Trinity River Corridor

Fish
When one thinks of rivers and nature, the first thing that comes to mind for most people is fish. The Trinity is known for its seasonal runs of Salmon, and Steelhead, coming up from the ocean to spawn in the river, and for it's trout--rainbow and german brown.

There are two species of salmon in the Trinity: Chinook (King), and Coho. The Chinook Salmon ascend the river in two waves: the spring/summer run, and the fall run. The spring/summer run stay through the summer and wait until September and October to spawn and then die. The largest numbers of the fall run appear from late September through November. These fish spawn in October through December.

Steelhead are ocean-going rainbow trout that become much larger and powerful than rainbows that stay in the river. Like the Chinook Salmon they have two runs, following a little later than the Salmon. Unlike the Chinook Salmon, they do not necessarily die after they spawn, but return to the ocean several times in their lifespan. Sport fishermen especially enjoy Steelhead because they are strong fighters.

Coho Salmon have one run which starts later in the fall than both Chinook and Steelhead. Their spawning activity mostly takes place in December.

These fish have evolved to use loose gravels which are deposited on the river bottom after the large flushing flows that occur during Spring snowmelt, and Winter rains. Trinity Dam, above Lewiston, has significantly decreased these flushing flows, but the section of the Trinity in the Trinity River Frontier Region, which extends between Junction City and Salyer are comparatively natural because larger tributaries including Canyon Creek, the North Fork Trinity, and the New River are free-flowing and add water to the main stem Trinity in this area.

The best places to watch Salmon and Steelhead jump over falls is at Gray's Falls (1/4 mile hike), Burnt Ranch Falls (1 mile hike), and at two miles east of Big Flat at Hell Hole (seen from Hwy 299, or down a short trail).

Wildlife
The most common animal seen while driving is the Deer. These deer are mostly Black Tail, or Mule-Black Tail mix. There have been numerous recent sightings of white, albino deer along the Trinity River.

Probably the funniest animals to watch along the Trinity River are river otters. They are playful, curious, gregarious, and not as shy as a lot of other mammals. They might swim along a raft for a rapid or two. One might spot a mink in or along the river. They are smaller than otters and swim with their bodies flat on the water. Otters undulate more when they swim and often just poke their heads out of the water. Smaller still are Long and Short-Tailed Weasels which can be seen along the banks. The larger Fischers generally stay in the woody uplands.

Foxes, Raccoons, Skunks, Squirrels, Chipmunks, Ring Tailed Cats, and Opossums and other small mammals are seen regularly. Larger mammals include Black Bear, and the elusive Mountain Lion and Lynx.

Floating along quiet stretches of the river one may see the Western Pond Turtle sunning itself on a log or rock. There are often several turtles together in the same area. Other reptiles and amphibians frequent the region.

Birds
Riverene birds that are regularly seen include Bald Eagles, Osprey, Herons: Great Blue and Green Backed, Belted Kingfishers, Ducks: especially Common Mergansers, Mallards and Woodducks, and the smaller Dippers, Spotted Sandpipers and Killdeer.

It can be fun to watch the contrasting fishing styles of the birds. The Bald Eagle will swoop down and just reach into the water with it's talons for a fish near the surface. The osprey has both eyes on the front of it's head, giving it depth perception. It will hover above the river and dive straight down into the water. Kingfishers may also hover and dive. The Great Blue heron waits patiently along the shore and reaches into the water with it's long neck. A greenbacked heron will more commonly be perched on a log or woody debris that extends into the water. One might spot a Merganser Duck swimming rapidly with it's head submerged, chasing a fish.

Dippers are a lot of fun to watch even though there size is small, and their plumage is gray. They can be seen walking on the river bottom in a riffle, rapid, or even a falls, searching for aquatic insects which hide under the protection of small rocks. Dippers have transparent eyelids which act as goggles and flaps that cover their nostrils. They face into the current to use the force of the current to help them pry under gravels and rocks with their heads, often feeding in shallow water, but sometimes diving deep. On shore they frequently perform repeated squats or dips.

Still along the river a variety of swallows perform acrobatic flight in search of insects. Some of these swallows such as the tree swallow and violet green swallow have iridescent colors. Flycatchers such as the Black Capped Phoebe, or Western Flycatcher perch on branches and fly out to zero in on their prey.

  
In the springtime, Western Tanagers, and Bullock's Orioles are colorful additions to the river. The colorful Yellow Warbler, Yellow Breasted Chat, Woodpeckers, Hummingbirds, Black Headed Grosbeak, Cedar Waxwing, Kestrel, and the noisy Stellar Jay can be seen throughout the vacation season.

There are many hawks and falcons including the Peregrine, and one might encounter an enormous golden eagle perched over carrion while driving along the highway.

Trees
The canyons of the Trinity have large rock faces, but are more prominently vegetated with trees. Right along the river, with their roots in the water table are Willow and the larger Red and White Alder. Along the hillsides there is often a contrast between the sunny, south-facing slopes and the more shaded north-facing ones. The north-facing slopes are richly green with lots of Douglas Fir. More prominent on the south-facing slopes are Grey Pine (formerly called digger pine). Both sides have a mix of other trees including Ponderosa Pine, the giant Sugar Pine, Incense Cedar, Madrone, Big Leaf Maple, and White, Black, and Canyon Live Oak. At higher elevations other trees appear such as Red and White Fir, and Tan Oak.

