Search for Bigfoot Amongst the Trees in this Beautiful Northern California Forest Wilderness

***Special Promotion*** All trip participants will receive a Fjällräven Kånken R backpack (valued at $100) generously donated by our good friends at Fjällräven. Made from recycled materials and ready for adventure!

Backpacking trip with the “heavy lifting” done for you. You’ll only need to carry your personal gear. Solar showers provided!

High in the Yolla Bolly–Middle Eel Wilderness, the Frying Pan is a glacial-carved basin cupped in the high country where subalpine forest gives way to talus slopes, krummholz whitebark pine, and trickles of snowmelt that feed the Middle Fork Eel River. Granite walls arc around the basin like a great unfinished amphitheater, holding a pocket of sky and a stillness that feels older than the trail that reaches it. In summer, wildflowers gather along meltwater seams. Shaped by uplift, ice, and fire, the Frying Pan offers a distilled sense of wilderness—raw, enduring, and quietly instructive to those who make the journey into its stony heart.

Join us for a volunteer trailworking vacation deep in the Siskiyou Wilderness along Clear Creek, one of northern California’s most pristine mountain streams.

Each morning, we’ll work upstream on a remote trail that needs hands and care—removing downed logs, restoring tread, and reopening passage through a landscape shaped by time, fire, and water. The work is physical, purposeful, and deeply rewarding, carried out in partnership with the Klamath National Forest as part of the long-term stewardship of the Bigfoot Trail corridor.

Evenings return us to camp: tired muscles, shared meals, stories by the creek, and the quiet satisfaction of having improved access to a wild place without diminishing its spirit. This is more than trailwork—it’s an immersion in wilderness, community, and the simple power of caring for a path through the forest.

There is no experience needed to join a Volunteer Vacation! Your expert hosts will provide detailed instruction, tool demonstrations, and project oversight throughout the week. All you need is a willing attitude and to be in good physical condition to participate in moderate physical activity for approximately 6-8 hours a day with plenty of breaks, at your own pace. Find out more about what it’s like to join a Volunteer Vacation and other frequently asked questions here.

Avg. Temperature:

Typical weather for this area during this season has highs of roughly 88–94°F and lows of 60–65°F. Late June in the northern Sacramento Valley is hot and dry, with virtually no rainfall and strong afternoon sun.

Land Acknowledgment:

AHS acknowledges with gratitude that this project takes place on the traditional lands of the Dau Pom Wintu, El Pom Wintu, Northern Wintu, Cayuse, and Umatilla and Walla Walla people past and present. We honor the land itself, the Indigenous communities who have stewarded these islands and mountain landscapes for countless generations, and those who continue this stewardship today. This acknowledgement is one step in our ongoing commitment to uplift Indigenous voices. We invite the American Hiking Society community to learn about, support, and stand in solidarity with the Indigenous peoples whose lands we live, work, and recreate on.