Trail Overview
This 3.69-mile point-to-point trail acts as a significant transit corridor between Pumice Mountain West and the Lost Springs Trail within the Klamath National Forest. Like much of the surrounding region, it was deeply impacted by the 2021 Antelope Forest Fire. While the route has been successfully cleared and resurfaced with crushed red rock—providing a much more reliable foundation than the original dirt—the visual legacy of the fire remains, with many dead, standing trees dotting the landscape. The forest floor is in a state of rapid recovery, now covered in vibrant new growth including manzanita, golden bush, and squirrel tail. As you travel north, the trail opens up, providing expansive mountain vistas that culminate in a scenic shelf-road section at the northern terminus, which offers stunning views of the valley below and distant peaks.
Difficulty
Carrying a rating of 3, this trail requires a high-clearance vehicle and careful line selection. While the red rock surfacing has improved overall stability, you will encounter sections with deep ruts reaching up to 18 inches. Fortunately, most of these features can be navigated around by choosing a careful line. The trail also features sections with overgrown vegetation in the center median, which may require you to straddle brush or maneuver around it to avoid undercarriage contact. The shelf-road section at the north end is narrow and demands steady, deliberate driving.
