overland

Trail Camp: The Shasta Shakedown (July 22-25)

OTG Ben

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Join OTG for a 3 night wilderness camping experience in the Shasta-Trinity NF. We'll camp along the banks of the east fork Trinity River for 3 nights. During the day, we'll have multiple options to explore the surrounding mountains by vehicle or on foot, or you can hang out at the river all day if that's your thing!

Fire Restrictions are in Effect
Open flames are not permitted outside of developed campgrounds at this time. If you intend to use a propane or liquid gas stove, please make sure you obtain your Fire Permit (required by CA state law). You may bring propane fire pits at this time.

Leave No Trace
We take Leave No Trace principles very seriously at OTG. Please make sure you bring the necessary gear to pack out all of your own trash. Because we are camping adjacent to a river and floodplain that feeds into a reservoir, we will not be burying any solid human waste at the campsite. Many of our members have their own camp toilet setups, so if you don't have one, you can bet there will be one on site that is available for public use. But it is your responsibility to pack out and dispose of your waste.

Dogs
If you have a well behaved dog, feel free to bring Fido along on this adventure. A few things to note about dogs, because water levels are very low this year, keep your dog away/out of water with large algae blooms, which can be very dangerous to dogs (and humans). We also ask that you be diligent about cleaning up after your pet and being mindful of fellow campers.


Camp Location & GPX File
GPX File download Link

We'll be camping along the East Fork of the Trinity River East Fork Trinity River (41.002246, -122.621364). All driving directions, waypoints, and daily activities are included in the above GPX file. If you're arriving at night, we recommend using Google or Apple Maps to give you directions to Trinity Center, and then follow the GPX file to camp. If you're arriving during the day, Dog Creek road is a nice scenic, and easy dirt road that is suitable for all vehicle types.

Upon nearing the camp location, keep an eye out for the below road sign-- this is your cue to turn onto the dirt road. From here, follow the roads until you reach the location of camp as noted in the gpx file. Early arrivals may wish to snag the riverfront camp (room for about 6 vehicles).

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Day trips will include:
- Explore jeep trails around Tamarack Lake
- Explore forest roads (suitable for AWD and Sprinters)
- Do the Mt Shasta Loop
- Visit/swim at McCloud Falls
- Hike Castle Crags SP
- Hike Deadfall Meadows and Lake (below Mt Eddy)
- And a lot more!

You Provide
Your own vehicle, fuel, food, water, cooking equipment, sleeping setup and equipment, sturdy shoes for the outdoors, and a flashlight. There are no facilities on site, you must come prepared to pack out all human waste (we are camping next to a river, so no burying waste). Expect daytime highs in the 80s-90s, and lows in the 40s-50s.

Event Details
Event Begins: 4pm on Thursday
Ends: 11am on Sunday
Venue Location: Trinity River / Shasta-Trinity NF.
Minimum vehicle requirements: 4x4s, AWD crossovers, and Adventure Vans all welcome. We'll have options suitable for all rigs.
For Questions: info@overlandtrailguides.com

Daily Itinerary Options

Friday July 23


Bonanza King Lookout

Depart: 10am
Terrain: graded forest service roads
Trip Time: 31 miles, 3 - 4 hours

Deadfall Lakes Hike
Depart: 10am
Trip info: 1 hour drive on mostly pavement to Deadfall Lakes Trailhead
Hike length: 5.5 miles round trip to deadfall lakes, approx 2-3 hours
Hike info at AllTrails (note this goes all the way to Mt Eddy): https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/mount-eddy-trail


Saturday July 24

Visit Tamarack Lake (no jeep trails)

Depart: 10am (may be additional departure times every 30 min depending on group size)
GPX:
Terrain: graded forest service roads, last 1 mile requires stock 4x4 or lifted AWD vehicle (no Sprinters)
Trip Info: plan 4-5 hours total time

Tamarack Lake Jeep Trails
Depart: 10am
GPX: please note we didn't include a route for the jeep trails. Gaia's baselayer map does contain the various trails around Tamarack lake.
Terrain: jeep trails from mildly technical moderately technical. A Lifted 4x4 with sliders is strongly recommended.
Trip Info: 1.5 hour drive to Tamarack Lake, spend as much time as you like on the various jeep trails above the lake

Castle Crags Hiking
Depart: 10am
Info: Follow the route to Girard Lookout and then take the exit to Castle Crags. We're leaving it up to the group to decide which hike they'd like to do. Most hikes are strenuous and 4-8 miles in length.

