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Dick's
Adventures of 2016 - Part 1 |
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San Joaquin Gorge
The Dry Creeks of Fresno
Eaton Tail
Sycamore
Creek Fire Road San
Joaquin Gorge Camp |
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San Joaquin Gorge
When I went with the
Ramblers to the San
Joaquin River Gorge in the rain
January 19, I vowed to
return as soon as possible, on a day with no rain, so I could enjoy
the creeks and green hills close
up and on the ground, instead of through the window of
a car.
On January 27
I put my hiking poles, pack and snacks in the car, and got underway just before 9
a.m. Little Dry Creek was still running good beside Auberry Road,
but when I got near the Gorge, the seasonal waterfall we had enjoyed
so much was
gone. I expected this, and took some pictures for a
before/after presentation. A close look proved that there was still
a tiny trickle, but nothing anyone would call a waterfall.
There was one other car
at the parking lot, and its occupant went down the trail a few
minutes before I did, the last I saw of him for the day. He was
obviously a much younger, faster hiker, and I suspect he took one of
the longer routes that are described as "strenuous" on the
sign at the trailhead.
A number of
little run-off
waterways that cross the trail still had a small flow of water, and
there were a number of places where the trail was just a big mud
puddle for a few steps. Best of all, a little more than halfway down, the biggest
little creek on the trail was doing its best babbling brook
presentation, the first I have seen water in it for at least three
years.
From the trail just
before the crossing I could see where it ran down over some rocks in
a tiny waterfall, but I could not get a good photo from there because of
the brush in the way. Just past the creek I saw I could get down
close to it across a path of mossy rocks and grass. Not a real path, but a
"route." I enjoyed the creek at this spot for a few
minutes, then saw a better place to look at the creek downstream. I
had to go back almost to the trail and find a different route, but
this led me to a place where I could cross and get down below the
"waterfall" and get some good
pictures.
I saw
that I could make my way back up to the trail on that side of the
creek, before the crossing. It was steep, but people had walked
there before, creating a vague trail. From here I continued my walk
down toward the bridge, and soon had my first view of the river, running
fuller than it usually has been in recent years.
Hiking
with the Ramblers in the spring
of 2015, we had only gone as far as the
bridge, but I had been wanting to go on past that point, so
after resting and taking pictures at the bridge, I started up the
trail on the Madera County side. A few hundred yards from the bridge, the
trail divides. I've taken many hikes on the left fork, previously
known as the River Trail, and now sporting a Native American name, Wuh-Ki'o
Trail. This trail goes west and eventually divides again, with one
fork going down to the river and the upper end of Millerton Lake.
The other goes north up the ridge and joins with the Pa'san
Ridge Trail, which is the other choice at the bridge junction.
Over thirty years ago I had hiked the Ridge Trail all the way up and
around to where it meets an old road coming in from above and then
goes down to the River Trail. This route is described as
"strenuous," and is also at least four additional miles,
so I probably won't walk the entire route again. However, a short
jaunt along the first part of this trail is delightful, and I had
done that in
2014.
Although
that was in January, there were only a couple of small patches
of green grass, no creeks, and it looked like a dismal year
for wildflowers. On this latest hike there was green
grass everywhere, wet spots on the trail, and water flowing in a
creek that had been flanked by dry grass two years ago.
On my
previous visit, there had been a crew doing trail maintenance and installing
water bars. This section of the trail now looks finished and
well used. I noticed that a couple of the heavy, six foot long, six
by six inch timbers that were not needed had been left beside
the trail. Considering they had to be hauled in by hand a mile
or so up and down steep trail sections, it was understandable that
no one wanted to carry them back out.
I went
about a half mile beyond the bridge, close to the same distance I
walked two years ago. My round trip hike was just under three miles.
In the
past I have hesitated about hiking down to the bridge, because the
hike out always seemed so steep. In 2014, part of this was because I
did some hard hiking before doing the Bridge Trail. Walking up this
time I decided that most of the steepness of the trail is in my
mind. Although I went quite slowly, it was a very comfortable hike.
