Page updated: 2025-09-12

This is a new page intended to gather information about trail conditions to one place, based on my own visits or reliable sources. It is a work in progress. Only the most recent trail condition reports are provided, which vary from this year to several years old.

With the die-off of red firs, and to a lesser degree white firs and western white pines, there will be a continually increasing number of down trees on the trails. The term ‘winter debris’ used to mean branches that came down during the winter, but now includes an almost continuous rain of debris from dead trees, year-round.

It is impossible for me to survey every trail in the wilderness every year, so I encourage other users to submit trail conditions. You can reply to this page, or send an email to allisondan52@icloud.com.

Buckskin Trail (15E16), shown on many maps, is an old trail, long unmaintained and very difficult to follow. The upper part was destroyed by a logging road. It should be removed from maps.

I have recently come to realize that GaiaGPS is not being properly undated. They claim that Open Streets Map (OSM) data is updated from time to time, but there are trails shown on GaiaGPS that have not been in OSM in years, so some flaw maintains these out-of-date trails even through updates. I have been making some revisions to OSM data, but it is going slowly because I’m not that familiar with OSM. A learning curve!

Bear Pen Trail | Big Spring Trail | Five Lakes Creek Trail | Five Lakes Trail | Granite Chief Trail | Greyhorse Trail | Hell Hole Trail upper | Hell Hole Trail lower | Hell Hole Trail (reservoir)| Little Needle route | Middle Fork Trail | Powderhorn Trail | Shanks Cove Trail | ‘Squaw’ Saddle Trail | Tahoe Rim Trail | Talbot Creek Trail | Tevis Cup Trail | Western States / Picayune Trail | Western States Trail (Olympic Valley) | Whiskey Creek Trail | PCT-a | PCT-b | PCT-c | PCT-d |PCT-e | PCTf

Bear Pen Trail (16E26), 4.4 km; https://www.gaiagps.com/public/cIIKNISefO9z82DuULTuMvfF/

2025-07: Unmaintained. Route hard to follow in many areas with heavy winter debris, but can be followed with close attention, a few cut logs and rock ducks, difficult in wet area crossings; many down trees; no use this year; sign at Five Lake Creek junction is on ground; the GaiaGPS route is poorly mapped and complete wrong about length

Big Spring Trail (16E17); 1.6km; https://www.gaiagps.com/public/2q82kbIZrYD5xz0nnarfWcK8/

2025-07: Unmaintained. Overall acceptable; 18 down trees, mostly in southern section; winter debris light to heavy; trail easy to follow except in large dry meadow, look for rock cairn; at crossing from south of dry/wet creek above Big Spring, turn up creekbed to find trail, otherwise you will be in the Big Spring marsh. Trail brushed and winter debris removed from Five Lakes Creek – Big Spring north junction to the crossing of Five Lakes Creek.

Five Lakes Creek Trail (15E31), 7.5km; https://www.gaiagps.com/public/G5AFbc8Tcj8qRbwv3FU8QIUj/

2025-08: Overall acceptable condition for 1.9km of trail south of Whiskey Creek to Big Spring north junction, 14 down trees remain, bypasses or step-overs established, brushed and winter debris cleared; 2025-07: Unmaintained. South of Big Spring north junction, large number of down trees (257) makes the trail very unpleasant, a few down trees have been chainsawed by others; parts of the tread are deeply eroded gully; winter debris light to heavy, brushy in spots; wet areas difficult to navigate; trail between south Big Spring Trail junction and north Big Spring Trail junction is hard to find in down trees and heavy winter debris, recommend using Big Spring Trail instead; sign for Shanks Cove Trail was on the ground, placed on log but will end up on ground again; Bear Pen Creek and spring creeklet flowing, Grouse Creek dry but Five Lakes Creek nearby.

