The Tish Tang Trail provides the most direct access to Humboldt’s largest montane meadow complex, with some spectacular views along the way. Sadly, it is rapidly brushing in after recent wildfires and soon will be impassable unless the Forest Service intervenes. It climbs through a small section of lightly burned forest before crossing the south fork of Tish Tang a Tang Creek (this may be challenging to cross in spring). Most of the rest of the hike climbs more gradually through incinerated forest, now a mass of brush and burned snags and logs. The trail is already hard to follow here; look for cut logs and flagging tape marking the route and never lose track of your last known landmark. Eventually, the trail tops a ridge and descends into the meadows; the un-burned forest on the other side makes a pleasant rest spot before the return trip. Use of a GPS unit with the track loaded is strongly recommended for this hike.
eBird list for Patterson Meadows hike & vicinity
Six Rivers National Forest Lower Trinity Ranger District: 530-629-2118
A recent report from a hiker is that this trail is now just about impassable beyond the creek due to brush encroachment.
The biggest problem with trying to hike this trail is that the trailhead currently has limited access. Following a boundary adjustment, the main road approaching the trailhead now crosses the Hoopa Indian Reservation. Due to past difficulties, the tribe has closed this route–the road rising from Horse Linto Campground is blocked by K-rails at the reservation boundary. A rough, more roundabout route from Hoopa remains usable. However, the tribe has limited use of many roads to members of the tribe and others on tribal business, and may issue citations to others, so please check the current status of this route before starting out.
Nevertheless, the trail as far as Patterson Meadows currently gets moderate use by hunters from Hoopa, even some equestrians, who manage to push their way through, and who may have done some recent pruning back of the brush.