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The Bigfoot Trail is an unofficial U.S. long-distance hiking trail in northern California. The Bigfoot Trail was originally proposed by Michael Kauffmann in 2009 as a suggested route to navigate the Klamath Mountains from south to north as well as a long-trail to introduce nature lovers to the biodiversity of the
Klamath Mountains The Klamath Mountains are a rugged and lightly populated mountain range in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon in the western United States. As a mountain system within both the greater Pacific Coast Ranges and the California Coast R ...
region. The trail begins in the
Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness Yolla may refer to: * Yolla gas field, Bass Strait, Australia * Yolla, Tasmania, Australia ** Yolla District High School ** Yolla Football Club * Yolla, Tasmanian Aboriginal word for short-tailed shearwater * Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness, wild ...
and ends in
Redwood National Park The Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP) are a complex of one national park and three state parks, cooperatively managed, located in the United States along the coast of northern California. Comprising Redwood National Park (established 1968 ...
at the Pacific Ocean near
Crescent City, California Crescent City (Tolowa: ''Taa-’at-dvn''; Yurok: ''Kohpey''; Wiyot: ''Daluwagh'') is the only incorporated city in Del Norte County, California; it is also the county seat. Named for the crescent-shaped stretch of sandy beach south of the city, ...
. A major focus along the trail is conifer diversity, passing 32 species in . The route crosses six
wilderness areas Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...
, one
National Park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...
, and one
State Park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...
. Northwest California's
Klamath Mountains The Klamath Mountains are a rugged and lightly populated mountain range in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon in the western United States. As a mountain system within both the greater Pacific Coast Ranges and the California Coast R ...
foster one of the most diverse
temperate coniferous forests Temperate coniferous forest is a terrestrial biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Temperate coniferous forests are found predominantly in areas with warm summers and cool winters, and vary in their kinds of plant life. In some, needlel ...
on Earth, and this route is intended to be a celebration of that biodiversity.


Route

Of the 360 miles, approximately are along seldom used Forest Service roads while the remaining segments are backcountry trails, either in wilderness or on National Forest land. The
Pacific Crest Trail The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), officially designated as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, which lie ...
briefly coincides with the Bigfoot Trail in the northern
Marble Mountain Wilderness The Marble Mountain Wilderness is a wilderness area located southwest of Yreka, California, in the United States. It is managed by the United States Forest Service and is within the Klamath National Forest in Siskiyou County. The land was first ...
and north of
Seiad Valley Seiad Valley is a small unincorporated community in Siskiyou County, California situated 15 miles south of the Oregon border. A population of approximately 300 people is clustered around the Klamath River, State Route 96, and spread out along t ...
to the edge of the
Red Buttes Wilderness The Red Buttes Wilderness is a wilderness area in the Klamath and Rogue River national forests in the U.S. states of Oregon and California. It comprises , approximately of which is located in California, and in Oregon. The trail passes through these areas, listed south to north: *
Mendocino National Forest The Mendocino National Forest is located in the Coastal Mountain Range in northwestern California and comprises 913,306 acres (3,696 km2). It is the only national forest in the state of California without a major paved road entering it ...
:
Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness Yolla may refer to: * Yolla gas field, Bass Strait, Australia * Yolla, Tasmania, Australia ** Yolla District High School ** Yolla Football Club * Yolla, Tasmanian Aboriginal word for short-tailed shearwater * Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness, wild ...
* Shasta-Trinity National Forest :
Trinity Alps Wilderness The Trinity Alps Wilderness is a designated wilderness located in northern California, roughly between Eureka and Redding. It is jointly administered by Shasta-Trinity, Klamath, and Six Rivers National Forests. About are administered by the ...
*
Klamath National Forest Klamath National Forest is a United States National Forest, national forest, in the Klamath Mountains and Cascade Range, located in Siskiyou County, California, Siskiyou County in northern California, but with a tiny extension (1.5 percent of the ...
:
Russian Wilderness The Russian Wilderness is a wilderness area of located approximately northeast of Eureka in northern California. It is within the Klamath National Forest in Siskiyou County and is managed by the US Forest Service. It was added to the National Wi ...
:
Marble Mountain Wilderness The Marble Mountain Wilderness is a wilderness area located southwest of Yreka, California, in the United States. It is managed by the United States Forest Service and is within the Klamath National Forest in Siskiyou County. The land was first ...
:
Red Buttes Wilderness The Red Buttes Wilderness is a wilderness area in the Klamath and Rogue River national forests in the U.S. states of Oregon and California. It comprises , approximately of which is located in California, and in Oregon.Siskiyou Wilderness The Siskiyou Wilderness is a federal wilderness area designated by the passage of the California Wilderness Act of 1984. Originally, the land area was The Northern California Wild Heritage Act of 2006 added for the current total of . All of th ...
*
Six Rivers National Forest The Six Rivers National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in the northwestern corner of California. It was established on June 3, 1947 by U.S. President Harry S. Truman from portions of Klamath, Siskiyou and Trinity National Forests. Its ...
:
Siskiyou Wilderness The Siskiyou Wilderness is a federal wilderness area designated by the passage of the California Wilderness Act of 1984. Originally, the land area was The Northern California Wild Heritage Act of 2006 added for the current total of . All of th ...
* Smith River National Recreation Area *
Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park is a state park of California, United States, preserving old-growth redwoods along the Smith River. It is located along U.S. Route 199 approximately east of Crescent City. The park is named after explorer ...
*
Redwood National Park The Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP) are a complex of one national park and three state parks, cooperatively managed, located in the United States along the coast of northern California. Comprising Redwood National Park (established 1968 ...


