Salmon - Trinity Alps Primitive Area
Map SatelliteA variety of plant communities is found in this area which is characterized by mountain ridges and deep canyons.
In the lower elevations there is some chaparral which gives way, as the altitude increases, to a mixed conifer forest, with ponderosa and sugar pine, Pinus ponderosa and Pinus lambertiana, white fir, Abies concolor. Douglas fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii, and incense cedar, Calocedrus decurrens, the dominants. In the higher elevations this forest grades into a red fir forest with Abies magnifica, Jeffrey and Western white pine, Pinus jeffreyi, and Pinus monticola.
In the subalpine forest, foxtail and whitebark pine, Pinus balfouriana and Pinus albicaulis, and mountain hemlock, Tsuga mertensiana, are the common trees. Brewer spruce, Picea breweriana, occurs in several localities. Above 2,440 meters (8,000 feet) there are scattered alpine fell fields with Primula suffrutescens, Ranunculus eschscholtzii and Saxifraga tolmiei.
A number of rare or uncommon plants are found in the area, including Arnica viscosa, Campanula wilkinsiana, Erigeron lassenianus, Lomatium tracyi, Lupinus tracyi, Pedicularis contorta, Penstemon filiformis, Penstemon tracyi, Raillardella pringlei and Veronica copelandii.
Animal life is abundant and varied. Black bears, Ursus americanus, are not uncommon here. Other mammals of note include mountain lions, Felis concolor, northern flying squirrels, Glaucomys sabrinus, and martens, Martes americana.
Blue grouse, Dandragapus obscurus, are locally abundant. The area is an important spawning ground for silver (coho) salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch, and steel-head, Salmo gairdnerii gairdnerii.
There are small glaciers and permanent snow fields in the area; one on Thompson Peak is approximately 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) wide and 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) long and lies at about 2,700 meters (8,900 feat). Cirques, moraines and other glacial features occur, and a number of lakes and perennial streams are present.
Geologically, the area includes pre-Silurian meta-volcanics and Mesozoic granitics as well as ultra-basic intrusives. There are some Quaternary lake deposits and alluvium.
Integrity: Though portions are grazed, much of the area is virtually undisturbed. The Primitive Area was established in 1932. It has been proposed for Wilderness classification.
Use: Research, educational, observational, present.
Ref: Ferlatte, W. J. 1974. A Flora of the Trinity Alps of Northern California. Univ. of Calif. Press, Berkeley, Los Angeles, 206 pp.
June 1981
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman
