Volunteers Needed to Reach, Repair Kanaka Peak Summit

What: Kanaka Peak Trail Restoration
When: Thursday, August 4, 8 a.m.
Where: Whiskeytown Visitor Center, 14412 Kennedy Memorial Dr, Whiskeytown, CA 96095

The National Park Service is looking for volunteers to construct the last 100 yards of new trail to the summit of Kanaka Peak. Teenagers with a parent or guardian and adults are welcomed and should meet at the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area’s Visitor Center at 8 a.m. on Thursday, August 4, 2011.

Volunteers will carpool to Peltier Valley and hike in three miles to an area just below the summit. The volunteers will work from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. and should bring water, a snack, work gloves and wear good hiking boots (no tennis shoes). The hike out from the summit takes approximately 1 hour. National Park Service Trail Crew and the eight Student Conservation Association Summer Interns will supervise the final construction with the volunteers and provide all the work tools. The Student Conservation Association and NPS Trail Crew have been building the newly routed Kanaka Peak Trail since mid-June.

The original Kanaka Peak Trail was destroyed during the 2008 Moon Fire and has since been revegetated to a natural condition. The Kanaka Peak Trail has been closed since July 2008. “This volunteer day is an opportunity for local citizens to get directly involved in improving Whiskeytown National Recreation Area,” stated Park Superintendent Jim Milestone. The Kanaka Peak Trail climbs to 2,216 feet above sea level and provides a 360-degree view from the Central Valley to the Trinity Alps. Spectacular views of Shasta Bally Mountain, Whiskeytown Lake, Mt. Shasta and Mt. Lassen are the reward for the climb to the summit.

The new trail was planned and designed over the past two years by park staff and has a greatly improved gentle gradient that winds through large old growth forest of Black Oak, ponderosa pine and Douglas fir. “The old Kanaka Peak Trail was known for its steep climbs and roller-coaster route, while the new trail route has been designed to be user friendly with a gentle gradient,” Milestone added.

For more information regarding the August 4, 2011 Trail Volunteer Day to the Summit of Kanaka Peak, call 530-242-3410. Organized civic and church groups are welcomed to join in this fun day.

-from press release

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Press Release

-from press release