Along the river one might notice the red inner bark of the Red Alder exposed from floating debris rubbing against the trees at higher flows. This inner bark was used as a reddish dye by Indians in traditional basketry. The Big Leaf Maple have the largest leaves of the maples, although the trees themselves are often smaller than other maples. Sugar Pines are often seen silhouetted against the sky with their long, distinct branches and long narrow cones drooping from the ends of the branches. Grey Pines thrive on poor, dry soils. Several branches leave the trunk at the same height in a whorl. Each whorl represents a years growth and may be several feet apart. The cones, seen high in the trees are second only to the Coulter Pine in size. Don't pitch your tent underneath them as they are heavy and sharp. Acorns from the Oaks provided, along with Salmon, a staple food for the Indians.

Other Plants and Wildflowers
Blackberries and the larger Himilaya Berries are enjoyed in the area in July and August. Each year an annual event called the Blackberry Festival is celebrated where one can sample treats ranging from Blackberry Pies to Blackberry Shakes and Blackberry Margaritas. Earlier in the season the fruit of the Western Raspberry is enjoyed. Wild California Grapes are abundant a long the river and their long vines sometimes hang from high in trees. Their fruits are smaller and have larger seeds than their cultivated cousins.

Conspicuous along the edge of the river in moist areas such as where there is a seep or side stream are large-leaved Indian Rhubarb plant, also known as Umbrella Plant or Elephant Ear. The young leaves and pink flower stalks were eaten by Indians. Also in moist areas along the river are the primitive, leafless horsetails or scouring rush. These plants, high in silicone, were used by pioneers an miners for scouring pans and dishes. Another large-leaved plant, Spikenard or California Ginsing, grows along side streams.

Saint Johns Wort, also known as Klamath Weed is an abundant yellow-flowered plant that blooms throughout much of the summer. Other plants used as herbs include Yerba Santa and Yarrow. The yellow-flowered Salsify often grows near where gold is found and was searched out by miners for that purpose. On sandy or rocky flats along the river the yellow and white flower of the exotic snapdragon, Dalmatian Toadflax are abundantly found.

Growing out of rock faces in the springtime are the pink flowers of the rare succulent, Heckner's Lewisia. Throughout the summer the brightly red colored California Fuchsia grow out of cracks in the rocks. Other common red flowers include Indian Paintbrush, Indian Pink, and Firecracker Lily.

One must be careful to avoid Poison Oak which grows as small plants, as bushes, and as vines. It has woody stems and three leaves which are reddish in the spring and in the fall. It's berries are white or red. It leaves an itchy rash to many people which lasts about a week and a half. The rash is carried by oils, so if one touches it, it is helpful to wash off with a detergent, soap, or special Poison Oak compound.

Geology and Gold
The Klamath Mountains of Northern California and Southern Oregon are generally considered to be a break off of the Sierra Mountains The jagged Trinity Alps are a smaller division of the Klamath Mountains.

The dominant source of rocks in the area is from ocean bottom in the Pacific Ocean spreading from it's center and moving towards the continent. As the ocean floor meets the lighter rocks of the continent it dips under (subducts under) the continent. As the ocean floor dips under the continent, it's top layer is scraped off, and is pushed inland as it accumulates. Layers of scraped off ocean floor have accumulated, the oldest being east to Shasta Lake, and younger layers comprising the coastal range. As the ocean floor get's pushed farther inland it is subjected to intense pressures and folding. Most of the ocean-floor rocks in the Trinity River Frontier region are called metamorphic, because they have recrystalized into harder rocks from the heat and pressure they have been subjected to.

As the ocean floor dips below the continent it reaches a point at which it becomes molten. Large areas of molten rock, called batholiths have formed below certain areas of the Trinity River Frontier. One area is the Trinity Alps, whose higher elevation rocks are comprised largely of granites which were originally molten rocks below the surface and later uplifted. Another large granitic batholith is in the Burnt Ranch area called the Ironside Mountain Batholith. Ironside Mountain rises on the north side of the Trinity River, and on the east side of the New River.

The formation of granite is associated with the abundant gold in the region. Gold, deep in the earth's crust is melted with the molten granite, and rises in steam vents into whatever cracks or crevices are available. It precipitates at roughly the same temperature as quartz and is thus associated with quartz veins. It is not necessarily embedded in granite, but is also found in cracks of the ocean-floor rocks. As the mountains erode, it is washed into the river. Since it is much heavier than other rocks, it sinks to the bottom, and into cracks, and is only moved by flood conditions where the bottom rocks are churned up to a deep level. Through this churning, it sifts to a deeper level until it reaches bedrock, covered by an overburden of larger rocks. In many areas of the Coast Range, the rocks are similar to those of the Trinity River Frontier, but they do not have gold because the granite-forming conditions have not occurred beneath these younger rocks.

The ocean-bottom rocks of the area are primarily Sandstone Schists (metamorphic sandstones), Argilite or Slate if layers break off in even layers (metamorphic mudstones), Marble (metamorphic limestone) and chert. The Sandstones tend to be in more massive layers because of the relative abundance of sand. These rocks form closer to the edge of the ocean. Further out in the ocean mudstones form from finer sediments which do not drop to the bottom as quickly as the heavier sands. These rocks tend to have thinner layers. Cherts form deep in the ocean from the siliconaceous skeletons of millions of microscopic plankton which die and drop to the ocean floor. Cherts come in a variety of colors such as red and green.

Chert is a hard, glassy rock that was used by Indians to make arrowheads and other sharp tools when they were not able to trade for higher-quality Obsidian. There are a number of limestone caves in the area, the best known being the Del Loma Caverns. This cave was discovered by gold miners in the 1850s. There were rumors that it extended all the way to Denny.

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