Editing Trinity County, California (section)

==Geography==
According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|3208|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|3179|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|28|sqmi}} (0.9%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref> The county contains a significant portion of [[Shasta-Trinity National Forest]] and the [[Trinity Alps Wilderness]]—the second largest wilderness in California.

Trinity County is made up of five census tracts. Census Tract 1.01 includes the communities of Douglas City, Lewiston, Trinity Center, and part of Coffee Creek and Weaverville. Notable features are Trinity Dam and Lake, Lewiston Dam and Lake, the Trinity River, and the Lewiston Valley. It has a population of 2585 people in 550 square miles, leading to a population density of 4.7 people per square mile.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Census profile: Census Tract 1.01, Trinity, CA|url=http://censusreporter.org/profiles/14000US06105000101-census-tract-101-trinity-ca/|access-date=September 25, 2020|website=Census Reporter|language=en}}</ref> Census Tract 1.02 includes most of Weaverville and Coffee Creek. It is the most populous census tract in the county, with 4558 people. It has 449 square miles, leading to a population density of 10.2 people per square mile. Notable features are the Weaver Basin, the Trinity Alps, Scott Mountains, and the upper Trinity River.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Census Tract, Census Tract 1.02, Trinity County, California|url=http://www.usboundary.com/Areas/Census%20Tract/California/Trinity%20County/Census%20Tract%201.02/439515|access-date=September 25, 2020|website=www.usboundary.com}}</ref> Census Tract 2 includes the Downriver area of Trinity County. This means the communities of Junction City, Big Flat, Big Bar, Burnt Ranch, Hawkins Bar, and Salyer. It includes 2024 people, and notable features are the Trinity River, the Trinity Alps, and the New River.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Trinity County {{!}} Place Rankings {{!}} Data Commons|url=https://datacommons.org/ranking/Count_Person/CensusTract/geoId/06105|access-date=September 25, 2020|website=datacommons.org}}</ref> Census Tract 3 includes the communities of Hayfork, Hyampom, and Wildwood. It has 3105 people in 600 square miles, leading to a population density of 5.2 people per square mile. Notable features are the South Fork of the Trinity River, South Fork Mountain, Hayfork Valley and Hayfork Creek, Hyampom Valley, Chanchellula Peak and Wilderness area, and Hayfork Bally. Census Tract 4 is the largest by area but the least populous census tract in the county with 975 people. It contains 833 square miles, leading to a population density of 1.2 people per square mile. The largest community by far is Mad River, with other smaller ones being Ruth, Kettenpom, and Zenia. Notable features include South Fork Mountain, the Mad River, the Van Duzen River, Ruth Lake, Ruth Valley, Kettenpom Valley, Hoaglin Valley, and Hettenshaw Valley.

The county hosts many visitors, especially during summer months, for camping, backpacking, boating on the lakes, rafting/kayaking on the rivers, hunting, and fishing. The summers tend to be clear, sunny, warm, and very dry, with little rain from June to September except for some mountain thunderstorms in the highest elevations. Summer days in the populated areas of the county range from 85 to 100 degrees, and summer nights range from 45 to 62 Winter days range from 35 to 50, and nights range from 18 to 35. The winters tend to have copious precipitation, increasing with elevation and falling mostly as rain under {{convert|1000|m|ft|abbr=on}} in the valley bottoms, and mostly as snow over {{convert|1000|m|ft|abbr=on}} on the mountainsides. December, January, and February are the wettest. The precipitation ranges from 30 to 35 inches at low elevations isolated from coastal influence, such as Big Bar, Hayfork, and Weaverville, up to 55 or 60 inches at high elevations, on the coastal side of South Fork Mountain, or where gaps in the mountain allow for precipitation to get through. Examples of this last phenomenon include Salyer and Forest Glen. Kalmia Lake, at nearly 7500 feet in the Canyon Creek area of the Trinity Alps, is reputed to be the snowiest place in California, outpacing Lake Helen in Mount Lassen National Park, which receives 600-700 inches of snow each winter. Average snowfall in the populated parts of the county ranges from 0-5 inches in the lower Trinity Valley to at least 100 inches in places above 4000 feet, such as Indian Valley west of Hayfork.

There is an extensive wild river and stream system, and the terrain is quite rugged and forested, with the highest point at [[Mount Eddy]], over {{convert|9000|ft|m|abbr=on}}. The [[Klamath Mountains]] occupy the vast portion of the county.

===Adjacent counties===
* [[Siskiyou County, California|Siskiyou County]] - north
* [[Shasta County, California|Shasta County]] - east
* [[Tehama County, California|Tehama County]] - southeast
* [[Mendocino County, California|Mendocino County]] - south
* [[Humboldt County, California|Humboldt County]] - west

===National protected areas===
* [[Shasta-Trinity National Forest]] (part)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/stnf |title=Shasta-Trinity National Forest - Home |publisher=Fs.usda.gov |date=August 22, 2018 |access-date=August 29, 2018}}</ref>
* [[Six Rivers National Forest]] (part)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/srnf |title=Six Rivers National Forest - Home |publisher=Fs.usda.gov |date=August 24, 2018 |access-date=August 29, 2018}}</ref>
* [[Mendocino National Forest]] (part)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino |title=Mendocino National Forest - Home |publisher=Fs.usda.gov |access-date=August 29, 2018}}</ref>
* [[Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area]] (part)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/stnf/about-forest/?cid=fsm9_008651 |title=Shasta-Trinity National Forest - About the Forest |publisher=Fs.usda.gov |access-date=August 29, 2018}}</ref>
* [[Trinity Alps Wilderness]] (part)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/stnf/recarea/?recid=6521 |title=Shasta-Trinity National Forest - Trinity Alps Wilderness |publisher=Fs.usda.gov |access-date=August 29, 2018}}</ref>
* [[Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness]] (part)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/mendocino/recarea/?recid=25186 |title=Mendocino National Forest - Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness |publisher=Fs.usda.gov |access-date=August 29, 2018}}</ref>
[[Chancelulla Wilderness]]