Five Lakes Trail (16E13); 3.3km; https://www.gaiagps.com/public/zJk2GZjZM9H6G8FNubYCYJ1q/

2025-06: Overall good condition; no down trees; brush good; light winter debris; water only at Five Lakes basin end

Granite Chief Trail (15E23); access trail; 5.8km; https://www.gaiagps.com/public/5TgsgoY6leJViFxhM7Uklm3n/

2025-06: Overall good condition; one large down tree near trailhead, one small down tree on switchbacks below crest; minor brush; tread decent; water at mules ear meadow and upper fork of Washeshu Creek, and minor creeklets

Greyhorse Trail (15E13); 2.7km; https://www.gaiagps.com/datasummary/track/9f91d87f-4f6e-4355-b0b6-d49a0526a1e7/

2025-07: 45 down trees, about 25 additional trees have been chainsawed; debris light to heavy; brush mostly light except a few areas; mostly easy to follow, and is marked with pink flagging in some areas; water at crossing of Greyhorse Creek near bottom. The name of this trail is in confusion. A user-made sign, the only one at the trailhead, indicates this is Shanks Cove Trail, but unsure if this is official.

Hell Hole Trail upper (15E17);

2025-08: Unmaintained. Several new down trees, but all bypass or step-over, brush mostly light, winter debris mostly heavy, water in both forks of Buckskin Creek but low, Steamboat Creek dry.

Hell Hole Trail lower (15E17);

2020-10: Unmaintained. Trail is findable but many sections are rough, many down trees, winter debris moderate to heavy, brush mostly OK, no water; from the bottom of the trail, routes are very confused on the map and on the ground

Hell Hole Trail (reservoir) (14E02); 7.2km; access trail; https://www.gaiagps.com/public/rsJA9TTXP5KWxzoDUpx0kMEo/

2020-09: Trail extends from Hell Hole Dam (access through gate on north side of dam) to Upper Hell Hole Campground. Two down trees (has been logged out), one easy and one hard; winter debris light; brush light, no water except two seeps that will dry

Little Needle route, not an official trail; https://www.gaiagps.com/map/?loc=13.7/-120.2955/39.1821

2025-08: Unmaintained. Trail departs PCT just south of Middle Fork Trail (both unsigned) and ends at the outlet creek of Little Needle Lake; acceptable condition, one down tree

Middle Fork Trail; 2.5km; https://www.gaiagps.com/public/rRrNmVBnpOwA43bDECAxSRej/

2025-07: Decided to call this Middle Fork Trail rather than Tevis Connector Trail. This trail was reconstructed during the 2024 season, to its junction with the Tevis Cup Trail (the junction is not signed nor obvious), and a reroute to connect to the new Tevis Cup reroute is present but not open. Labeled Western States or Tevis Cup on many maps, but it is neither; labeled 16E04 many maps, but should not be.

Powderhorn Trail (15E15); 6.3km; https://www.gaiagps.com/public/91mB9y4pvfK7pwhz1g2jUNvk/

2025-07: Overall acceptable condition except for many large down trees but cleared of small down trees; 16 new down trees for a total of 52 including hazardous tree at beginning of trail; winter debris light to heavy (since last year!); lower and middle trail brushed but upper trail needs spot brushing; slide under log has a horse bypass on the creek side; Powderhorn Creek flowing (bottom) of trail, creeklet flowing

Shanks Cove Trail (15E11); 7.6 km; https://www.gaiagps.com/public/aHr5KwFyKaZSvJwzCxX51IVj/

2025-07: Unmaintained; northern section, Greyhorse Trail on the ridge to Western States Trail: 43 down trees; trail mostly easy to follow, except some dry meadows on the ridge, and climbing from seasonal creek to Western States Trail which is very brushy; debris mostly light be some heavy; no water. On some FS maps, this is trail 16E14, but numbering is not consistent.

2025-07: Unmaintained; southern section, Five Lakes Creek Trail to Greyhorse Trail on the ridge: 180 down trees, many old and some new; in general, trail followable by blazes and cut ends, but creek crossing is completely obscure, and resumption of climbing trail is hard to find; debris light to heavy; brushy from creek crossing to Shanks Cove; water at lower creek crossing and crossing at Shanks Cove; at Five Lakes Creek junction, trail sign is down and probably on ground, and junction is obscure

‘Squaw’ Saddle Trail (16E27); 1.2 km; https://www.gaiagps.com/public/gRkzfpzwpnfOWW3eh2304Rdt/

2025-06: Overall good condition; one down tree; winter debris light; water flowing in fork of Five Lakes Creek

Talbot Creek Trail (16E21); 7.1km; https://www.gaiagps.com/public/wKZqG5qjHPMxoazr2zsBJk6Z/

2025-06: Unmaintained. Several down trees on the trail; some sections becoming brushed in; winter debris moderate to heavy; water is at crossing of Talbot Creek near north end and near south end; south trailhead is not signed in any way, nor is the Forest Road 51 junction off French Meadows Road

