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Dick's San Joaquin Gorge Pictures

          

Here are photos from all  parts of the San Joaquin River Gorge Special Recreation Management Area, formerly known as Squaw Leap. This fascinating area, a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) administered property, has campgrounds, trails open to hiking, bikes and horseback riding, and of course, the San Joaquin River down in the bottom of the gorge. Elevation ranges from about 700 feet at the river to 2,300 feet on the table top mountains on the north side of the river.

The second section of this photo album consists of photos of the signs and plants that appear along the Nature Trail. This trail starts at the back of the equestrian camp, and is probably not more than a half mile long. It goes up, across and down a narrow ravine, and is well worth a visit. Note that not all plant photos were taken at the Gorge, since some of them were not "photogenic" when I was there. These photos are indicated by (N) for "Not taken at the Gorge." A few others were taken at the Gorge, but not along the Nature Trail.

    
Nature Trail     Slide Show     Related Links     Other Photo Links
  
New photos here February 21 and here April 15, 2023 (captions in red)
   
Click photo for a larger view (pictures open in a new window)
  
The road into the gorge is visible
in the background of this photo
View of the bridge and river from Kennedy Table Kennedy Table
  

A shady glen in the upper
part of the north side

Burl on blue oak Blue oak on the hillside
 

Grab the knob to move this
boulder out of your way

Sierra snow from San Joaquin Gorge Split rock on the Madera side
  
X marks the spot on this rock near the bridge Kennedy Table, on the north
side of the San Joaquin Gorge
Another view of Kennedy Table
 
The San Joaquin River Trail,
heading southwest from the trailhead
Big Table Mountain seen from San Joaquin Gorge Bull pines (AKA gray or digger pines)
  

San Joaquin Trail, near the trailhead parking lot

San Joaquin River from the road into the gorge

Dick and Janell resting by the Bridge Trail

  
On the bridge, about 1982 Shooting stars Baby blue eyes
 

Lupines Thistles in bloom Goldenstar (AKA Harvest) brodiaea
  
Owl Clover Bush lupine Sunlight through blue oak trees
  

Janell takes a break beside
the San Joaquin River Trail

Big burl on blue oak (But see below) Woodpecker larder tree
  
This oak continues to grow, despite a long-ago break New shoots on buckeye tree
   
A study in shades of green

A collection of oak apples
in the hollow of a blue oak

Remains of a manzanita killed in the 1982 fire

   
Foot bridge across the San Joaquin River Taken while standing on the bridge

The bridge from the trail above on the south side

       
   Dick on top of Kennedy Table in 2000 Squaw Leap Plaque in honor of Ted Anderson, early
promoter of Squaw Leap preservation
        
Bedrock mortars near visitor center A typical scene in the gorge A lone popcorn flower
         
Remnants of an old dam The spillway Squaw leap under cloudy skies
         
Pines and rocks Contemplating a huge burl on a blue oak Monster tree (or just a dead blue oak)
       
Typical foothill game trail Scattered bones of a dead tree Handy sticks used to tighten wire
      
Nature provides some fence posts... ...and pretty much ignores barbed wire The San Joaquin River gorge
   

Panoramic view of the area, taken from the top of Squaw Leap table. Click here for a version with locations identified; click here for a very large version

  
Mustang clover

Bedrock mortars on
the San Joaquin trail

Bug Table, north of the river
     
The Bridge Trail, just past where it starts Common madia Mostly common madia
    
Bridge from the southeast corner

The San Joaquin River, much too low for late spring

A horizontal bull pine
     

It means "place where there are blue oaks"

Recent rains have washed soil
from the trail into the grass
A very small bridge
     

A promising sign - green grass in November 2015

Lichen adds a nice contrasting color amid the green

The greenest green belongs to the moss

     
A close low angle view of Squaw Leap

There's a bumper crop of
pine cones in the fall of 2015

Sun sparkles on the wires
    

Moss and time are reclaiming
this tree branch below the trail

Dried seed pod of wild cucumber

Leftover timbers from trial
maintenance project in 2014

     
Germinating buckeye seed
Germinating buckeye seed The hillside and trail on the north side from the road

Blue oaks, green grass, and mist
against the hills on a rainy day 

   

A tranquil scene along the San Joaquin River Trail

Natural planter box 2016 - the greenest spring in years
   
Two beautiful but unknown flowers seen on a hike in April 2016 Elegant Clarkia
      
Farewell to Spring

Can you see who's hiding in the grass?

