California · Trail 5405

North Fork Salmon

North Fork Salmon Trail is a 13.7-mile trail in Klamath National Forest, California. The Forest Service rates it trail class 3, developed. The forest has not published allowed uses for it. It enters Marble Mountain Wilderness.

Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The Klamath 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 end41.3567° N, 123.0745° W · Directions ↗
Other end41.4123° N, 123.2199° 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

Length13.7 miles
Trail class3, developed
Typeland trail
Surfacenative material
Typical grade12-20 percent
Typical tread width18-24 inches
AccessibilityNot evaluated
Trail numbers5405
ForestKlamath National Forest (unit 0505)
StatesCalifornia
Detail publishedbasic characteristics

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 North Fork Salmon Trail30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 3.48 inches of precipitation, 0.4 inches of snowFebruary: 2.80 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowMarch: 2.38 inches of precipitation, 1.1 inches of snowApril: 1.37 inches of precipitation, 0.3 inches of snowMay: 1.55 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 0.69 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 0.47 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 0.29 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 0.38 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 1.34 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowNovember: 2.27 inches of precipitation, 1.1 inches of snowDecember: 3.75 inches of precipitation, 1.5 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 37.7°F averageFebruary: 41.2°F averageMarch: 45.4°F averageApril: 49.8°F averageMay: 56.6°F averageJune: 63.0°F averageJuly: 70.4°F averageAugust: 69.0°F averageSeptember: 63.0°F averageOctober: 53.0°F averageNovember: 42.7°F averageDecember: 36.8°F average0 in1 in2 in3 in4 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Callahan, 17 miles from the trail midpoint at 3,085 feet, station USC00041316 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 21 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 4 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Wilderness

Inside a designated wilderness, bicycles and motor vehicles are prohibited by law regardless of the trail record, and permits or group limits may apply.

Trailheads

Mule Bridge Trailhead
No season published
Water and garbage service are not provided. Bring enough water for drinking, cooking and washing as well as extra water to drown campfires each day. Please take all trash, garbage, fish guts and dog droppings with you when you leave. Dogs on leash only in parking lot and developed areas. Do not tie horses to trees, living or dead. Do not tie horses to corral rails or posts. Keep horses away from the creek. Avoid damage to creek bank.
under 0.1 mi

Distance is from the point to the nearest part of the trail line. Season text is what the forest wrote and is often a season name rather than a date.

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.

Fire nearby

  • Prescribed
    Srf 2026 Rx Implementation

    24 mi from the trail midpoint · 500 acres

  • Prescribed
    Five-6 Understory Rx

    48 mi from the trail midpoint

  • Prescribed
    Ew 10 Rx

    48 mi from the trail midpoint

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Closure orders are on the forest's official 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 North Fork Salmon Trail?

The Forest Service records 13.7 miles under this name in Klamath National Forest, the sum of 1 segment.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

What is allowed on the North Fork Salmon Trail?

Klamath National Forest has not published allowed uses for this trail. The forest office can say what is open.

Source: Klamath National Forest official page

Where does the North Fork Salmon Trail start?

The line begins at 41.3567° N, 123.0745° W and ends at 41.4123° N, 123.2199° W. The nearest recorded trailhead is Mule Bridge Trailhead, under 0.1 miles from the line. The record does not say which end is the usual start.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Is the North Fork Salmon Trail in a wilderness area?

Yes. It enters Marble Mountain Wilderness. Wilderness rules ban bicycles and motor vehicles and often limit group size.

Source: Marble Mountain Wilderness

Where can I camp near the North Fork Salmon Trail?

Mulebridge Campground (0.1 mi) and Idlewild Campground (1.9 mi) are within five miles of the trail. The camping section lists all 2 with site counts and booking links.

Source: Campsite Atlas

How developed is the North Fork Salmon Trail?

Trail class 3, which the Forest Service describes as 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 North Fork Salmon Trail?

The typical grade is 12-20 percent. The typical tread is 18-24 inches wide.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Who manages the North Fork Salmon Trail?

Klamath National Forest, Forest Service unit 0505. The trail is in California.

Source: Klamath National Forest official page

Is there a fire near the North Fork Salmon Trail?

The interagency feed shows 3 active incidents within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Srf 2026 Rx Implementation at 24 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.

Source: Fire nearby

Source

This page is built from 1 segment named North Fork Salmon in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0505. 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.