Ishi Wilderness 2011
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After trading emails with Justin, I decided to talk about a trip I took to the Ishi Wilderness in the spring of 2011. Ishi Wilderness is located in Northern California northeast of Chico and southwest of Lassen Volcanic National Park in the foothills near the northern edge of the Sierras. The wilderness is split by two creeks with their canyons, Mill Creek to the north and Deer Creek to the south. We came in from the north and took the 28 mile nasty, rutted dirt road to Mill Creek. Did I say the road was rough? It was also steep, dropping 1500′ down the canyon and is easily the worst road I’ve ever been on. Plus water ran over the roadway for a short section. You need a four wheel drive, high clearance vehicle to make the drive. One of the trail reports I read before the trip talked about someone who foolishly brought their Honda Accord down the road and ripped out their oil pan trying to get to Mill Creek. Don’t say I didn’t warn you…
The payoff is a remote area with very few people. We saw only two other people the entire weekend in the wilderness. After driving about an hour, the road finally arrives at the bottom of the canyon. Next to the bridge crossing the creek is the Black Rock, holy to native Americans.
Mill Creek Canyon
We parked at the Black Rock Campground and followed the trail along the creek. The trail starts relatively wide but soon narrows to little more than a game trail. We camped at a level spot next to the creek about two miles from the campground.
After setting up camp, we hiked further down the creek until the trail petered out.
The canyon
Along the way down the creek we spotted bear prints…
We might have been within 10′ of the bear but the area was so overgrown, there was no way for us to know. These are not Yosemite bears-we were not bothered at all. You have to be careful of poison oak, too, and rattlesnakes. A big one was sitting next to the trail on the way out and scared the heck out of my son…
Going to Ishi is like taking a step back in time to before the appearance of Europeans in the west. It’s well worth the effort to visit.
I found this website really useful when planning my trip:Â Ishi Wilderness.
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