Upper Chetco Trail #1102

This 20.8 mile trail is the main east/west route through the Kalmiopsis Wilderness. It offers access to the Chetco River and two main tributaries. Heavy vegetation provides shade but eliminates most views. At least three significant long and steep sections (the trailhead to confluence of Boulder Creek, Johnson Butte to Box Canyon Creek and Slide Creek to Chetco Pass) provide a challenging backpacking experience.

From Chetco Pass (East End) to the mouth of Slide Creek, this trail once was an old mining road. The last part of this old road has become blocked by heavy brush and downfall and is not recommended at this time.  Instead, use a maintained series of trails that begin at Babyfoot Lake Trailhead and end at the Upper Chetco Trail near Slide Creek, via Bailey Mountain Trail #1109.

From Slide Creek the trail uses the old road to cross the Chetco River, where a trail begins a short distance up the bank, and continues downstream to Taggarts Bar.  The old road to Taggarts Bar is no longer passable, but the trail from Slide Creek to Taggarts Bar has recently been cleared.

River (ford east of Slide Creek) and Creek crossings (Boulder Creek, Box Canyon Creek, Slide Creek) involve wading in cold, near knee deep water in the summer months. Fording of the river is generally possible only from late May to the beginning of fall / winter rains, and varies from year to year. Evidence of past mining can be found along the Chetco River.

Visitors to the Kalmiopsis Wilderness should be advised that trail conditions may vary, depending on the level of maintenance performed in the years after the Biscuit (2002), Chetco Bar (2017) and Klondike (2018) Fires. Due to the scales of these fires, and the rugged and remote conditions in the Kalmiopsis, trail work, while ongoing, has not been performed on all the trails within the fire perimeters. Visitors may find downed trees across the trails, dense vegetation where shrubs have grown in after the fire, and unmarked trail junctions in some places. Please check with the Gold Beach or Wild Rivers Ranger Districts before your visit for trail conditions. Additionally, you can visit the Siskiyou Mountain Club's page, a local group who performs much of the trail maintenance in wilderness areas.

At a Glance