California · Trail 04W30

Gateway

Gateway Trail is a 6.5-mile trail in Shasta-Trinity National Forest, California. The Forest Service rates it trail class 4, highly developed. It is open to hiking, horse and pack stock and mountain biking.

Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The Shasta-Trinity National Forest official page carries current alerts and closure orders.

Map

One end Other endLine simplified to about 100 metres. Basemap from the USGS National Map.

One end41.3343° N, 122.3083° W · Directions ↗
Other end41.3238° N, 122.2839° W · Directions ↗

The ends are the two ends of the longest connected chain of segments. The record does not say which is the usual start.

The trail

Length6.5 miles
Trail class4, highly developed
Typeland trail
Surfacenative material
Typical grade8-10 percent
Typical tread width36-48 inches
Minimum width36 inches
Motor vehiclesClosed to all motorized use year-round
AccessibilityNot evaluated
Trail numbers04W30
ForestShasta-Trinity National Forest (unit 0514)
StatesCalifornia
Detail publishedmanagement level, with uses

Values are the set across all segments. Class 1 is minimally developed and class 5 is fully developed. Grade and width are the forest's typical values, not measured extremes.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Gateway Trail30°40°50°60°70°January: 7.11 inches of precipitation, 18.2 inches of snowFebruary: 7.44 inches of precipitation, 20.3 inches of snowMarch: 6.18 inches of precipitation, 11.0 inches of snowApril: 3.23 inches of precipitation, 5.4 inches of snowMay: 2.23 inches of precipitation, 0.3 inches of snowJune: 1.23 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 0.23 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 0.21 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 0.53 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 2.18 inches of precipitation, 0.2 inches of snowNovember: 4.28 inches of precipitation, 7.8 inches of snowDecember: 7.78 inches of precipitation, 26.1 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 35.8°F averageFebruary: 37.9°F averageMarch: 41.9°F averageApril: 46.5°F averageMay: 54.2°F averageJune: 61.1°F averageJuly: 68.1°F averageAugust: 66.8°F averageSeptember: 61.0°F averageOctober: 50.9°F averageNovember: 40.5°F averageDecember: 34.8°F average0 in10 in20 in30 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Mt Shasta, 2 miles from the trail midpoint at 3,613 feet, station USC00045983 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 43 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 89 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Allowed uses

HikingAllowed year-round
Horse and pack stockAllowed year-round
Mountain bikingAllowed year-round

A use is listed when the Forest Service records it as managed, accepted or discouraged on any segment. Discouraged still means legal. Uses marked restricted are left out. Where the forest publishes a Motor Vehicle Use Map, that map governs motorized use.

Trailheads

The Forest Service recreation layer records no trailhead within a third of a mile of this trail's line. Many trails start from a road pullout or another trail with no trailhead record. The forest's recreation pages list the trailheads it does publish.

Trails nearby

Camping nearby

Campsite Atlas cards carry site counts and booking links from Recreation.gov. Forest Service cards come from the recreation layer and link the agency page.

Explore

Guidebooks for California

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Walkabout Northern California
    Tom Courtney, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Backpacking California
    Wilderness Press, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Coastal trails of Southern California
    Linda B. Mullally, 2018
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking northern California
    Bubba Suess, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail: Southern California
    Shawnte Salabert, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How long is the Gateway Trail?

The Forest Service records 6.5 miles under this name in Shasta-Trinity National Forest, the sum of 1 segment.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

What is allowed on the Gateway Trail?

Hiking, horse and pack stock and mountain biking are allowed. The trail is closed to motor vehicles year-round.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Where does the Gateway Trail start?

The line begins at 41.3343° N, 122.3083° W and ends at 41.3238° N, 122.2839° W. No Forest Service trailhead is recorded within a third of a mile of it. The record does not say which end is the usual start.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Is the Gateway Trail in a wilderness area?

No. The trail line does not cross any polygon in the National Wilderness Preservation System layer.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Where can I camp near the Gateway Trail?

Mcbride Springs Campground (1 mi), Red Fir Flat Group Campground (1.6 mi) and Panther Meadows Campground (4.3 mi) are within five miles of the trail. The camping section lists all 3 with site counts and booking links.

Source: Campsite Atlas

How developed is the Gateway Trail?

Trail class 4, which the Forest Service describes as highly developed. Class 1 is a minimal, unimproved route and class 5 is fully developed, often paved.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

How steep and how wide is the Gateway Trail?

The typical grade is 8-10 percent. The typical tread is 36-48 inches wide.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Who manages the Gateway Trail?

Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Forest Service unit 0514. The trail is in California.

Source: Shasta-Trinity National Forest official page

Source

This page is built from 1 segment named Gateway in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0514. Wilderness overlap is tested against the National Wilderness Preservation System layer from Wilderness Connect. Trailheads and Forest Service campgrounds come from the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer. Data refreshed November 1, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.