Bizz Johnson Trail @Mason Station Trailhead
Bizz Johnson Trail @Mason Station Trailhead
We walked in the area because, the day before, we had been driving all day from Princeton, OR to Westwood, California. We drove seven miles to the nearest trailhead, The Mason Station Trailhead, where we entered the Bizz Johnson National Recreation Non-Motorized Trail.
This rail-to-trail route is a well-maintained path with a gentle incline. It follows an old Southern Pacific railroad, starting in Susanville, California, and ending in Mason Station for about 25 miles. We only hiked the first 2.5 milesof the trail.
The trail started in the forest with gigantic trees. They made our car even look tinier than it is. The first part of the path was beautifully green. However, we saw many burnt trees! This area was damaged by the Hog Fire, one of several wildfires in California caused by lightning in 2020. Three years after the fire, wildflowers are blooming, and green plants are thriving again between the blackened branches and trunks. Thankfully, nature seems resilient!
