key to our goal of making southern Siskiyou County a destination for sustainable trail-based recreation, and this project demonstrates how we and the Forest Service can work together and accomplish common goals.”
For more information about this project visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/
project/?project=53089. A larger image of the trail project is available at https://www.fs.usda.gov/ Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/ FSEPRD677468.pdf. To learn about other recreation opportunities across the Shasta-Trinity National Forest visit our website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/ recmain/stnf/recreation.
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??Good morning Kelley and thank you for the information and links.
Low impact economic development, right there. Grass-root group(s) using grant funds in partnership with USFS to serve local trail users and close to town, also resulting in out-of-area summer season users who spend money. Purrfect. Diving into the studies and plans, the estimates given for actual trail development, $10-15K per mile, appear pretty dang low. Unless mostly volunteer labor. Much of Sis-Q volcano-country is of very different, forgiving geology / soils / vege / climate scheme as compared to here. Here, professional trail development typically ranges from $40K to over $100K per mile. Regardless, nice to see a community and agency willing to eliminate typically crappy use-trails , via a restoration effort – putting bad trails “to bed”, and create more sustainable trails nearby.
The magic words in this release at “Decommission unauthorized, unsustainable, user-created trails and trail segments in the project area.” That is government speak for “So you want to walk near a stream, meadow, scenic view, etc? Tough. We’re closing those trails which we haven’t maintained so they became impassable and are funneling you where we want you to go.” I was waiting for that from the start because that is what they do.
Rad. Great for the whole North State.
Now that Forest just needs to hire a Trail crew. And Crew Supervisor. And some vehicles for them. And equipment….hope they factored that all in to the cost..
I listened to a segment somewhere recently, probably npr, documenting the rise of the modern concept of policing, as we know it today. The author was illustrating how the modern police concept developed in response to the affects that widespread use of the automobile was having in the early 1900’s.
A new type of security or policing for these unregulated trails may be necessary as well, as trails become survival routes for lifestyle vagabonds and other unknown humans.
Of course, the trails were built to serve a middle class interpretation of leisure in a postcard conception of nature, and that’s ok.
Unfortunately, Crime, homeless camps various forms of assault, robbery and various “developing world” qualities have now come to define routes that lead from social services to wild lands.
We’ve seen this all over California.
Million dollar bike trails turn into bum ghettos and litter collages when we allow them too.
There will need to be some form of specialized and permanent police patrol funded alongside these new urban to rural trails.
Considering that won’t happen for decades, or until prominent trail crimes reach the American phyche, trail users should be armed to even the odds of survival when enjoying nature from the confines of urban to rural trails.
I would say the opposite is true. The more trails are maintained and used the less they seem to attract crime.
The waterfront trail in Eureka is a prime example. The entire waterfront is cleaner and safer now that the trail is in and is being used by all walks of life.
I have worked in and explored old town for 35 years. There were portions of the waterfront that were nothing but trash and homeless camps for decades until the trail was completed
Agree – my experience as well. Once regular people are frequenting them, the out-of-the-way places get light shed on them. The criminals and trespassers usually move on to other places where they are out of sight. I have seen that in the South Bay when a trail was put in along Lawrence Creek and in Mt Shasta/Weed where trails were developed. The vagrants moved out of the places that were being used by the general public.
Wonderful news and thanks to all those involved in bringing this forward. In talking to different friends who have been involved in this project over the last few years I have a little idea of how much work went into it. Something of this scope took lots of work, much of it done for free, or very reduced fees by the professionals needed to get this approved – not easy!
As a local resident and mountain biker who enjoys the Gateway Trail system which was the first phase, I am looking forward to this next section so much. I cannot wait for this to get done.
Thanks again to everyone involved. Much appreciation here for making this a reality.