Devils Punchbowl

Devils Punchbowl

Devils Punchbowl

image credit: summitpost.org

Location: Siskiyou Wilderness, Del Norte County, CA
Miles: 12.2 miles
Difficulty: Very difficult
Duration: 1.5 days

Users: Hikers and dogs permitted. No mountain bikes or horses. No wheelchair access.

Features: Backpacking, Devils Punchbowl, granite,

Trail: Take the Doe Flat Trailhead. Take the closed forest service road 0.75 miles. When you come up to the Buck Lake Trail, keep left to stay on the Doe Flat Trail. Pass the Doe Flat Campsite by continuing on the Doe Flat Trail . Continue until you see a sign on your right for Devils Punchbowl. Take this trail all the way to your destination.

Camping: The campsites at Devils Punchbowl are small and flat sleeping places on rock. No firewood available. Please carry out your waste.

The Devil’s Punchbowl hike is a very challenging one, it stretches for about 12.2 miles, and might take more than a day. This trail is located in Siskiyou Wilderness. A lot of the visitors often go camping, which in turn, some of the trailhead gets really crowded, so it’s quite convenient to remember that there are areas such as the island lake, buck lake, trout camp, and wilderness falls that offer campsites too.

The main feature of this trail is the gem of the Siskiyou Wilderness, Devil’s Punchbowl, ranked as the most stunning glacial cirque lake in the Klamath Mountains. There are various activities offered in this trail like learning the native wildlife and park history in Nature Center, you can also traverse a variety of landscapes while observing the wildlife. Furthermore, displays of incredible tilted rock formations created by layers of sedimentary rocks is a sight to see.

You can access the Doe Flat Trailhead by driving through the Ship Mountain since the road at Little Jones Creek has closed due to construction as of August 2020.

Top 3 Adventure Hacks

1) Make sure to have a compass/map

Stay safe and don’t get lost with your compass or a map, or maybe both.

2) Watch out for bears!

You will probably see signs of bears so be sure to keep all food and scented items in bear-proof containers.

3) Bring your own camping stove

This trail has limited access to firewood in the rock basin. Try making soup with a personal cooking system!