5.8 hr
Overview
In 1974, a serious-sounding organization called the North American Wildlife Research Team responded to a miner’s report of 18-inch human-like footprints near Grouse Creek by building a substantial trap designed to lure in the most canny of Bigfoot. The trap was baited for six years, but only nabbed a couple of hungry bears. By 1980, with the completion of the Applegate Dam and the formation of Applegate Lake , the area was no longer remote, and the project was abandoned. The Forest Service repaired the trap in 2006, but it’s not the only attraction on this loop. Up Grouse Creek, you’ll pass a miner’s adit, and then the trail meanders up to a ridge crest and over the shoulder of Collings Mountain , allowing glimpses of peaks in the California Siskiyous. You can make this a hike and bike by leaving a bicycle at the Watkins Campground Trailhead , or hike the Da-Ku-Be-Te-De Trail, named after a local indigenous group, along the shore of Applegate Lake to reconnect with the Collings Mountain Trailhead . Spring and early summer are good times to visit, as the Siskiyou wildflowers are blooming and lake levels are not too low. Collings Mountain itself was named after two brothers who prospected here in the mid-19th century.
Trail Stats
17.5 km
543 m
1064 m
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Photos
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