Along
the way there was a spot where a number of buckeye seeds had fallen,
and had started
to germinate. Lying on the surface, they put out a shoot which
finds its way into the ground and starts the root structure. You can
take one of these germinated seeds home and grow your own buckeye if
you desire, although they seem to survive only about three or four
years in the valley.
While
I was going up the final part of the trail I met one bicycle rider,
and was passed by a younger couple who reached the parking lot and
were driving off by the time I got there.
On my
way back home along Smalley Road, I took a distant
photo of the trail above the bridge, and also got a good shot of
Bug Table,
one of the table mountains across the river. I also stopped and took
pictures at all the branches of Dry Creek, which are wet this year.
More about this below.
When I
got back to Clovis I went to El
Pueblito, one of several excellent Mexican restaurants close to
my house, since a good walk relieves me of the obligation to prepare
my own dinner.
--Dick Estel, January 2016
San Joaquin
Gorge Photos
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The Dry Creeks of Fresno
County
More an essay than a
travel report...
Driving
out of the foothills toward Fresno on California
State Highway 168, there are three
intriguing creek crossings: Dry Creek, Little Dry Creek, and Big Dry
Creek (after this I will sometimes abbreviate Dry Creek of any size
to DC).
For
several years I've
been walking on the Dry Creek Trail in Clovis and on the banks of
Dry Creek, often called the Dry Creek Canal, so I was curious about
the origin and location of this waterway. In November of 2015 I was
driving up Highway 168 and noticed the bridge crossings for Big DC
and Little
DC, so I stopped and took photos. Both creeks were indeed
dry, and had been for several years. On the return trip I also
noticed plain DC, but did not stop.
In
mid-January of 2016 I rode up 168 with the
Ramblers. We stopped
several places to take
pictures, but it was raining, so I was in and
out quickly and didn't get the best views. I had a better chance
when I drove up eight days later, and stopped at all three creeks
for extensive photography. Results are below.
Now,
the question that has been in my mind for months: Where do these
creeks come from, and where do they go? It's hard to track them on
the map, and sometimes hard to even find them, but it seems clear
that they all run out of the hills east of the highway, none of them
originating at very high elevations.
I
could not find Dry Creek on any of the maps I looked at, but it has
a bridge, a sign and water, so it definitely exists. From its
location about a mile and a half north of Little DC, logic indicates
it flows into the latter stream.
Little
Dry Creek is easier to track. It crosses the highway just north of
the junction with Millerton Road. We drove this road on our trip in
the rain, and crossed Little DC twice, stopping once for photos.
The road goes up over a ridge and joins Auberry Road. Where this
route comes down to the lowest elevations, Little DC comes in from
the southeast, then crosses and parallels the road for two or three miles. The
road climbs southwest up out of the creek valley to the level plain of the
main San Joaquin Valley, and the creek flows mainly north a short
distance, crosses Friant Road, and runs into the San Joaquin River
several miles below Friant Dam. Where it crosses Friant Road it has
a wide, flat
channel, indicating that a great deal of water was
carried through this drainage in years past.
At the
Highway 168 crossings on January 27, Dry Creek had noticeably more
water than Little Dry Creek, but along Auberry Road, Little DC was
flowing fairly strong, further evidence that it had collected the
water of plain old DC.
Appropriate
to its name, Big Dry Creek had the most water on January 27. From
the area of Little DC, the road goes up and over a ridge, dropping
down to Big DC where it runs through a rather narrow, steep canyon.
At this point, Tollhouse Road, the original route of the highway,
forks off to the east. Three miles from Little DC the valley opens
up where the creek crosses the
highway. The best part of my stop at Big Dry Creek was hearing,
although not seeing, frogs and a hawk.
