Online donations will be accepted through www.northstategives.org starting November 17^th.  It’s an easy process similar to buying goods online:  choose an organization, select a donation amount, go to shopping cart and enter payment details (credit card, debit card, bank account), and receive a donation receipt.  Arrangements for stock and IRA transfers should be made in advance by calling the Community Foundation of the North State at 530-244-1219.

The Community Foundation of the North State (CFNS), the local event’s sponsor, states that “The nonprofit sector is the heart and soul of the region, enriching our communities in immeasurable ways. Our region includes many incredible organizations that are doing extraordinary things. North State Giving Tuesday is a unique opportunity for the public to learn about the difference they make in our communities and a chance to say thank you by making a donation.”  Local businesses and the CFNS have generously committed over $70,000 in prizes and incentive dollars that will enhance donations made during the 14-hour event on December 1 between 6 am and 8 pm.

From McCloud (at Broadway) –

(1) At Pilgrim Creek Road – proceed 3 miles east on highway 89, turn left onto Pilgrim Creek Road (paved) and proceed 1 mile.  There is space for off-road parking.

(2) At Esperanza Road – proceed 4.8 miles east on highway 89, turn left onto Esperanza Road (dirt road) and proceed 1 mile.  There is off-road parking area available.

(3) At Military Pass Road – proceed 9.9 miles east on highway 89, turn left onto Forest Service road 43N19 (a narrow dirt road).  (It’s just opposite the McCloud River loop road).  Proceed .3 miles from Highway 89.  Few parking opportunities – could be a drop off point for users.

(4) At Sheepheaven Road – proceed 13.7 miles east on highway 89, turn left onto Forest Service Road 40N11.  It’s a dirt road just opposite CalTrans’ barn.  There is limited parking.

(5) At Harris Spring Road (paved) – proceed 17 miles east on highway 89, turn left onto Harris Spring Road (toward Medicine Lake).  Proceed .3 miles to trail on this paved road.  There is a “wye” in the trail east of this point.  North trail goes for 12.2 miles to Hambone.  South trail goes for 4.4 miles to Bartle Gap road 39N05, crossing highway 89 in route. Turn left at the trailhead onto the Bartle Gap Road (FS 39N05), go 1.68 miles to Highway 89 and turn left to return to the Harris Spring Road.  (Trail beyond the Bartle Gap Road is closed at this time, awaiting bridge repairs and repairs to flood damage from the February 2017 storm events.)

(6) At Forest Service Road 42N04 – proceed 4.3 miles on Harris Spring Road, turn right on highway 49, travel .6 miles and turn right on Forest Service Road 42N04 toward Bear Mountain Look Out (dirt road).  It’s just .1 mile to trail.

From Burney:

From Highway 299, near Burney’s east end, turn onto Black Ranch Road.  Drive 2.4 miles to the trail entrance on right, just past Vedder Road.  Trail section on left closed due to unsafe bridge.

Trail users may wish to make plans with friends to be dropped off and picked up at the various access points, depending on the length of trip desired.

Making the bridge useable will open another 24 miles of trail between Bartle Gap Trailhead and Clark Creek Road.  Opening the trail to Clark Creek Road will allow access to the trail via highway 89 or Clark Creek road, bypassing the (closed) Highway Overcrossing and Lake Britton Bridge.  Trail users will be able to go from the Burney Trailhead to Bartle Gap – a 44 mile run/walk/ride.  In addition, the new bridge structure will make possible the use of the trail by fire fighters to more quickly access parts of the adjacent forest should the need arise.

The need for this project was identified during the 2015-2016 inspection of the trail’s infrastructure.  As recommended by the consulting engineers, the bridge structure will be removed in its entirety and replaced with a pre-cast reinforced concrete box culvert.  The use of a pre-cast box culvert will eliminate the need to form and pour tall concrete abutments and wing walls that a bridge would require.

The Great Shasta Rail Trail Association Board of Directors is ready to get this project started.  We’ve begun work on requests for proposals (RFP) for engineering and environmental compliance work and will be sending them out soon.  Organizations interested in bidding on this work should send their request for the RFP to askus@greatshastarailtrail.org.

Funding for this project has been provided by the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, an agency of the State of California, under the California Drought, Water, Parks, Climate, Coastal Protection, and Outdoor Access For All Act of 2018 (Proposition 68).

We are grateful to the Board of Directors of the Conservancy for their support of this important project.  Funding this project under their “Vibrant Recreation & Tourism” program recognizes the contribution that the Great Shasta Rail Trail makes to local communities whose residents benefit from the recreation opportunities offered and whose tourist-serving businesses benefit from the attraction of out-of-area outdoor recreationists.  We also owe thanks to the staff of the Conservancy who are working in very difficult conditions because of the corona virus pandemic.

Please send questions about the project to askus@greatshastarailtrail.org.

In November an additional four miles of trail on the north end of the Burney line were opened, when the Dirt Team installed new decking on Moosehead Creek Bridge.  This section – Bartle Wye south to the Bartle Gap Road – opens recreational opportunities to the upper McCloud River and Moosehead Creek area.