Tahoe Rim Trail (TRT) Ward Creek section (19E00); access trail; 9.9km from PCT to Ward Creek Rd; https://www.gaiagps.com/public/eHjA4SghbHbUAVNUkE8GaTCi/

2025-07: Trail in good condition; logged out; tread good; brush light; water at Ward Creek bridge, and upper Ward Creek cascade but difficult access; minor snow patches remaining

Tevis Cup Trail (16E04); 10.9km;

2025-06: Unmaintained. Eastern section in decent condition, western section in good condition, middle section not surveyed this year (I followed the incomplete reroute for the middle), but is known for rough and soggy tread and thick riparian vegetation

Western States / Picayune Trail (16E10); 14.6km; https://www.gaiagps.com/public/sWZ4INeH5vrReALHtsF8kEnr/

2025-06: Overall decent condition; many down trees, particularly south of bedrock waterfalls area; trail brushed in on some switchbacks, first half mile from Whiskey Creek Camp brushed 2024; winter debris light to heavy; crossing of Middle Fork is wet but soon to be rock-hop; trail can be hard to see and follow in riparian areas; many creeklets flowing

2025-07: first 1.4km from east end brushed, winter debris removed, and small down trees cut, but 10 remain with good step over/climb over/bypass

Western States Trail (Olympic Valley) 16E10; 13.2km; https://www.gaiagps.com/public/FQ4OlcapzWkdrXxFGDJa5rmQ/

2025-08: Overall good condition, four trees down on middle section (Palisades Tahoe). The eastern portion, maintained by Truckee Trails Foundation, is in very good condition, including new signing. The section west of Watson Monument is OK. Many creeklets cross the trail, but probably all will dry as the season progresses.

Whiskey Creek Trail (16E02), 0.7km; https://www.gaiagps.com/public/lthqONd6THqzo4fVid9V8ooo/

2025-07: two down trees at Whiskey Creek crossing, large old one which provides log crossing, and newer one which blocks rock-hop; horse bypass opened by someone else; winter debris cleared

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Pacific Crest Trail (PCT)

Note that the division of the PCT into shorter segments is entirely my own invention, and is intended to make trip planning that includes part but not all of the PCT easier.

PCT-a; 2.8km; Granite Chief Trail to Tevis Cup Trail; https://www.gaiagps.com/public/eXMlF8G0tctoXg9kjm4vZjcg/

2025-06: Overall good condition, a few small down trees; upper Washeshu Creek flowing very well from the meadow; trail to Granite Chief saddle is about one-half covered in snow but the route is well established

PCT-b; 1.6km; Tevis Cup Trail to Tevis Connector Trail; https://www.gaiagps.com/public/gJxO3DDriOsVooAf1ogkWiUw/

2025-08: Overall good condition, has been logged out, light to moderate winter debris, brush mostly OK; water at Middle Fork American River crossing

PCT-c; 3.4km; Tevis Connector Trail to Whiskey Creek Trail; https://www.gaiagps.com/public/pxiWytrahX1EwSf0Dp3Lvmkt/

2025-08: Overall good condition, has been logged out, winter debris light to moderate, brush OK but needs spot brushing, sign at Tevis Connector junction is missing,

PCT-d; 1.5km; Whiskey Creek Trail to ‘Squaw’ Saddle Trail; https://www.gaiagps.com/public/QtFOfQL7ZApBpqgPQIRZWh9X/

2025-08: Overall good condition, has been logged out, winter debris light, brush OK, water at spring creeklet.

PCT-e; 9.9km; ‘Squaw’ Saddle Trail to TRT; https://www.gaiagps.com/public/9IJPtPSaMYLiPm6FjxViLeeR/

2025-07: Overall OK condition; 4 down trees on switchbacks from Five Lakes Creek, 1 near TRT; tread generally OK but very rocky south of Ward Peak; brush OK but closing in; some snow patches; water only in Five Lakes Creek

PCT-f; 8.4km; TRT to Barker Pass; https://www.gaiagps.com/public/CihdAHkzOrNUXncWTIH83eVh/

2025-07: Overall condition good; has been logged out; winter debris mostly light; brush mostly light; water at spring creeklets in North Fork Blackwood Canyon, and creeklets in Blackwood Canyon