Klamath National Forest · California

South Russian Creek

5.5 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 5453 · trail class 3 · typical grade 12-20% · tread 18-24 inches wide

Trailhead South Russian Trailhead Drive there

South Russian Trailhead the Forest Service's write-up

This trailhead provides access to the southwestern area of the Russian Wilderness.

To get to the trailhead, take Forest Highway 1C01 from either Etna or Sawyers Bar. Near where both the South and North Russian Creeks meet the North Fork of the Salmon and the Idlewild Campground, take Forest Road 40N54 south and east, then the spur road 40N54A south to the trailhead.

Trail #5453 goes south following South Russian Creek to the Russian Lakes area. Past Siphon Lake, the trail becomes #5519 and meets the Pacific Crest Trail. A shorter out and back trail turns off not far from the trailhead and follows Blakes Fork as Trail #5452.

This trailhead on fs.usda.gov

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About this trail's facts

The lines are the US Forest Service's National Forest System trails layer (public domain), read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end, and the class, surface, grade and tread width are the forest's own entries where it publishes them - a forest that publishes the centreline alone has none. The trailheads and the points along the way are the Service's recreation points, and the write-ups its own recarea text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the forest's own site before you go.