An independent publisher of web and print media. Printed ♻️ in the 🇺🇸.

Back Country Press logo

Cart

  • Classes
    • Botany Road Trip
    • Botanical Tales of the PCT
    • Arborist CEUs
    • Forest Mushrooms of the Pacific Coast
    • Klamath Mountains Winter Webinar 2022
      • Klamath Mountains Webinar Series
    • Magnificent five-needle pines of Western North America
    • Blue Collar Botany
    • Seaweed Classes
  • Products
    • Books
      • California Desert Plants
      • The Klamath Mountains: A Natural History
      • Field Guide to Manzanitas
      • Wildflowers of California’s Klamath Mountains
      • Conifers of the Pacific Slope
      • Conifer Country
      • Exploring the Berryessa Region
      • Hiking Humboldt Volume 1
      • Hiking Humboldt volume 2
      • Geology of the Lassen Country
      • Articulate Earth
    • Book Resources
    • Sale Items
    • Posters
    • ID Guides
    • Free Downloads
  • Authors
    • Michael Kauffmann
    • Rees Hughes
    • David Rains Wallace
    • Eldridge and Judy Moores
    • Phillip W. Rundel
    • Jason Barnes
    • Julie Kierstead
    • Tom Parker
    • Julie Knorr
    • Justin Garwood
    • Ken DeCamp
    • Kenneth Burton
    • Marc Hoshovsky
    • Michael Clynne
    • Michael Vasey
    • Peter Schiffman
    • Bob Schneider
    • Forrest Hopson
    • Robert J. Gustafson
    • Justin Rohde
  • Blog
    • Podcast
  • About
    • Find Our Books
    • Vendor Sales
    • Newsletter
  • My account
    • Orders
    • Downloads
    • Checkout
    • Login
    • Lost Password
Home » Hikes in Hiking Humboldt Volume 2 » Region H: Humboldt’s Inland Northeast » Hiking Horse Mountain

Hiking Horse Mountain

View to the Trinity Alps from Horse Mountain.

Although there are actually no established trails in the Horse Mountain area, a number of interesting and view-rich walks are possible. The routes generally rely on maintained or abandoned Forest Service roads. Many of these walks occur in the 1,100-acre Horse Mountain Botanical Area, a designation that recognizes the unique nature of these high elevation plant communities of Jeffrey pine, western white pine, and Port Orford-cedar and other conifers. This area has been subjected to a high level of human impact as evidenced by the phalanx of communications equipment topping Horse Mountain itself, the old ski slope on Horse Mountain’s north face, the nearby remnants of the Horse Mountain Copper Mine, and, all too often, shell casings and other trash.

In recent years, a coalition of trail advocates has been working informally to create an identifiable network of walking routes in the Horse Mountain area. Even though the Forest Service has not permitted the addition of any official signage or supported trail development, the coalition has identified several very pleasant walks that are reflected below. In all cases some level of route finding is involved and a map of Six Rivers National Forest is helpful.

Getting there: Proceed north on US 101 for 9.5 miles taking Exit 716A (CA 299) east toward Weaverville/Redding. In 28.0 miles take the Titlow Hill Road that exits right from Berry Summit. Follow Titlow Hill road for 4.6 miles to the broad Horse Mountain parking area that also serves as the junction for several roads. Substantial parking exists in this area for the Horse Mountain Mine walk. Turn left to reach the Indian Butte Loop walk and the Trinity Alps Vista walk. Continue straight along Forest Service 1 for the Cold Spring walk (Hike #86) and the Spike Buck Mountain walk (Hike #87). Approximate driving time, 1 hour.

Trinity Alps Vista Loop

Description: This relatively short walk offers outstanding views of the Trinity Alps, Mt. Shasta, the Bald Hills and the Klamath Mountains, the Brush Mountain Fire Lookout, as well as nearby geographical features. Although unsigned, the route utilizes a combination of a lightly used Forest Service road, rough jeep road, and inactive logging road that circumnavigate an east-trending ridge of Horse Mountain. The route concludes with an aerobic uphill leg.

Indian Butte Loop

Description: Like virtually all walks in the Horse Mountain area, the Indian Butte Loop is unsigned and necessitates some comfort with route finding. That being said, this is not a complicated walk and the ever-present landmark of the communication equipment atop Horse Mountain makes it difficult to get lost. The out-bound route follows a forest service road with periodic views to the west; the return includes a steep climb through the old Horse Mountain ski area, now with twenty-year old conifers dotting the slopes. From here the views of the Trinity Alps and distant Mt. Shasta open up. The final leg has southern views of Titlow Hill and the remnants of Horse Mountain Copper Mine. These west and northwest slopes of Horse Mountain include a healthy representation of Port Orford-cedar.

Hiking Horse Mountain
Hiking Horse Mountain — trails in the area

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

FREE SHIPPING with orders over $75

Join Our Newsletter

* indicates required
bookstore

Subscribe to the Backcountry Press Blog

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 166 other subscribers

backcountrypress

Backcountry Press
🚨GOOD NEWS ALERT: Now available for preorder wi 🚨GOOD NEWS ALERT: Now available for preorder with free eBook!

Dearest Klamath Mountains Enthusiasts,

You all have been so patient with us as we attempted to wrangle the complexity of this region into one comprehensive natural history book.

It took 10 years and 34 co-authors, but we did it!!

The full color 496 page hardcover will ship to you in early September, but the eBook is available immediately (and for FREE) with your preorder purchase! 