There
are some nice hills on the upstream side, but below that the creek
essentially runs into the gently rolling "toehills" that
lead into the Big Valley. Its path beyond this area is a little
hard to find on maps, but it runs into a small
reservoir, built for
flood control purposes in the 1940s and later enlarged. In the
Fresno-Clovis metropolitan area, Big Dry Creek basically becomes a
canal. I think it probably closely follows its natural course, but
it has been dug out to improve the flow and reduce the possibility
of flooding. In this area it seems always to be called just plain
Dry Creek, although it is almost certainly not the plain Dry Creek
that crosses Highway 168.
From
the edge of the city to the John Wright Rest Station (a major access
point for the Clovis trail system), the creek still looks somewhat
natural, with sycamore and cottonwood trees, lots of
plants, and
dirt banks most of the way. After this it has been lined with
concrete in many places and fitted with water
gates, and no one
would logically think of it as a natural waterway.
Whether
enjoyed as a creek in the foothills, or as a pathway for walking in
the city, Dry Creek in its various incarnations is an important and
valuable resource to the area.
--Dick Estel, February 2016
Dry
Creek Photos |
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Lewis
Eaton Trail
For my
third visit to this area on February 7, 2016, I was delighted to be accompanied by my
daughter Teri. She has recently been hiking from Woodward Park on what I
think is the beginning of this trail. About 15 years ago we
walked out from Woodward a number of times, turning back at about
the spot where we started this time, where the western end of Old Friant Road
joins Friant Road. She had never been on this section of the trail.
The trail is part of a planned San
Joaquin River Parkway. The
section that I walked
on in November of 2015 and again in December with fellow Rambler
Carolyn Amicone runs along the San Joaquin River, east or upstream from the road junction. It starts on
top of the river bluff, level with Friant Road, but soon winds down
through a natural drainage to just above river level. Here it
crosses Old Friant and enters the Hallowell
Center for River Studies.
At this point you can
continue on the paved trail to the visitor center, or take a path
that goes close to the nice pond that lies between the trail and the
center. We chose the path, and were rewarded with the sight of a
turtle sitting on a partially submerged log.
Teri greatly enjoyed her
first time in the area, with the river scenes,
wildlife, and the visitor center. There are a number of buildings
there, but the most dramatic is an old
farmhouse, which had been
closed on my previous visits. This time it was open, and a friendly
docent gave us a tour and some of the history of the building.
It was built around 1890,
and is believed to have been a Sears-Roebuck kit
home. While in use,
it was always a farm house, with the various occupants raising fruit
trees, dairy cattle, and other products. On the back part of the
property is an old
dairy barn, which is beyond restoration, and will eventually need to
be torn down for safety reasons. A replica barn sits behind the
house and is
used for various activities. There is also a gift shop and
restrooms, as well as picnic tables. One room of the house, with a
huge conference table, can be rented for meetings and other
activities.
(Researching "kit
homes," I noticed that the dates they were first produced do
not match up with the 1890 date, a subject for discussion at future
visits to the center.)
Once we had enjoyed this
area for a while, we returned to the path and continued on around
the pond back to the main trail. We saw three additional turtles at
the western edge of the pond. During our outing we also saw many
ducks and other water birds, a hawk, a rabbit, and squirrels.
It was a warm, sunny day,
and when we got back to the car we had added nearly two and a half
miles to our walking totals, and I came to the realization that
winter is over and it is time to break out the short sleeve t-shirts
for walking.
--Dick
Estel, February 2016
Eaton
Trail Photos |
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Sycamore
Creek Fire Road
You won't find Sycamore
Fire Road
on the map, and it's really a stretch to call it a road. However, it
is an interesting place to hike during cool weather. I had first
gone there in April
of 2014, and went again about
a year ago with fellow Rambler
Carolyn Amicone. On February 9, 2016, I
returned once more for a solo hike. To
reach the area you go east on Belmont Avenue, which turns into
Trimmer Springs Road, the road that follows the north side of Pine
Flat Lake. As soon as you get on Trimmer you are close to the
Kings River, although the river is not visible at first. Where the
valley starts to give way to the first foothills, there is a large
ranch on both sides, with white
board fencing, and horses in one area. Below the dam, where the road
rises into the foothills,
there were some nice patches of California poppies,
and where you first see the lake, there was a big splash of orange
on a hillside nearby.
