Snowmobiling, skiing, sledding and other forms of snowplay on public and private lands are increasing as more people are discovering the enjoyment of these forms of winter recreation. Many areas of the National Forests are accessible to those who enjoy the pleasure of winter sports. As in other recreational pursuits, visitors to an area have the responsibility of seeing and enjoying but not destroying the area.

Remember:

• Respect the property and privacy of others.
• Be a good sportsman. Recognize that people judge all winter recreationists by individual actions. Promote sportsmanship.
• Plan your outing according to your ability, endurance and equipment. Check current weather reports prior to departure.
• Snowmobilers and over-the-snow vehicles should operate at a minimum speed near skiers or snowshoers.
• Skiers and snowshoers should yield the track to oncoming or overtaking snowmobiles.
• Learn to recognize winter trail signs, blazes and maps. Respect and obey designated trails, closed areas and private property.
• Park your vehicle considerately and in designated spaces where provided. Do not block other vehicles or impede trail access.
• Do not litter trails, camping areas, streams or lakes.
• Do not damage trees, shrubs, or other natural features.
• Know and obey all Federal, State and local laws or rules regulating the operation of snowmobiles in areas where you use your vehicle.
• Lend a helping hand when someone is in distress.
• All snowmobile Trailheads offers warming huts that are available for use on the Tri-Forest snowmobile trail system. Snowmobile Trailheads are public facilities offered for the enjoyment and shelter of all winter recreationists.
• The use of motorized vehicles is prohibited in Wilderness and certain other protected areas.
• Animals must not be chased or harassed. The energy needed to survive in cold and snow can make unnecessary exercise harmful or fatal to wildlife.

Winter trails on this map are managed by the Forest Service. Additional information may be obtained from the following:

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Telephone listing for full service communities:
Dorris (530) 397-3711
Tulelake (530) 667-5312
Weed (530) 938-4624
Mt. Shasta (530) 926-4865
McCloud (530) 964-3113

KLAMATH NATIONAL FOREST
Goosenest Ranger District
37805 Highway 97
Macdoel, CA 96058
(530) 398-4391
TTY: (530) 398-4636
www.fs.fed.us/r5/klamath

MODOC NATIONAL FOREST
Doublehead Ranger District
P.O. Box 369
Tulelake, CA 96134
(530) 667-2246
www.fs.fed.us/r5/modoc

SHASTA-TRINITY NATIONAL FOREST
McCloud Ranger District
P.O. Box 1620
McCloud, CA 96057
(530) 964-2184
TTY: (530) 964-2692
www.fs.fed.us/r5/shastatrinity

OTHER INFORMATION WEBSITES:
www.shastacascade.org
www.visitsiskiyou.org/winter
www.snowdrifters.homestead.com
www.buttevalleychamber.com
www.dot.ca.gov/dist2/

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Be aware of the hazards of winter travel. Harsh conditions of wind, cold, snow or whiteout can turn an outing into tragedy. Knowledge of the area, weather, route and the limitation of your body and equipment, plus a little common sense, will insure a safe and enjoyable trip.

• Always tell a responsible person where you are going and how long you plan to be gone. Mark on a map your planned route of travel. Use registration boards where provided.
• Don’t go it alone and make sure that you and your partner or group are able to meet any conditions that arise.
• Get an updated weather and avalanche report from the Forest Service or other appropriate agency.
• Watch for avalanche paths; avoid old slide paths, open gullies and slopes. Snow failing at the rate of one inch per hour increases avalanche danger rapidly.
• Travel over frozen lakes or steams may be hazardous. As a rule, do not try to determine if the ice is safe, just assume it is not.
• Be aware of the danger of Hypothermia – the lowering of the internal temperature of the body that leads to mental and physical collapse. Untreated hypothermia can result in death. Hypothermia is caused by expo- sure to cold, and it is aggravated by moisture, wind, overexertion or by drugs and alcohol. Prevent it with proper clothing, food and water. If someone in your party is affected, give first aid by raising body temper- ature with warm drinks, quick energy food, a warm indoor environment or if not possible, body contact in a warm sleeping bag.
• Frostbite is caused by exposure of flesh to subfreezing temperatures and can be a precursor to hypothermia. It can be recognized by loss of feeling and a dead white appearance of the skin. If affected, restore body tem- peratures as quickly as possible, preferably in a water bath of up to 105 degrees. If necessary to continue traveling, the affected part should be kept covered, and the victim moved to a location where treatment and evaluation can be obtained as soon as possible. If it is cold enough to freeze flesh, you should recon- sider your trip?
• Dress in layers: If you get warm, take off the top layer. When you stop, put it back on. Wool, down- filled, and wind and waterproof clothes are very effec- tive. Cotton gives little protection. By controlling your body temperature you will be comfortable and avoid hypothermia.
• If you are lost, injured or your equipment has failed – keep calm, decide on a plan. Trust you compass. Stay together, if possible, if not, send at least two people for help. Don’t abandon your equipment. Build a fire and shelter to stay warm and stay where you are. It will make it easier for rescuers to find you.
• Do not ride on plowed highways or roadways.
• Always drive with headlights turned on, never turn off the lights when stopped on a trail at night.
• Be prepared for cold and wet weather and emergencies while traveling in the mountains or remote country.
• Unforeseen events may require an overnight stay in the snow. Be equipped with survival supplies.
• Use distress signals in an emergency – three puffs of smoke, three blasts of a whistle, three shouts, three flashes of light, or three signals of any- thing that will attract attention.

This equipment is suggested for day trips; additional items are needed for overnight trips.