Flora

The botanical diversity exists in northwest California because of the interactions of a variety of factors that have remained "consistent" for millions of years. Northwest California is a museum of sorts, hiding relicts of epochs gone by, called
paleoendemic Paleoendemism along with neoendemism is a possible subcategory of endemism. Paleoendemism refers to species that were formerly widespread but are now restricted to a smaller area. Neoendemism refers to species that have recently arisen, such as thro ...
s, and fostering the growth of new species, called neoendemics, in unusual nooks created by complex climate and soils. These small microclimates, linked with isolation in space and time, create this unique setting. Northwest California is an ancient meeting ground—having a central location and continuity with other mountain ranges as well as a proximity to the Pacific Ocean. While there are many endemic plants in northwest California, the endemic and relict conifers are of particular interest and importance because there is so much diversity in such a small area. There are 3,540 vascular plant taxa (species, subspecies, and variations) of plants—and as many as 38 species of conifers depending on where one delineates northwest California The Klamath Mountains fosters one of the most diverse
temperate coniferous forests Temperate coniferous forest is a terrestrial biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Temperate coniferous forests are found predominantly in areas with warm summers and cool winters, and vary in their kinds of plant life. In some, needlel ...
on Earth and the Bigfoot Trail is in place to visit and celebrate that diversity.


Geology

For the majority of the route, the Bigfoot Trail is in the
Klamath Mountains The Klamath Mountains are a rugged and lightly populated mountain range in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon in the western United States. As a mountain system within both the greater Pacific Coast Ranges and the California Coast R ...
. Topographically, the Klamath Mountains are part of the set of coastal ranges that run roughly parallel to the Pacific Ocean in California and Oregon, but the Klamath Mountains differ in history, complexity, and geological character. In fact, the Klamath Mountains' closest geological connection is to the
Sierra Nevada (U.S.) The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...
. While most of northwest California can geologically be referred to as the Klamath Mountain Province, the region also presents a coastal area called the North
California Coast Range The Coast Ranges of California span from Del Norte or Humboldt County, California, south to Santa Barbara County. The other three coastal California mountain ranges are the Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges and the Klamath Mountains. Phy ...
. The first 27 miles and final 16 miles traverse the Coast Range (here defined as the
Franciscan Complex The Franciscan Complex or Franciscan Assemblage is a geologic term for a late Mesozoic terrane of heterogeneous rocks found throughout the California Coast Ranges, and particularly on the San Francisco Peninsula. It was named by geologist Andrew ...
). This geologic region also has its share of interesting botanical rarities. The geology of northwest California has helped foster the regions high plant species diversity. Complex soils of the Klamath Mountains have helped create a spectrum of subtle microclimates in which plant species have been able to "hide out" and evolve.


Climate

On a grand scale, the area is comfortable for plant growth compared to other areas of the West—there is a moderate climate. The region fosters three distinct climatic gradients. First, there is a north-to-south trend of decreasing winter precipitation and warmer summer temperatures. Second, there is a west to east trend away from cooler and moister summer temperatures to a warmer, drier environment. Third, a montane gradient is expressed in which temperature decreases and precipitation increases with elevation. While in California's
Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...
it is difficult to calculate an "average" level of precipitation—as fluctuations from year to year are common—northwest California offers more year-to-year stability than any other place in the state. These climatic gradients contribute to the plant diversity of the region—and the botanical rarities that can be seen along the Bigfoot Trail. Because the trail traverses varied topography by first traveling in a south to north direction and then east to west, many of northwest California's common and unique vegetation types are visited.


References


External links


Bigfoottrail.org: official Bigfoot Trail websiteBigfoot Trail AllianceFacebook.com; Group for Bigfoot Trail AdvocacyTraildino.com: Bigfoot Trail Description
{{Coord, 41, 45, 0, N, 124, 11, 26, W, region:US-CA_type:landmark, name=Crescent City trailhead Hiking trails in California Long-distance trails in the United States Klamath Mountains Protected areas of Del Norte County, California Protected areas of Siskiyou County, California Protected areas of Tehama County, California Protected areas of Trinity County, California Klamath National Forest Mendocino National Forest Redwood National and State Parks Shasta-Trinity National Forest Six Rivers National Forest 2009 establishments in California