Chappie-Shasta OHV - Foundation #15 
| Length: | 3.2 miles |
| Difficulty: | Easier: 3 Harder: 5 |
| Trailhead Elev: | 836 feet |
| Maximum Elev: | 2867 feet |
| Trailhead: | Lat: 40.69778 Lon: -122.45528 |
| Reader's Rating: |  (7 votes) |
| Nearby Trails: | Chappie-Shasta OHV - Wild Cow Trail #35 - 2 miles Chappie-Shasta OHV - Coreshack Road #2 - 2 miles Ohl Olson OHV - 2 miles Shasta Bally - 9 miles |
Trail Description
The Foundation Trail is located in the Chappie-Shasta OHV area which encompasses over 250 miles of roads. This was the first time I've been here and it is definitely a gem in this neck of the woods. There is terrain for all skill levels.
I really don't know where to begin other than WOW! Until this trip most of my trail runs were decent roads that sometimes were damaged due to rain which made things interesting. Entering the OHV area you'll find it starts similarly. There is a quick fork which leads up the mountain or straight to the river. The road going straight, called the Rail Trail was setup last summer by the BLM to give people an alternate way in. It gets it's name because it follows the path of an old rail line as it is still labeled on the map. The original staging area was accessed by crossing the Shasta Dam. Since September 11th, they've tightened security and you now need a permit three days in advance to cross. I have that area labeled on the map. The Rail Trail goes by the now fenced Matheson Mine. It was fenced due to the toxic heavy metals that are still present. This eventually ends at the original staging area. Along the way there are several stream crossings and a few level 3 obstacles, a great trail for beginers.
Midway along the Rail Trail is the trail head for the Foundation Trail. It's here that things get interesting. Just a side note each trail was labeled with a number and the types of vehicles they recommend to take on this trail. The Jeep decal was listed. Along the trail there were similar signs pointing the other direction that didn't have that decal. The first two miles of the trail follow a ridge that just goes up and up. The climb is about two miles long and ascends about 2000 feet. In some sections there was a 32 percent grade. That's about 28 degrees! There are steep grades, deep ruts, narrow pathways and loose rock. I estimate this section to be level 5. It was in this section that a motorcycle barely had enough room to pass so he stopped to say hello. He was very surprised to see that we had gotten as far as we did.
After about two miles, it levels off and cuts along the side of the mountain. All the while staying very narrow. It was here that we saw most of the great views including the one pictured to the left. When we reached the top we found three new trail heads. Due to time restraints we turned around and went back the way we came. One of the forks would have taken us home along a different ridge, but we didn't want to risk getting stuck at an impass that the motorcyclist warned us about.
I definitely had a great time and want to come back to explore. This was the most I've put my ZJ through and it didn't hesitate one bit. You should definitely come and look around. Keep an eye out for motorcycles and ATVs that fly around. Once you find the tougher trails, you'll be by yourself.
Directions
To find the trail head, take Hwy 299W from Redding, CA. Turn right on Iron Mountain Rd. Drive about five miles and look for Matheson Rd. on the right. That will take you into Chappie-Shasta OHV area. You can pickup a map and then continue straight onto the Rail Trail. It will follow the river and fork left near the end. The trail head will be labeled number 5 on the left.