✓ Proper Clothing & Extras (Sunglasses, wool garments, gloves, boots, headgear, suntan lotion, etc.)
✓ Liquids To Drink
✓ Snowshoes Or Skis(a pair for each person in case of break down.)
✓ Equipment (in top shape and tested)
✓ Lunch, snacks, and emergency food
✓ Tools, Belts, And Extra Gas In Safety Cans
✓ Waterproof Matches
✓ First Aid Kit
✓ Map, Compass
✓ Hatchet or Hunting Knife
✓ Rope
✓ Emergency Flares
✓ Tarps (for temporary shelter)
✓ Pocket knife
✓ Space blanket
✓ Survival kit
✓ Avalance Transceivers
✓ Avalance Probe
✓ Shovel

In some areas of the Forest those traveling by skis, snowshoes and snowmobiles share the same routes and areas. Consideration of others is necessary for enjoyment and safety. The following suggestions will provide safe routes for everyone:

• Operate snow machines at minimum speed near ski-ers and snowshoers. Maintain minimum speed untilwell beyond those on foot.
• Do not operate snowmobile or other over-the-snow vehicles in excess of 5 MPH in or around designated snowmobile parks.
• Skiers and snowshoers should realize that snowmobile operators are generally not able to hear approaching trail users. On steep topography, snowmobiles are generally limited to the developed trail surface. On shared corridors, skiers should ski single file and keep poles and arms out of the way of passing over-the-snow machines.
• Do not operate over-the-snow vehicles on designated ski trails.

Not all the trails shown on this map are groomed. All of the “marked X/C ski routes” and some of the “marked snowmobile routes” are not groomed. Visitors, especially novice snowmobile riders, need to be aware that snowmobile routes and access roads that are regularly groomed or plowed sometimes exhibit ungroomed characteristics. This may occur under several different circumstances, such as:

• Just after a snowstorm if the groomer or plow has not yet reached the trail or road you planned to ride.
• During a heavy snowstorm. Snow depths of two or more feet can accumulated in just a few hours and bury a freshly groomed trail. Be sure to check weather forecasts before venturing out.
• Funds for operations may have been exhausted, especially in late winter.
• If you would like current grooming or road conditions information, call the local Ranger District Office for the area you plan to ride.

Please remember to respect the Forest as you enjoy your winter recreation!

For the current avalanche advisories, call (530) 926-9613 or on the Internet http://www.shastaavalanche.org. The avalanche information is updated as needed. Large or small, avalanches are deadly! Terrain, weather, and your decisions are important factors to consider to avoid getting caught in an avalanche. Avalanche advisories apply outside developed ski areas.

• Terrain:
• Avalanches are most common on slopes of 30 to 45 degrees (60 to 100 percent).
• Smooth slopes without tree cover are more dangerous.
• Generally, avalanches occur in the same areas year after year. Watch for avalanche paths (steep open gullies and slopes, pushed-over small trees, trees with limbs broken off).
• South-facing slopes are dangerous in the spring and on warm sunny days.

• Weather:
• Check Local Avalanche Advisory: http://www.shastaavalanche.org
• Snow falling at a rate of 1 inch per hour or more increases avalanche danger. Be alert to dangerous conditions with six inches or more of new snow.
• Storms starting with low temperatures and dry snow, followed by rising temperatures, are more likely to cause avalanches (the dry snow creates a poor bond and cannot support the weight of the heavy, wet snow on top).
• Sustained winds of 15 miles per hour or more increases the danger of an avalanche on the leeward slope from heavy accumulations of snow.

• You:
• It is OK to cancel your trip; sometimes the best decision is NOT to go!
• Look for signs of recent avalanche activity and old slide paths.
• Listen for “whoomp” and cracking sounds of slabs moving.
• Be aware of the terrain and snow conditions.

• Choose safe routes:
• The safest routes are on the ridgetops and slightly on the windward side, away from cornices.
• The next safest route is out in the valley, far from the bottom of slopes.
• Take advantage of dense timber or rocky outcrops as islands of safety.
• Spend as little time as possible on open slopes.
• Make sure you and your group are carrying beacons, probes and shovels.

• If you get caught in an avalanche
• Discard all equipment.
• Try to stay on top with swimming motions and work your way on the side of the avalanche.
• Before coming to a stop, get your hands in front of you and try to make an air space in the snow.
• If you are the survivor:
• Mark the place you last saw the victims.
• Search for the victims directly below the last seen point, scuff or probe the snow if you can’t see them.
• Do not desert the victims and go for help. YOU ARE THE HELP. Know how to use your rescue equipment: transceiver, shovel and probe!

• If there is more than one survivor:
• Send one for help while the remaining persons search for the victims.

• AMBULANCE SERVICE:
• Mt. Shasta Ambulance – Mt. Shasta (530) 926-3420
• Siskiyou Ambulance – Yreka (530) 842-2468
• Butte Valley Ambulance – Dorris (530) 397-3105
• BASM Ambulance Tulelake (541) 884-4876

HOSPITALS:

Merle West (541) 882-6311
2865 Daggett 
Klamath Falls, OR
Hwy. 97 North to “Kit Carson Way” off ramp
      

Fairchild Medical Center (530) 842-4121
444 Bruce Street
Yreka, CA 96097
Hwy. 97 South to A-12 West; I-5 North to “Central” off ramp

Mercy Mt. Shasta (530) 926-6111
914 Pine
Mt. Shasta City, CA 96067
Hwy. 97 South to I-5; South to Central” off ramp

Back-country travelers may encounter a variety of dangerous conditions. It is your responsibility to inform yourself about these inherent risks and take precautions.