Donegan Prairie Trail #1431

Dogs Off-leash

Features Fall Colors · Wildflowers

This trail has eastern and western trailheads connected by a dirt forest road (FR 800). There are no amenities at either trailhead. FR 800 is rough in places and may not be suitable for low-clearance vehicles.

This trail allows you to visit large meadows, a rare dry meadow community, and large stands of 300-400 year-old Shasta firs and mountain hemlock.

It has a 2-star rating at present (Fall 2019) because its southern half suffers from lack of maintenance and damage from a wildfire in 2017. If the trail is maintained and the fire damage repaired, it would easily merit a 3-star rating.

Starting from the eastern trailhead, the first 1.5 miles of trail (which is in good condition and easy to follow) passes through relatively open forest and several large, attractive moist meadows. These are filled with spectacular wildflowers from late June through August. At the western end of the last big meadow, the trail becomes obscured by low-growing bushes. Turn around here if your goal was just to see the meadows and the wildflowers.

Between 1.5 and 2.5 miles from the northern trailhead, the trail passes through a younger forest and a dry meadow community. As of Fall 2019, this section had received no maintenance and was hard to follow due to low-growing bushes and some fallen trees.

At about 2.5 miles, the trail traverses a stand of large incense cedars and Douglas firs that was burned by a spot wildfire in 2017. The trail is very hard to follow through here so contour into the Dead Horse Creek drainage and pick-up the trail again where it crosses the creek.

Once past the creek, the trail becomes easier to follow (except for a few fallen trees) as it climbs to its end at its western trailhead on Forest Road 800. Run back to the northern trailhead from here along FR 800 or, if you have an appropriate vehicle, arrange for a shuttle.

The trail passes through 300-400 year-old stands of Shasta red fir and mountain hemlock, stands of grand fir, and a unique stand of old incense-cedars.