When I got to where the
road goes up the canyon of Sycamore Creek, I was happy to see that
the water was a bit higher than last year. When full, the lake goes
all the way to the bridge, about a mile up from the main river, but
so far it was just a few hundred yards up the creek valley. The
fire road is very rough, not maintained in any way, and could have been
used by early day ranchers or miners. I call it a "fire
road" because I think it was used about 25 years ago to get
equipment in closer to a brush fire in the area. That was when I
first walked on this road, but I only went up a short distance to
cut firewood, and had never walked to the end until 2014. (2020
Update: "The end" is a fairly vague concept. In later
hikes I went across the field where I had previously stopped, and
discovered that the road continued past that point for an unknown
distance. There may be even more old roadway past what has now
become my new regular stopping place.) There
are trees down across the road in several places, but there have
been enough people walking in there to create detours around the
blocked spots. Four-wheel drive vehicles have also made their own
bypass routes. This time there were at least two new trees down, but
there had already been enough foot traffic to create a visible path
around them. It did not look as though anyone had been there recently
in wheeled vehicles, and perhaps the road is becoming so difficult
that drivers have given up on it. However, there were boot prints
that had been made since the last rains in January. The
road starts out with a very steep stretch of about 50 yards, but
after that there is nothing particularly difficult except for
getting around the obstacles nature has provided. At the top of that
first hill I went off the road to the south, where you can look down
on Trimmer Springs Road below and the valley of Sycamore Creek between
the road and the lake. I
saw that I could go down the hill toward the trail below where I had
left it, and as I did so, I noticed that the way was blocked with a
newly fallen tree, so I was on the new bypass without realizing it. Along
the road I counted nine species of wildflowers,* but there
were not
many of each. We've had a lot of rain this year, and it's just
warmed up, so the flowers should increase in number very soon. I
also noticed a lot of trees, especially pines, that are badly
stressed from years of drought, and some that are dead. Hopefully
this El Nino year will allow those that have not died to recover. I
walked to what I consider the end of the road, although it's
possible that it once went farther. The tracks seem to fade out
where the road goes up a grassy slope with a lot of blue
oaks. In
the past I had stopped before going up the slope, but this time I
went to the top of a ridge. On top I discovered an overgrown,
man-made hole, which could indicate mining activity. I
also spotted the best resting rock ever, flat on top, the right
height for comfortable sitting, and with a thick moss padding. After
sitting there for a while, I made the return trip back to the main
road. Since this was a fairly short hike, I did what I have done in
the past, drove up the road a short distance to where there are two
campgrounds and a picnic area that have been closed for decades. The
roads are still in decent condition, good for walking, so I chose
the picnic area, and walked to the end.
I had camped here in the
past, and where the road loops around to go back out, there was a
path through the grass that goes out a few hundred yards to a knoll
with a good view of the lake on both sides. The land drops off
steeply here, so this was my stopping point, but it offered the
opportunity for the obligatory "Dick on the rock" photo,
as well as a resting place.
When I got back to my
car, I set up my lawn chair and had a snack and read for a short
while, then made the 45 mile drive back home.
*Flower species, for the
record, were fiddleneck, popcorn flowers, manzanita, filaree,
shooting stars, chaparral, miner's lettuce, and two that I could not
identify, one light cream in color and one a deep magenta. (2017
update: I have now identified this flower as fringed
redmaid.)
--Dick
Estel, February 2016
Sycamore
Creek Fire Road Photos |
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San
Joaquin Gorge Camp
Although
I had hiked and backpacked at the San Joaquin River Gorge Recreation Area
many times, it was not until January,
2014 that I first camped there with my motor home, and I enjoyed
it so much I went again
in March. Last year I did a lot of hiking there, but no camping,
so I was ready to return for a longer stay. The area is not
really designed for RV camping, but I have used the group camping
area, first calling to make sure it is not reserved.
This
time I was with my daughter Teri, her son Mikie, and his girlfriend
Lizzie. Teri had just acquired a used motor home and this was its
first field test.
