The Trinity Alps near Granite Lake in July 2005

The Trinity Alps are mountains in Northern California, located to the northwest of Redding. Northern California is the northern portion of the US state of California. Redding is a city in Northern California. It is the County seat of Shasta County California, USA Elevations there range from 1,350 feet ( 411 m) to 8,994 feet (2,741 m) at Thompson Peak. The Trinity Alps Wilderness covers 517,000 acres (2,090 km²), making it the second largest wilderness area in California^[1].

Geology

The Trinity Alps are situated within the Klamath mountain range, which lies between the Pacific Coast Ranges and the Cascade Range, which lies further to the east. Rogue River Oregon USAjpg|thumb|250px|Rogue River Gorge Oregon]]The Klamath Mountains, sometimes called the Salmon Mountains, are a rugged lightly populated Mountain range The Pacific Coast Ranges are the series of Mountain ranges that stretch along the west coast of North America from Alaska to northern and central Mexico They are noted for their scenic views and alpine environment, which differ from those found in the Sierra Nevada, the Coastal Range, or the Cascades. The Sierra Nevada ( Spanish for "Snowy Range" is a Mountain range located in the U The northern backbone of these mountains is comprised of the Salmon and Scott Mountains.

According to recent, but incorrect, USGS maps, 35 permanent bodies of snow and several tiny glaciers dot the highest peaks of the Alps. The United States Geological Survey ( USGS) is a scientific agency of the United States government. "Snowfall" redirects here For other uses see Snow (disambiguation or Snowfall (disambiguation. "Glacial" and "Glaciation" redirect here For the geological periods see Glacial period. Independent study has shown that only about six of these snow/ice bodies persist through the driest years. The recent 7. 5-minute topographic maps from the USGS severely overstate the area of these ice bodies; for example, none of those shown on the east side of the West Range above Canyon Creek Lakes or of Sawtooth Peak remain at the end even of half the years. The only one that is unambiguously a glacier is the 15-acre icefield on the north side of Thompson Peak, which shows crevasses indicating true motion even on so small an icefield. Research has shown that snowfields in the Trinity Alps are more resistant to the effects of global warming than are the snowfields in most other mountains studied.

On the ridge south of Sapphire Lake is an unusual phenomenon consisting of a temporary glacier, versus an inactive snowfield that melts out in dry years. Following years of heavy accumulation, an icefield appears in this fully-sheltered north-facing cirque that can show active crevasses and seracs some tens of feet high. But this ice body, at an elevation of only 7,500 feet (2,300 m) in a region experiencing a long, hot dry season from about mid May to mid October, can disappear completely during a run of drier years. The lowest snowfield in California that does not disappear except in the extreme runs of dry years is located above Mirror Lake at an elevation of 6,600 feet 2,030 m). Studies of lichen collars indicate that the site near Kalmia Lake is the snowiest spot in the State of California, receiving snow accumulation in excess of the Lake Helen snowcourse on Lassen Peak, by far the snowcourse with greatest late winter snow accumulation in California. Lichens (ˈlaɪkən or /lɪtʃən/ are symbiotic associations of a Fungus (the mycobiont with a photosynthetic partner (the photobiont also known as This in turn is consistent with the fact of an active glacier under Thompson Peak, while, in contrast, no such active glacier exists under Brokeoff Mountain west of Lassen Peak, higher than Thompson Peak and presenting an ideal NNE-facing zone in the area of maximum snow accumulation beneath an almost-vertical cliff face 1,000 feet (308 m)high. Sufficient snow does accumulate under Brokeoff that in some years the snowfield there experiences incipient glacial motion. Two moraines below it, one very recent, provide clear evidence at least of mass transport in the recent past at that site. These moraines are quite a bit smaller than those found below the Thompson Peak glacieret.

This region of the Klamath Mountains is also outstanding for having the greatest number of conifers of anyplace in the world except one. Rogue River Oregon USAjpg|thumb|250px|Rogue River Gorge Oregon]]The Klamath Mountains, sometimes called the Salmon Mountains, are a rugged lightly populated Mountain range Russian Peak in the Russian Wilderness just north of the Trinity Alps has the greatest number of conifer species in North America [Introduction to California Mountain Wildflowers By Philip A. Munz, Dianne Lake. ]The northern species, such as alpine fir, amabilis fir, alaska yellowcedar, and englemann spruce are found here, as well as the trees from the south, such as incense cedar, ponderosa and sugar pine, plus unique populations of foxtail pine (Pinus balfouriana) and weeping spruce (Picea breweriana). The reason for so many trees existing together is that these mountains lie right between the Mediterranean climate that dominates to the south and the northwestern coastal climate, again summer dry, but with a far shorter season of drought.

The US Forest Service, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, manages the Trinity Alps Wilderness. The Shasta-Trinity National Forest is a federally designated forest in northern California, USA The Trinity Alps Wilderness is a wilderness area located in northern California, roughly between Eureka and Redding. The northern boundary extends into the Klamath National Forest. The area contains hiking trails, backcountry camping, and beautiful scenery. Most of the area is visited much less heavily than many other wilderness areas in California, such as Yosemite National Park or Kings Canyon National Park but more than the Yolla Bolly Wilderness. This article is about Kings Canyon National Park USA For Kings Canyon Australia see Kings Canyon (Northern Territory. The most popular destinations are Canyon Creek Lakes, Emerald and Saphire Lakes on the Stuart Fork, and Granite Lake up the Swift Creek trail. The Green Trinities are mostly lower in elevation with fewer lakes, and trails there can be hot and dry in the summer. Less-visited areas include New River, Pony Buttes, and Limestone Ridge in the west, and Packers Peak, Deadman Peak, and Eagle Peak in the Scott Mountains. The Trinity Alps overlook Trinity Lake to the east. Trinity Lake, previously called Clair Engle Lake, is a Lake on the Trinity River formed by the Trinity Dam and located in Trinity County The higher lakes, Grizzly, Smith, and Mirror, lacking proper trail access, rival the most spectacular of the high lakes in the Sierra in terms of scenic values. Wilderness permits are required. The area was formerly known at the Salmon-Trinity Alps Primitive Area since 1932 until a series of expansions. The Pacific Crest Trail connects the northeast corner of the Trinity Alps to the Russian Wilderness and Marble Mountain Wilderness on the north and the Castle Crags Wilderness in the Trinity Divide to the east. Access is off state Highways 299 on the south, 3 on the east, and various old logging and mining roads on the north and west.

Geologically, the Trinity Alps consist of a mixture of Igneous Granite and Metamorphic peaks. Igneous rocks (etymology from Latin ignis, fire are rocks formed by solidification of cooled Magma (molten rock Granite (ˈɡrænɪt is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, Felsic, igneous rock. In the eastern mountains are the Red Trinities, due to reddish ultramafic peridotite, in the central granitic batholith are the White Trinities, and in the western mountains are the Green Trinities due to more extensive forest cover. The region contains much pine and fir forest as well as meadows, creeks, and lakes. Most of the lakes have been stocked with rainbow, brown or brook trout and some have self-sustaining populations. The major streams hold chinook and silver salmon, and some have steelhead including rare summer steelhead. The Trinity Alps are home to much wildlife including: American Black Bear, deer, lizards, chipmunks, and a great number of bird species. The American Black Bear ( Ursus americanus) is the most common Bear Species native to North America. A deer is a Ruminant Mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. Lizards are a large and widespread group of Reptiles of the order Squamata, with nearly 5000 species and ranging across all continents except Chipmunk is the common name for any small Squirrel -like Rodent species of the genus Tamias in the family Sciuridae. Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. The Trinity Alps is even home to a cryptozoological monster, the Trinity Alps Giant Salamander. Cryptozoology (from Greek κρυπτός kruptos, "hidden" + Zoology; literally "study of hidden animals" is the study of and search The Trinity Alps giant salamander is an alleged giant salamander that is reported to live in the Trinity Alps of northern California. Deer and black bear are commonly seen. Less common but present are mountain lion, pine marten, fisher and wolverine.

Swift Creek viewed from footbridge in July 2005

Plant surprises by the trails in the eastern mountains include pitcher plant (darlingtonia californica) and even some ridgetop sagebrush in the Scott Mountains.

References