26. Deer Creek

Length:	4.6 miles round trip
Hiking time:	3 hours
High point:	3,250 feet
Total elevation gain:	650 feet
Difficulty:	moderate
Season:	year-round, occasional winter snow
Water:	available from Deer Creek and tributaries; purify first
Maps:	USGS 7.5' Onion Butte
Information:	Almanor Ranger District, Lassen National Forest

Steep canyon walls, shady forest, and crashing waterfalls large and small highlight this hike along Deer Creek. You can walk this enticing trail nearly any time of year because it's usually below the snowline in winter. It's excellent preparation for summer backpacking, with campsites spread liberally near the path. It also leaves right from Highway 32, so there's no dirt road driving.

Take Highway 32 off Highway 99 in Chico and head 40 miles north to the first bridge across Deer Creek. (It's terra-cotta colored.) Park in the area on the right 100 feet beyond. The parking area is also 1.6 miles southwest of Potato Patch Campground if you're coming down from Highway 36. Note that Highway 32 has many curves and is not recommended for motor homes and vehicles with trailers.

Walk to the northeast side of the bridge on the opposite side of the road. The trail begins near a "Deer Creek Trail" sign. Enter a forest of Douglas fir, ponderosa pine, incense cedar, and canyon live oak, the major shade species you'll encounter on the hike. You'll soon reach a small stream that empties into Deer Creek, the first of several over the next 2 miles or so. Just beyond, a rock outcrop serves as an excellent vantage point for viewing alder-lined Deer Creek.

A small cave nestles in the mountainside at 0.4 mile. Just beyond, look for the rare California nutmeg tree; it has sharp, dark green needles. Travel past several suitable tent sites and a series of small waterfalls, and then climb to run level in the shade of canyon live oaks.

At 1.6 miles you reach the largest and most impressive cataract: Lower Deer Creek Falls. Two parallel trails lead to the bottom of the falls, where the 15-foot thunder creates a fine mist that caresses your face.

Once you leave the falls, continue downstream on the main path. You'll reach more camping areas and amble through California laurel groves thick with the peppery smell of bay leaves. Gain more views of the 1,000-foot-high walls of Deer Creek canyon before descending steeply to the end of the trail (and some campsites) near the creek at 2.3 miles.

If you want to explore farther, continue downstream on the dirt road that begins at the trail's end to Forest Road 27N08, where you go left and drop 0.3 mile to a primitive campground on the north side of Deer Creek by a bridge. Go through the campground and find a trail you can follow across small streams for a mile or so. If you want to arrange a car shuttle, have someone take Forest Road 27N08 from Highway 32 (it's 3.6 miles southwest of the parking area and 36.4 miles north of Highway 99, and is signed for Deer Creek) and drive 6 miles to the bridge.