Goldfields were seen in a thick
patch, in just one spot
   
These look almost the same as
fringed redmaids, but not quite
This is a white variety of brodiaea Farewell to spring, thick along
the San Joaquin River Trail
      
Three more views of the table top mountain known as Squaw Leap
   
Red-brown seeds of the dock plant 2016 was a good year for acorns

Moms and kids keep a watchful eye on hikers

   
Bright red "oak apples" in a blue oak Succulent in the moss near the bridge Bedrock mortars by Buzzard Road
  
Sculpted decomposing granite
along the San Joaquin River Trail
Dried wild cucumber seed pods

Mountain and clouds to the west
from the San Joaquin River Trail

   
Fog accents the leafless blue
oaks in the upper part of the gorge
This little creek tumbles down
the steep slopes along the road
This creek cascades down
the north side of the river canyon
   
Cattle guard at the approach to the parking lot
Flow of recent runoff is clearly
seen in this grassy drainage
A delightful waterfall near the
bottom of the River Access Trail
Cattle guard at the approach to the parking lot
   
The San Joaquin is a rushing white water river this year
The San Joaquin is a rushing
white water river this year
The Group Camp area The "new" power plant, built around 1980
   
Water tank above the new power house One of many creeks that flowed
in the spring of 2017
Slide along road into area
Magic Sand Box at the Visitor Center Stump jumping near the visitor center
Magic Sand Box at the Visitor Center Frog pond near Equestrian Camp Stump jumping near the visitor center
   
A big run at the Gorge required
overflow parking on the grass
Two creeks come together
near the overflow parking lot
A big pine across the Ridge Trail
had not yet been cleared in March 2017
  
Poppies with Kennedy Table in the background

Redbud across the San Joaquin River canyon

This dead snag should be called "The Sentinel"

     

The biggest little creek along the bridge trail

This spot has a dozen or more bush lupines

The view near the trailhead
       

This natural bouquet includes madia,
mustang clover and harvest brodiaea

Yellow flowers mixed in with mustang clover

The sign where you turn off from
Power House Road to Smalley Road

   
The rare yellow variety of Mariposa lily King of the late season flowers, farewell-to-spring Dry grass gone to seed in May 2017
     
Squaw Leap table top from the
San Joaquin River Trail
The other side of Squaw Leap from Prather

Colton and I discovered another fairly
big burl near the Nature Trail

      
A little boy and a big bridge Nature designed this tree just for us to sit on Massive acorn crop at Group Camp area
     
Young bull pines glisten in the afternoon sun These rocks near the bridge provided
table and chair for a snack break
A low-level view of the bridge from west
of the trail on the Madera County side 
   
Bright green buckeyes and the distant Sierra

The sun trying unsuccessfully to break through the clouds in late February 2018

Buck brush in bloom in late winter 2018 
Above three photos by Wes Thiessen
   
Rock formation above the road Phecelia up close Spring greenery and flowers
   
Redbud near the bridge Bush lupine up close Baby blue eyes and fiddlenecks
  
A typical view along the San Joaquin River Trail Squaw Leap mountain and the River Trail Mariposa Lily (Wes Thiessen)
     
The "back side" of Squaw Leap from Auberry Road

Rare white variation of farewell
to spring, possibly a mutation

Bright green moss along the Bridge Trail
   
Blue oaks in their fall colors, lit by the low winter sun - on the Ridge Trail
      

A newly-discovered burl along
the San Joaquin River Trail

Thin clouds provide a perfect
backdrop for this leafless blue oak
We call this spot Lupine Point; it's
lined with bush lupines on both sides
     
A close up view of a silver (bush) lupine Squaw Leap with late afternoon sun Looking down into the gorge from Smalley Road
   
Rocky canyon wall on the north side of the river Circa 1920s power house near the bridge Full view of the Big Burl Tree (But see below)
   
Jack gives the bridge at the San
Joaquin Gorge the "thumbs up"
"Hiding" in the 5-Trunk Blue Oak This live oak was made to be climbed
      
     Some time between April 2019 and March 2020 the old blue oak with the huge burl along the San Joaquin River Trail met its final fate
(Click here and here for a view of the tree standing
   
A view of Kennedy Table and spring
greenery along the San Joaquin River Trail
Popcorn flowers create a  patch of white
below the ridge south of the trail
Storm clouds and spring flowers on the
slope below Squaw Leap mountain
    