I
like to do my camping on weekdays, but Teri works and the kids are
in school, so we went on President's Day weekend. Teri
arrived at my house a little before 9 a.m. on February 13; we loaded
my stuff and were on the way by 9:10. We enjoyed our drive through
the foothills, which are brilliant green after the above normal rain
we've had, and are being decorated with more and more wildflowers.
At
one point we saw a flock of wild turkeys crossing the road. They
have a tendency to walk like teenagers, stepping into the road and
assuming you will stop. About half had made it across, but when the
others saw the motor home coming from one direction, and a bike from
the other, they wisely waited their turn.
We
had been advised that although the area we wanted was available,
there would probably be a lot of activity around the area. When we
arrived about 10:30, the main parking lot was full, and the nearby
equestrian camp was occupied by a dozen or so horse trailers. A
large group of riders was just setting out on the trail. None of
this interfered with our activities, and most of them left at the
end of the day, with a small group spending the night in their area.
The
paved lot where we park the RV is not as level as I'd like, but I had
brought along the leveling blocks I keep in my motor home, and with
me guiding and Teri driving, we got her vehicle set up as level as
possible. Meanwhile, Mikie and Lizzie set up a tent on a flat spot
above the parking lot, in the middle of green grass and flowers,
with a nice view across the area.
Our
plan was to do as much hiking as possible, so we soon set out on our
first walk, heading to the short guided nature trail that begins
back of the equestrian camp. Plaques have been set up here
explaining the various types of vegetation, and there are photos of
all of them on my San Joaquin Gorge photo
page. The trail is
essentially two loops, one within the other, with a lot of up and
down walking. At one place a wooden foot bridge crosses a tiny
stream. It had been dry on my previous visits, but this time it not
only had water, but also a salamander which Mikie caught for brief
examination, then released.
When
we finished the nature trail, we returned to the road and walked
down to the visitor center. The Bureau of Land Management has
created an excellent facility here. There are two highlights: First
is a huge photo mural taken from the top of Squaw Leap mountain,
showing the area up, down and across the river. It fills a wall at
least ten feet by six. The other is an interactive topographical
map, connected to a computer. Pointing at various designated spots
on the map brings up an animated, panoramic photo of that area,
giving visitors a look a places they might not get to otherwise.
Back
from our walk, we had lunch and rested. Mikie had worked and stayed
up late the night before, so he and Lizzie fell asleep in the tent.
They were still sleeping when Teri and I were ready for another
hike, so we went down the San Joaquin River Trail for a round-trip
trek of two and a half miles. Along the way we met a couple who had
hiked the entire 14-mile trail from Finegold Picnic Area by Sky
Harbor. They had a car at each end, and were very much ready to
reach the end of their long trip.
On
our return walk, as it was getting fairly late, we heard a frog
croak somewhere near the trail. This reminded us of the pond we had
noticed below the equestrian camp. Mikie had already decided it
contained frogs and planned to walk down there when they started
croaking.
This
happened soon after we got back, so while Teri started dinner, the
kids and I went down to the pond, with the sound getting louder and
louder as we approached. We wondered if they would stop when we got
close, but we had to walk up to the pond and along the edge for a
while before they stopped croaking. They soon decided that we were not any
danger, and started up again. Mikie got his feet wet trying to see
frogs, with little success.
However,
after supper, with complete darkness, we all went to the pond again.
Walking along with our flashlights, we spotted a millipede in the
road. A few steps farther there was another. Then another, and
another, and then three and then four. Thus began the Night of a Thousand
Millipedes. We saw them every few steps, and had to take care not to
squash them. We speculated that they might crawl on to the pavement
due to the warmth, but when we turned off on the dirt road to the
equestrian camp, we still saw them. They were also on the path to
the pond, and in the grass.
We
realized that if we saw that many in the narrow strip that we
traversed, there must be thousands of them in the surrounding
countryside, doing whatever it is that millipedes do at night.
At
the pond, Mikie and Lizzie caught and released a couple of frogs,
and we observed quite a few more.