An additional 24 miles will be opened when the Dry Creek bridge is re-decked after snowmelt this coming spring.  This will open the trail from Bartle Gap Road to Cayton.  The woods in all their spectacular glory are on display along the trail which, in this section, parallels Highway 89 south from Bartle toward Burney.

Download the whole plan or select individual chapters.

Download the Whole Plan
Introduction
Chapter 1 – The Rail History
Chapter 2 – The Setting
Chapter 3 – Progress and Timeline
Chapter 4 – Vision, Goals, and Guidelines
Chapter 5 – The Benefits
Chapter 6 – Trail Design
Chapter 7 – Making the Vision Real

On Saturday, September 26, at 4:30 p.m., a ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the Heritage Junction Museum in McCloud at the conclusion of the 2015 McCloud Bike-oberfest. April Gray, President of GSRTA, and Anne Murphy, Executive Director of SLA cut the ribbon. About 100 people attended the opening.

Gray said, “This is a big deal. We have been working on this for six years.”

The ceremony officially opened two sections of the trail, one 13-mile section from Pilgrim Creek Road to Bartle and one 13-mile branch trail from Bartle to Hambone.

On Sunday, September 27, a second ceremony was held at the Burney Depot Trailhead opening the 11-mile section from Burney to the Lake Britton “Stand By Me” railroad trestle. After speeches, Gray presented plaques to Joe Studenicka and Laura Pauley for their work as members of Save Burney Falls, the local non-profit organization that conceived the idea of converting the rail line to a trail and eventually evolved into GSRTA.

Studenicka gave a talk recognizing others who had helped develop the trail and then presented April Gray with one of the golden spikes from the original opening ceremony of the McCloud Railway to Burney in 1956. Gray, Studenicka, and Pauley then cut the ribbon.

A highlight of the afternoon occurred when Studenicka led a throng of bikers, hikers, and joggers onto the trail for a half-mile jaunt up the trail and back.

Three sections of the trail totaling 37 miles are now open for non-motorized use, including hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing.

The Shasta Land Trust, the McCloud Local First Network, the Volcanic Legacy Community Partnership, the McCloud Trail Association, and the Burney and Fall River Chambers of Commerce have been working cooperatively for five years to convert the 80 miles of railroad track of the McCloud Railroad between McCloud and Burney to a public recreation trail.

The GSRT will include a central 53-mile trail from Burney Depot to Pilgrim Creek Road, three miles east of McCloud, and two branch trails. One of the branches leads from Bartle to Hambone. The second splits off between Burney and Hwy 89 and heads toward Goose Valley.

In 2013, GSRTA was created to own the property and manage the trail. The Shasta Land Trust subsequently received a $350,000 grant from the California Transportation Commission which enabled them to buy the property from 4 Rails owned by Jeff Forbis. Shasta Land Trust will deed the property to GSRTA.

Current board members of GSRTA include Jerry Harmon and Bob Polkinghorn from Mt. Shasta; April Gray from McCloud; Tina Peluso and Bill Campbell from Fall River Valley; Pat Thompson and Dr. Henry Patterson from Burney; Elizabeth Norton from Susanville; and Ben Miles, past executive director of SLA, who now lives in Kentucky.

Polkinghorn, secretary of the Board, said, “This is really a big milestone for Burney, McCloud, Fall River Valley and the recreational system in this area. We have a big vision.”

Speaking to GSRT supporters who attended the ceremonies, Miles explained that while celebrating the purchase of the property and opening of a portion of the trail, there is much work ahead.

Signs need to be posted welcoming non-motorized trail users and closing the trail to motor vehicles. Over 50 miles of the trail remain to be opened. Some of these will require major infrastructure improvements. Six bridges and the 462-foot-long railroad trestle over Lake Britton need to be restored. The trail surface will need to be improved and maintained. Additional trailhead facilities and amenities will be added and interpretive and educational markers placed along the trail.

GSRTA plans to achieve this by implementing a five-year plan evolving through six phases. In order to do so a lot of funding and many volunteers will be needed.

Thanks to the Pit River Country News for writing this article.

“The Shasta County Resource Advisory Committee and Shasta-Trinity Forest Service staff have been very supportive of this trail project. We wanted them to experience the trail and share our excitement about this wonderful project,” said April Gray, President of the GSRTA, a nonprofit organization that will own and manage the trail. “The trail will be developed over several years with the support of many partners, grantors, and thousands of volunteer hours,” added Gray. “There are seven bridges to restore and several culverts to replace before all 80 miles can be opened for public use.”

With financial support from the Shasta RAC, the Federal Highways Administration, and the Siskiyou County Resource Advisory Committee, the GSRTA is supervising the completion of engineering inspections, reports, and restoration plans for all seven bridges and the culverts. These studies will be completed by December 2015, and will support the GSRTA’s efforts to raise funds for the restoration work. These recent grants join several previous substantial grants from local foundations and state agencies, as well as many individual donations and volunteer hours from the community, all contributing to the creation of the Great Shasta Rail Trail. Plans include opening about thirty-five miles of the trail in 2015 and with more miles added each year as bridges are restored. “We are certain that this trail will become a major recreational attraction in northeastern California – an economic asset for Burney and McCloud,” concluded Gray.