Things to do / Travel Guide
Our Tourist Attractions Expert Says:
Visit the Trinity Alps in northern California and enjoy diversity at its best. Snowcapped mountains mix with vast wilderness, forests and wildlife, making for unsurpassed beauty, many activities and great photos. Much of the area is inaccessible by car or motor home, so the only way to really see the Trinity Alps is to hike and camp here. Camping is a great idea since one day is not nearly enough to enjoy all the Trinity Alps have to offer. The Trinity Alps are located between Redding and Eureka, California, in the rugged geographic area known as the Klamath Knot.
The wilderness area around the Trinity Alps is absolutely huge! Covering 517,000 acres, the Trinity Alps Wilderness area is the second largest wilderness area in California. The area has tons to offer from hiking trails and horseback riding, to backcountry camping and gold panning. Other activities include golf, bird watching, mountain biking and plenty of wildlife viewing. Animals you will see include American black bear, deer, lizards, chipmunks, and many birds.
The Trinity Alps have an alpine environment and beautiful scenic views. Some portions of the Alps' peaks are snow covered year-round. Fast streams, high waterfalls, gorgeous mountain lakes, glaciated granite peaks and glacier remnants, offer swimming, fishing, kayaking and canoeing.
Most of the trails leading off Highway 3 on the eastern edge of the wilderness are more heavily used, while trailheads accessing the western part of the wilderness offer tremendous opportunities for solitude. Well-traveled trails include those along Coffee and Canyon Creeks. Many choose these trails for the expansive and gorgeous views leading into the heart of the Trinity Alps as they take you to the highest and most spectacular peaks.
If you do hike for more than a day, there are plenty of campsites in the Trinity Alps. The base of Trinity River, well known for its fly-fishing and rafting, and Shasta National Forest, are just some of the places to camp. If roughing it isn't for you, there are plenty of B&B's, inns, cottages, hotels/motels and restaurants in Trinity Center, a small town on Highway 3, east of Weaverville. Local marinas offer fishing and rental boats as well as mooring slips and buoys for those who bring their own boats.
Getting to the Trinity Alps can be done by flying into Redding Municipal Airport after which you have about an hour and a half drive. If you fly into Trinity County Airports you will have a longer drive.