The redbud stands out, but can you spot
the buckeye and bush lupine?
Popcorn flowers and daisies
create a nice spring color spot
Camping at the Gorge in the 1980s
     
This pine fell across the trail and
came to rest in a waiting blue oak
A closer look The trail maintenance crew cut about
six feet off the base to clear the trail
     
Visiting the gorge during a rainstorm, we enjoyed this one-day seasonal falls Chaparral thicket protects new ferns
     
Sun catches the moss on this gnarly blue oak Pine tree on cliff above the trail Mountain and clouds to the
west, from the River Trail
     
Panoramic view of Kennedy Table, on the north side of the San Joaquin River
Panoramic view of Kennedy Table, on the north side of the San Joaquin River
    
Mushrooms on a rotting log Newly "discovered" bedrock mortars near
the start of the San Joaquin River Trail
A different view of the bridge
from the connecting trail
    
Frequent visitor at the entrance We call this area Lupine Point The Equestrian Trail connects the main trail
with the Group and Equestrian Camps
    
2021 was a good year for popcorn flowers We share this country with cattle Yellow brodiaea, April 2021
   
Fog clearing above the San Joaquin River Grape vine in a dead pine A burned-out stump along the River Trail
    
A pair of horses get to enjoy the walk without a load on their backs Clouds over the north side of the
river, seen from the group camp
    Photos from the burned stump to the fiddlenecks by Teri Liddle, Wes Thiessen, Dave Smith, and Sarah
Popcorn flowers are out in good numbers
along this section of the river trail
It's a brilliant green spring at the Gorge in 2022 A fallen pine provides a good resting spot
     
Lots of fiddlenecks in this scene Woodpeckers have used these posts
to store acorns for many years
March 2022 was Popcorn
Flower Month at the Gorge
  
A variety of chaparral This log has been down a while Little waterfall on the biggest creek
that crosses the Bridge Trail
 
Spring at the Gorge - April 2023 Clover close-up Tiny filaree blossoms, up close 
 
On the Nature Trail
Walk this way A unique trail entrance Start of the trail
   
Manzanita My favorite foothill shrub The leaves are bluer than blue oak
  
Poison Oak Shiny young poison oak leaves New spring leaves
   
Live Oak Probably the most common
tree in the Sierra foothills
Live Oak trunks
  
Deer Grass Deer grass with carpenteria in the background A closer look
   
Redbud Redbud in bloom Redbud seed pods
   
Close-up of pods Buck Brush Close up of new leaves
   
Buck brush in bloom Typical buck brush thicket
(we always called it chaparral)
Dead buck brush is also scenic
  
Carpenteria
Carpenteria A rare plant, according to the sign Close-up of leaves
     
Carpenteria seed pods Spectacular Carpenteria blossoms
are about two inches across
Wild Grape
   
The sign says they grow to 30 feet in length, but
I can show you one that's close to 100 feet
A thick grape stem along the trail Grape vine tendril and stems
  
Blue Oak A nicely sculpted blue oak Blue oaks on the Pa'San Ridge trail
    
Five-trunk blue oak on the Ridge Trail Buckeye Buckeye is easily recognized in
the winter by the white trunks
     
Spiky white flowers eventually turn
into these big seeds (N)
Buckeye seeds sprout on the ground New buckeye seedling
      

Buckeye tree with blossoms just getting started

Close-up of buckeye blossoms Buckeye in full bloom
     
A closer look (N) Gray Pine In the foothill area where I grew up, no
one called them anything but bull pines
    
This one really looks gray A very nice close up of the needles (N) Miner's Lettuce
     
White Sage; Wildlife Guzzler
This annual plant puts up a flower stalk
through the middle of its round leaves
Miner's lettuce after seed formation White Sage; Wildlife Guzzler
 
Dried sage stems reach high above new growth Mmmm, spicy! The guzzler still has water, six
weeks or more after the last rain
    
Related Links
A Squaw Leap Legend San Joaquin River Gorge Special
Recreation Management Area
San Joaquin River Trail
San Joaquin Gorge Slide Show More flowers Sierra Foothills - Winter 2013
Sierra Foothills - Spring 2013 Background & History of San Joaquin Gorge Area Backpacking Trips
(Squaw Leap and Elsewhere)
All my reports on hiking and camping at San Joaquin Gorge (Squaw Leap)
    

 

All photos copyright © 2002-2023 by Dick Estel and credited photographers. Permission granted for personal use only; commercial use prohibited.

    

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Updated April 15, 2023