As
we walked back to the motor home, Mikie counted just the millipedes
that were on the main paved road. The final number was in the 70s,
and walking near the side of the road, I saw some that I know he
missed. We also saw them around the parking lot both nights. I had
my iPad and did some research, learning that the creatures eat
rotting vegetation, something that is certainly plentiful in the
foothills.
The
next night Mikie and Lizzie saw them apparently munching on algae at
the edge of the pond, and I counted 15 in the road just in the
section in front of our parking area.
In
addition to our nightly frog serenade, we heard coyotes both
evenings.
Sunday
was our full day at camp, so we had our big hike planned for that
day. Many years ago Tim (Teri's husband; Mikie's dad) and a friend
had camped on the Madera side of the area for a week (this adventure
is recounted in my backpacking
report). I wanted to hike down the Bridge Trail to the river,
then up the Wuh-Ki'o Trail (formerly the River Trail) to the camp
site of what had become known as the L/S Expedition (for Liddle and
Scott).
After
a good breakfast of bacon, eggs, toast and fruit, we set off down
the trail a little before 11:30. It was a delightful day, and there
were quite a few more flowers than I had seen on my walk down to the
river on January 27. Several small
creeks that cross the trail were running for the first time in
years, and the river was bigger than I've seen it for some time.
Everyone
had been down this trail at least as far as the trail junction above
the bridge, but it had been many years ago for Teri, and it was ten
years earlier for Mikie, when he was eight. Lizzie had backpacked in
the area more recently, and of course I was there less than a month
earlier.
Beyond
the bridge the trail goes east a short distance, paralleling the
river. Then there is a trail
junction, where you can take the long
and sometimes strenuous Ridge Trail, or turn west as we did. The
first section of this trail makes a fairly steep climb up to a
ridge, then drops down and crosses two small creeks. Between the
creeks we went north off the trail, and I was happy to find that the
faint path to the camp site was still visible in places. I had been
concerned we might have to scramble through brush, but it was fairly
easy going.
At
the top of the knoll, the only remnants of our camp are two sections
of fence post, which we had found a half mile or so up the hill, and
hauled to camp to construct a rough
bench. The bench was
rendered useless by a fire in 1982. Over the years the remaining
scrap wood has rotted or disappeared, except for the post sections.
Mikie posed for a
photo here, no doubt glad that he was not expected to follow in
Dad's footsteps and spend a week there.
After
we had enjoyed our visit to this historic
site, and walked around
through the grass and flowers, we went down across the creek to the
west, reversing the route that Tim, Scott and I had followed when we
found the site 34 years ago. Past the creek, it's a short walk down
to the trail, and we were soon heading back to camp.
The
rest of the day was spent resting, reading, wandering around the
camp area, and eating. In the evening the kids went to the pond,
caught more frogs and got a couple of good
photos. We had a
campfire, and did some stargazing.
Throughout
the weekend the weather was very pleasant, with some overcast. Each
night it became fairly cloudy in the early evening, then cleared
during the night, providing a spectacular star display. It was quite
windy and cool at night, getting down to 41 Monday morning, but we
were inside most of the time, and it didn't seem to bother the
millipedes.
On
our final day of the three day weekend, Teri and I again walked the
San Joaquin River Trail. To my surprise, instead of feeling worn
down after three hikes in two days, I was able to set a new record
for the longest walk I've ever done on that trail. This was
definitely a good thing, since I had another hike scheduled with the
Ramblers the next day.
On
our Monday hike, we left the trail briefly to explore an area where
a log had fallen on a fence. Back on the trail, we kept going even where
it went down rather steeply, knowing we would have an equivalent up
hill walk on our return. We wanted to make this a full three mile
hike, so we continued till my walking app showed 1.5 miles. However,
exploring off the trail and some pre-hike walking in the camp made
our outward route longer than the return,
and we had to be satisfied with "only" 2.83 miles. Since
the previous day's hike had been 3.32, and we did two hikes the
first day, I was perfectly happy with our overall total of just over
10.5 miles.
