The Great Shasta Rail Trail

The Great Shasta Rail Trail will link the towns of McCloud and Burney and nearby recreation areas along an 80-mile trail that will feature local heritage, scenic landscapes, and stimulate the economic and social vitality of the region. 

Back in the days when the McCloud Railway Company hauled logs and freight between McCloud and Burney, rail service was a vital transportation link between these two communities. The McCloud River Railway Company began operation in 1897 and stimulated the growth of McCloud and Burney as thriving sawmill towns.

Now imagine this historic railroad becoming one of California's premier long-distance trails for all to use and enjoy. You are invited to share our vision to transform 80 miles of railroad bed to the Great Shasta Rail Trail (GSRT).

We envision the development of trailheads and other visitor facilities that welcome public use, including future trail connectors to year-round recreation opportunities for hikers, bicyclists, equestrians, and other uses.

When fully developed, the GSRT will offer an array of recreation opportunities that will promote healthy lifestyles through exercise, interpretation and education, and trail stewardship activities. The GSRT will be a place of discovery with fascinating tales to ell. Interpretive sites along the GSRT will foster awareness, appreciation, and protection of the trail's natural, scenic, cultural, and historic resources. This new recreation resource will boost the economic vitality of the area.

Community involvement in the acquisition and future management and maintenance of the trail is vital. Together, we can make the GSRT a reality. This project has been pursued by volunteers from several organizations that serve the people of this region, notably Save Burney Falls, Shasta Land Trust, McCloud Local First Network, the Volcanic Legacy Community Partnership and the McCloud Trails Association. Our work has been supported by the Shasta Regional Community Foundation, the Rails to Trails Conservancy, and the Rivers, Trails, and Community Assistance program of the National Parks Service.

For more information on this exciting project, please visit the Great Shasta Rail Trail Association.

Ishi Wilderness

Shasta Land Trust donated two properties in Tehama County to the United States Forest Service (USFS).  The properties were purchased from a willing seller in September of 2007 and were added to the USFS Ishi Wilderness Area in 2009.  These properties total 648 acres and are managed by the USFS to protect their many natural and historic resources.

While the properties are rugged and difficult to access, they include portions of Deer Creek canyon and Big Dry Creek canyon.  The Ishi Wilderness Area is one of the lowest elevation Wilderness Areas in the continental US, and supports a diverse array of wildlife and plant species.  It was also on some of these lands that the remaining members of the Yahi Native American tribe were able to survive into the previous century. 

Protection of these two properties was part of a larger project that involved several other partnering organizations including the Northern California Regional Land Trust, the Nature Conservancy, landowners with a desire to conserve their properties, and funding agencies. 

The properties are now owned and managed as part of the Ishi Wilderness Area, in compliance with the Wilderness Act of 1964.  Shasta Land Trust was able secure funding and purchase the properties so that they could be added to the federally protected area, playing a critical role in this historic land transaction.  The properties continue to support native flora and fauna and will remain open of any development for generations to come.

For more information on this area, please visit the USFS Lassen National Forest webpage.