Scott Mountain Summit
It is unfortunate that many PCT hikers have been numbed by the spectacular vistas of the High Sierra if they are NOBO and the North Cascades if they are SOBO . . . as may other places in the Lower 48, the Trinity Alps would elicit a real sense of ooohs and aaawhs. Part of the PCT's westward plunge across I-5 into the Klamath Knot, the section from Scott Mountain Summit (5,554') to Carter Meadows (6,100) is but 20 miles long . . . but it stays high throughout with abundant vistas.
I was with a trail crew working on nearby trails this past week and was reminded, once again. just how beautiful this area is.
Once the domain of the Shasta and the Wintu peoples, white settlers established the route over Scott Mountain Summit as a pack trail in 1851 and as a stage road by 1860. The route, now Hwy 3, was known as the Western California - Oregon Trail. With the completion of the railroad along the Sacramento River, this toll road fell into disuse by 1887.