Sunday July 25

Girard Ridge Lookout (near Interstate-5)

Depart: 10am
Terrain: graded forest roads
Trip info: Girard Lookout has fantastic views of Castle Crags and Mt Shasta and is on the eastside of I-5. For those looking for one last quick adventure before you head home (or onto your next adventure), this is a great option. The lookout is about 30 minutes from I-5, while the drive to I-5 takes about 45 minutes.
 
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OTG Ben

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I'll be in on this one.

Nice! I'll have my 6yo in tow for this one. You bringing the fam or rolling solo? If you wanna get a bit gnarly, we'll have some jeep trails you can explore up the mountain.
 

AdvEddie

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Will we be basecamping or moving locations each day? Kinda hoping for a few days of relaxation by the water. This also increases the chances the wife will come along too.
 

OTG Ben

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Will we be basecamping or moving locations each day? Kinda hoping for a few days of relaxation by the water. This also increases the chances the wife will come along too.

Basecamp-- camping same location every night :)
 

Salicrup

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Will the Jeep trails be technical or easy? This is going to sound awful but I either bring my Jeep JK which is lifted and on 35" or I bring my stock Land Rover Defender 90. Spoiler alert, The Defender rides nicer than the Jeep on a 9 hour drive : )5AE462CC-C0F7-4CCA-BD7E-6B4B26868D39_1_105_c.jpeg9575AFEB-0675-4D3F-A050-CF1768DBFCFF_1_105_c.jpeg
 

OTG Ben

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Definitely above a stock defender! I've only seen the beginning of the track, but there's definitely some optional hard lines that are for heavily modified rock crawlers only. I probably wouldn't go with at least sliders, 33"+ tires and a 2" lift.

But we'll have other options for day activities as well that would be more suitable for stock 4x4s and AWD vehicles, like visiting the bonanza king lookout.
 
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Salicrup

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Definitely above a stock defender! I've only seen the beginning of the track, but there's definitely some optional hard lines that are for heavily modified rock crawlers only. I probably wouldn't go with at least sliders, 33"+ tires and a 2" lift.

But we'll have other options for day activities as well that would be more suitable for stock 4x4s and AWD vehicles, like visiting the bonanza king lookout.
Thank you
 

OTG Ben

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Hey everyone,

As you may or may not know, there are 3 significant fires burning up in the northern part of the state (CA) right now. The Salt, Lava, and Tennant fires remain active at this time. The good news is that the Lava and Tennant fires are both over 70% contained, and as of today, the Salt Fire is 25% contained. However, hotter weather is forecasted later this week and things could easily change. We'll continue to monitor the situation, as we'd like to provide a healthy and comfortable environment for all attendees. If for whatever reason the situation does worsen, we'll look at our other options of moving to another location away from the smoke.
 

Chief Brody

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Fingers crossed on the fires! Looking forward to this trip as I build out the new 4R. If there are any Elmers (I've been studying!) attending, I'm taking my Ham Technician test this weekend. I've been practice testing in the 95-100% range, so I'm pretty sure I'll pass and likely have my call sign around the time we embark. Then the fun can begin with learning how to use the thing (Yaesu FT-70). Any advice/guidance will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 

Pphylo

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Hey Chief Brody, or should I call you CB? (I know we're talking Ham, but, see what I did there?)
I have a tech class license and I'm probably the most amateur amateur radio operator you will ever meet. I do have a couple of tips though. Check out repeaterbook.com and also download the RepeaterBook app. It's real handy for locating repeaters that you may want to program into your radio. Spend some time figuring out how to program your HT manually, however, for simplicity's sake look at buying programming software that you can use at home on your computer. I use RT Systems software for my mobile unit and my HT.

A friend of mine, Tyler-K6TLR, at myoffroadradio.com used to offer occasional classes for offroad focused use of your radio. I don't know that he does that anymore but, his website may still have some useful information or you can check out some of his podcasts.

Here's to hoping the fires lay down some and the weather cooperates.

73's
KK6KZZ
 

OTG Ben

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Daily itineraries have been updated. GPX files will be posted by this weekend!
 

Jules4me70

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Never mind, we decided to camp but trying to register and I get the countdown but doesn’t take me to the next screen.
 

OTG Ben

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Never mind, we decided to camp but trying to register and I get the countdown but doesn’t take me to the next screen.

Not a problem. We have room, so all you need to do is show up to camp on Thursday or later :)
 

OTG Ben

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Where is the meet up place?

Hey @Sean Bonick , all of the info is in the original post under the Camp Location and GPX file section. Here's the exact location of camp, but more detailed directions are above. Glad to have you out again!

41.002246, -122.621364
 
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