And if you’re super into learning first hand about the river ecology, geology, plant communities, and more of this epic corner of the world, join lead authors @michael.kauffmann, @justin.garwood, and other co-authors Oct. 7-9 for an all inclusive weekend nerd-out/ campout on the Wild and Scenic South Fork of the Smith River! Your book is included ⛺️🌲📘

Get yours at our Link In Profile

#klamathmountains #naturalhistory #biodiversity #northerncalifornia #southernoregon #trinityalps #trinityalpswilderness #trinitycounty #delnortecounty #siskiyoucounty #josephinecounty #currycounty #jacksoncounty #ashlandoregon #ashland #shasta #shastacounty #humboldt #humboldtcounty #reddingca #reddingcalifornia #exploreoregon #pnw @activenorcal @lostcoastoutpost

https://backcountrypress.com/book/the-klamath-mountains-a-natural-history/
#overachiever 🏔 We asked for pics of our books #overachiever 🏔 We asked for pics of our books in the wild. @forestperi delivered.

Guess who summited Shasta today?!?
#conifercountry

This totally made our day, Forest! Thanks! Too bad there aren’t any conifers to i.d. at 14,180’😆

📷: @aliciaellingson

#mountshasta #booksinthewild #conifers #shasta #northerncalifornia

https://backcountrypress.com/book/conifer-country/
Our books love to join you in the wilderness! Thi Our books love to join you in the wilderness!

This awesome pic just in of Taina and Conifer Country in the Trinity Alps Wilderness.

Taina is part of the California Fish and Wildlife High Lakes Research Team. They’re mapping lakes and monitoring for Cascades Frogs across northwest CA.

Thanks for doing this important work, Taina and crew!

📷: Justin Garwood, co-editor of The Klamath Mountains: A Natural History

👀 We’d love to see your Backcountry Press books out in the field. Tag us!

#conifercountry #trinityalps #klamathmountains #thisisscience #wilderness #northerncalifornia #norcal #backpacking #fieldguide #botany #botanist #conifers #ecology #naturalhistory

https://backcountrypress.com/book/conifer-country/
North Coasters: Join @michael.kauffmann for Arts A North Coasters: Join @michael.kauffmann for Arts Alive at @eurekabooks this Saturday evening for a book signing event! Come say "Hi" and chat with him about conifers, California Desert Plants, and, of course, the Klamath Mountains!

🤓 He'll even have sand samples from around the world for you to check out. See if you can guess which one came from the Mojave Desert's Kelso Dunes!

📷: Dylan Neubauer

#artsalive #meettheauthor #ilikeeureka #madeinhumboldt #humboldtmade #californianativeplants #desertplants #humboldtcounty #humboldt #eurekaca #mojavedesert #californiadesertplants 

https://backcountrypress.com/book/california-desert-plants/
2,394 species = The total flora of the California 2,394 species = The total flora of the California deserts!

The six largest plant families in the California deserts make up more than 1/4 of the native flora... can you guess what they are?

⬇️

⬇️

⬇️

• Asteraceae (sunflower family) = 200 species

• Fabaceae (legume family) = 98 species

• Poaceae (grass family) = 93 species

• Polemoniaceae (phlox family) = 78 species

• Polygonaceae (buckwheat family) = 77 species

• Hydrophyllaceae (phacelia family) = 75 species

📷:
1. Psathyrotes ramosissima, Asteraceae, turtleback | Photo by Matt Berger @sheriff_woody_pct 

2. Lupinus concinnus, Fabaceae, bajada lupine | Photo by Patrick Alexander

3. Stipa hymenoides, Poaceae, indian ricegrass | Photo by Matt Berger

4. Linanthus dichotomus, Polemoniaceae, evening snow | Photo by Jim Morefield

5.  Rumex hymenosepalus, Polygonaceae, desert rhubarb | Photo by Matt Berger

6. Phacelia crenulata, Hydrophyllaceae, notch-leaved phacelia | Photo by Stan Shebs

➡️ This PSA was brought to you by our new book: “California Desert Plants”

Tap our Link In Profile to find yours!

#californiadesertplants #mojavedesert #sonorandesert #greatbasin #californianativeplants #joshuatreenationalpark #cadesertplants #deathvalley #anzaborrego

https://backcountrypress.com/book/california-desert-plants/
Nuggets of knowledge we soaked up from @sheriff_wo Nuggets of knowledge we soaked up from @sheriff_woody_pct on the Botany Road Trip to the Intermountain West:

1. Rare plants tend to grow in clusters with other rare plants.

2. When choosing to except a hitch or not, feel more comfortable if a couple is offering the ride. Couples, generally, don’t murder people.

3. If it looks onionish but doesn’t smell a onionish, don’t eat it. It may kill you.

4. Studying satellite imagery for interesting soil types and rocky outcrops is a great way to hunt for rare plant locations.

5. Look more closely at the tiny plants you step over.

6. Penstemon is the most diverse genus that is endemic to North America!

Part 2 of our 3 part journey featured 12  of them, including this gorgeous King’s Beardtongue (Penstemon kingii) from Utah.

This evening Part 3 takes us to the southeast to meet, among others things, loads of carnivorous plants. Sundews, flytraps, and pitcher plants — oh my!

#botanyroadtrip #botanizing #botanist #nativeplants #rareplants #carnivourousplant #penstemon

https://backcountrypress.com/product/botany-road-trip/
Load More... Follow on Instagram

GIft Card from BCP

Product tags

Botany Butterflies California Conifers Desert ecology ectotherms explorations Fire Fire Ecology Forest pathogens Fungi Geology Hat Hiking Hiking Guide Humboldt County Identification Card Invertebates Klamath Mountains Lassen Volcanic National Park Literature Mammals Natural History Oregon Pacific Crest Trail pathogens Pines Plant Exploring Plants redwood forest Rivers road guide Seaweed Trinity Alps Washington