Along
the trail and around our camp we saw quite a few wildflowers,
although none were very thick yet except fiddlenecks. There were a
few poppies near the bridge, shooting stars here and there, two baby
blue eyes on the Bridge Trail, popcorn flowers in small patches
everywhere, lots of filaree, and many tiny flowers whose names I
don't know. Chaparral was in
bloom, and the bush lupines were budded out but not blossoming;
however we saw one in full flower along the road below Prather on our way
home.
Teri's
motor home performed well on its first test. It is slightly smaller
than mine, but better designed in most aspects. The exception is the
bathroom, which is very small. There are only two sleeping areas
instead of the three that I have, but if it had three, it would be
longer, something Teri did not want. My bed was the fold-out couch,
which was a bit short, but very comfortable once I figured out the
correct angle to lie on it.
This
was the first time any of the others had camped overnight at the
Gorge, and everyone agreed it was a great outing.
I'm
going to briefly document the trails in this area, since it took me
a while to get the names straight, after they were changed from what
I was previously familiar with.
The
San Joaquin River Trail starts across from the main parking lot, on
the south side of the road. It goes about 14 miles to the Finegold
Picnic Area, at the end of Sky Harbor Road by Lake Millerton. It
generally parallels the river, sometimes high up on the side of the
canyon, and sometimes close to the river. I've hiked short distances
on both ends of the trail, but there is no likelihood I will ever
hike the entire distance.
At
the north edge of the parking lot is the trail that goes down to the
river and across the
bridge. There is no name shown for this trail
at the parking lot, but beyond the bridge is a sign designating it
the Bridge Trail. I've been down this trail probably 30 times or
more.
A
short distance above the bridge on the north (Madera County) side,
there is a trail junction. To the right is the Pa'san
Ridge Trail, which goes roughly east then winds around and up a high
ridge to connect with the Wuh-Ki'o
Trail. This trail is the other
choice at the junction near the bridge, going more or less west for
some distance. It winds up over a ridge, across some creeks, and up
toward the ridge trail.
Along
the way, there is another trial junction, where you can go west down
to the river and Lake Millerton. I have not been at this location
for many years, but in the past, this trail was designated the River
Trail. It probably has a new name now. I've never gone down this
trail.
There
is also a short trail that starts at the end of the paved road near
the new power house, and goes steeply down to the river. I've never
walked it, and don't know
if it has a name, or whether if continues down the river or just
ends there. (I finally hiked down this trail in March 2016. It ends
at the river, and is called the River Access Trail.)
There's
not much danger of getting lost on these trails, but you can
certainly get confused.
--Dick
Estel, February 2016
San
Joaquin Gorge Campout Photos
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Photos
(Click to enlarge; pictures open in new window) |
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San Joaquin
Gorge Dry
Creek Photos
Eaton Trail Sycamore
Creek Fire Road San
Joaquin Gorge Campout |
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San Joaquin Gorge |
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Sign
at the corner of Power
House and Smalley Roads
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There
was a
waterfall
here eight days earlier
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Miner's Lettuce and
other
plants promise spring flowers |
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Moss
and time are reclaiming
this tree branch below the trail
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A
rainy year has brought
this little creek back to life |
Cascade below the
trail |
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White water in the
river where
there was barely a trickle last year |
The river below the
bridge |
Dried seed pod of
wild cucumber |
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The
trail fork near the bridge offers several choices |
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Power house and road
from the Madera side |
Two years ago -
brown grass |
The
Year of El Niño makes a big difference |
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Five-trunk blue oak |
X
marks the spot where I turned back |
Leftover timbers
from trial maintenance project in 2014 |
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Jagged leaves of
spring growth |
Germinating buckeye
seed |
The hillside and
trail on the
north side from the road |
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Bug
Table |
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Dry
Creek, Little Dry Creek, Big Dry Creek |
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Dry
Creek crossing on
California Highway 168 |
Creek
with farm buildings in the distance |
A closer
look |
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Water
under the bridge |
Little
Dry Creek crossing
on Highway 168 |
Looking
upstream |
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Little
Dry Creek, really dry
on November 1, 2015 |
At
the same spot, January 27, 2016 |
Google
Earth view of Little
Dry Creek at Highway168 |
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Little
Dry Creek at Millerton Road
between
Auberry Road and Highway 168
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Millerton
Road crossing from above |
Google
Earth view where Little
Dry Creek crosses Auberry Road |
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Big Dry
Creek crossing on Highway 168 |
Looking
downstream |
Google
Earth view, Big Dry
Creek at Highway 168 |
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Big
Dry Creek on November 1, 2015 |
At
the same spot, January 27, 2016 |
Looking
under the bridge |
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There's
a cow and farm
buildings, barely visible |
Drainage
in the hills
just north of the creek |
Dry
Creek canal at Villa Avenue in Clovis |
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Water gate on Dry Creek
Canal |
Cattails by Dry Creek
on the Old Town Trail
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Dry Creek canal south
of Barstow
Avenue in Clovis |
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Where
Little Dry Creek crosses Friant Road,
just before joining the San
Joaquin River |
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Eaton Trail |
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The old house; the water
tower was
not part of the original construction |
The old dairy barn |
Turtle on a log |
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The pond from the dirt path |
More turtles |
Another pond, away from the
visitor center |
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Teri enjoying her first
hike on the Eaton Trail |
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Dick on the trail |
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Sycamore Fire
Road & Picnic Area |
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Ranch on Trimmer Springs
Road |
Horses through the fence |
Green hills make a perfect
foreground for Sierra snow |
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Poppies near Winton Park |
The Kings River at Winton
Park |
Poppy-covered hill near the
lake |
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Piedra Road
bridge over the Kings River |
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Blue oaks on the
hill at the end of Sycamore Fire Road |
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Pine Flat lake sparkles in
the spring sunshine |
Water goes farther up
Sycamore
Creek this year due to lots of rain |
The start of the
"trail" |
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Valley of Sycamore
Creek from the old road |
Fiddlenecks and popcorn
flowers |
Here the road looks
like a normal trail |
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Tiny blossoms dot the
greenery |
Trimmer Springs Road bridge
over Sycamore Creek |
A nice orange mushroom |
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I had to duck going
under this branch |
Cushioned resting rock |
Dick on the Rock near
the picnic area |
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Knoll at the end of the
ridge at the picnic area |
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Ant hill with landscaping |
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San Joaquin
Gorge Camp |
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A tent with a view |
Teri relaxes in camp |
Mikie, Lizzie and Teri on
the
bridge on the Nature Trail |
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Natural planter box |
West? Wes? Wait? |
Green, green, green |
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Teri's second hike on
the
San Joaquin River Trail |
A drainage just up from the
trail |
Chaparral blossoms |
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Rugged remnant |
This time it's a cow
posing by the big burl |
Sun going down into the fog |
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One of at least two hundred
millipedes we saw |
Mikie, Lizzie, Teri and
Dick,
ready for our big Sunday hike |
Rest stop |
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Mikie at the L/S Camp, where
his dad spent a week decades ago |
Just up the slope from
the camp site |
Miner's lettuce |
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A creature tree |
Teri tries a new pose by the
burl |
Posts reinforce the
fence at a
corner, and hold up a fallen pine |
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These
bright magenta fringed redmaids
were
all over the areas we hiked |
Frog, surprised to be held
aloft |
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Related Links |
San
Joaquin River Gorge Special
Recreation Management Area |
San
Joaquin Gorge Photo Album |
Background
& History of
San Joaquin Gorge Area |
Four
San Joaquin Gorge Hikes |
El
Pueblito |
Fresno
Irrigation District |
Metro
Flood Control District |
Highway
168 |
Big
Dry Creek Reservoir |
Canal
Bank Walks |
San
Joaquin River Parkway |
Center
for River Studies |
Kit
Homes |
Pine
Flat Lake |
San
Joaquin Gorge Slide Show |
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