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Hhmmm... Let's see... I just finished helping to open Dishpan Springs (3N34) with a hoard of other folks, the day was beautiful, it was still only a little after 3pm, and I still needed to drop by a friends house in Blue Jay (just West of Lake Arrowhead) before heading home, so what should I do? Should I take the paved roads around Lake Arrowhead, or take the rest of 3N34 to the base of Pinnacles Mtn and the road to Blue Jay?
It was a tough decision that I ALMOST thought about before making the hairpin turn to stay on 3N34 to Pinnacles!
I was tempted to take the Black Diamond trails of 2N27Y, 2N28Y, and 2N29Y over to the Blue Square trail of 3N34X to the paved road, but I have driven those trails several times. I struck out to find paths that were new to me.
I took the easy Willow Creek Trail up to Bacon Flats. Along the way, I found some interesting things. A stark landscape made more interesting by snow and clouds (imagine this with NO noise, really...none, except a light breeze):
But yet, there was Life! in the streams and pools that flowed across the trail (this is some sort of flat worm or larva):
And a far more developed fauna as well:
Willow Creek trail was a muddy mess! Not complaining, I like the mud. I'm just saying that this hill would have NOT been a 2WD run if I was going uphill instead:
At Bacon Flats I turned Right onto the one way track to Devil's Hole. It is rated as Moderate but I was disappointed to find a road that was easier than Willow Creek. Even so, the views were made special by the fading light and the snow:
Near the end of the trail, the moderate rating kicks in. The trail drops down a considerable grade to get to Deep Creek:
The end of the trail is at a very unique spot in the SB Mtns. Deep Creek is wide and deep and fed by a cascade of water over rocks. I saw a mallard duck mated pair swimming in the pool before I took these shots:
Just like Greenland, I am confident that Devil's Hole is a misnomer. There is no way that the Devil had anything to do with creating something as beautiful as this!
After climbing back up to the Willow Creek trail, I headed over to the Squint's Ranch loop (3N38). Apparently, the western entrance has a 'Private Property' sign, but the eastern entrance has a USFS sign:
The trail is marked on my map as an Improved Dirt Road, but it has been a very long time since this trail saw any improvements. This was what I encountered around the first corner:
The rest of the trail to Squint's Ranch was not much different. After my experience in AZ, I can guarantee that a stock 4x4 Trailblazer can NOT make it through this trail!
Once you make it to the Ranch the trail becomes quite easy. The trail leads back to the Willow Creek trail. The intersection is at a shallow spot in 3N34 that was flowing quite nicely from the snow melt:
After some time, I finally reached the Willow Creek crossing. The water was especially, and surprisingly deep:
Instead of taking the Willow Creek Jeep Trail (3N34X), I took the easier 3N34 trail up to the paved road and I am really glad that I did. The views along this trail were extra special due to the snow:
Soon after, I hit the pavement of Grass Valley Road. After stopping by my friends' house, I headed back down the hill to Rancho Cucamonga. Along the way, I caught an excellent sunset over the moutain that is directly North of my house (Cucamonga Peak):
If you look closely (and have a fair amount of imagination), the tiny little lump at the base of the slope is downtown LA. It was much easier to see with the naked eye.
It was a great day even if I was still sore from moving trees on Dishpan Springs on the next day!
Even though the trail was rated as Easy, I think that my Jeep was just as muddy as it was after climbing Cleghorn in the rain!
All of my pics for this solo run can be found here:
http://s139.photobucket.com/albums/q...eek%203-16-08/
It was a tough decision that I ALMOST thought about before making the hairpin turn to stay on 3N34 to Pinnacles!
I was tempted to take the Black Diamond trails of 2N27Y, 2N28Y, and 2N29Y over to the Blue Square trail of 3N34X to the paved road, but I have driven those trails several times. I struck out to find paths that were new to me.
I took the easy Willow Creek Trail up to Bacon Flats. Along the way, I found some interesting things. A stark landscape made more interesting by snow and clouds (imagine this with NO noise, really...none, except a light breeze):
But yet, there was Life! in the streams and pools that flowed across the trail (this is some sort of flat worm or larva):
And a far more developed fauna as well:
Willow Creek trail was a muddy mess! Not complaining, I like the mud. I'm just saying that this hill would have NOT been a 2WD run if I was going uphill instead:
At Bacon Flats I turned Right onto the one way track to Devil's Hole. It is rated as Moderate but I was disappointed to find a road that was easier than Willow Creek. Even so, the views were made special by the fading light and the snow:
Near the end of the trail, the moderate rating kicks in. The trail drops down a considerable grade to get to Deep Creek:
The end of the trail is at a very unique spot in the SB Mtns. Deep Creek is wide and deep and fed by a cascade of water over rocks. I saw a mallard duck mated pair swimming in the pool before I took these shots:
Just like Greenland, I am confident that Devil's Hole is a misnomer. There is no way that the Devil had anything to do with creating something as beautiful as this!
After climbing back up to the Willow Creek trail, I headed over to the Squint's Ranch loop (3N38). Apparently, the western entrance has a 'Private Property' sign, but the eastern entrance has a USFS sign:
The trail is marked on my map as an Improved Dirt Road, but it has been a very long time since this trail saw any improvements. This was what I encountered around the first corner:
The rest of the trail to Squint's Ranch was not much different. After my experience in AZ, I can guarantee that a stock 4x4 Trailblazer can NOT make it through this trail!
Once you make it to the Ranch the trail becomes quite easy. The trail leads back to the Willow Creek trail. The intersection is at a shallow spot in 3N34 that was flowing quite nicely from the snow melt:
After some time, I finally reached the Willow Creek crossing. The water was especially, and surprisingly deep:
Instead of taking the Willow Creek Jeep Trail (3N34X), I took the easier 3N34 trail up to the paved road and I am really glad that I did. The views along this trail were extra special due to the snow:
Soon after, I hit the pavement of Grass Valley Road. After stopping by my friends' house, I headed back down the hill to Rancho Cucamonga. Along the way, I caught an excellent sunset over the moutain that is directly North of my house (Cucamonga Peak):
If you look closely (and have a fair amount of imagination), the tiny little lump at the base of the slope is downtown LA. It was much easier to see with the naked eye.
It was a great day even if I was still sore from moving trees on Dishpan Springs on the next day!
Even though the trail was rated as Easy, I think that my Jeep was just as muddy as it was after climbing Cleghorn in the rain!
All of my pics for this solo run can be found here:
http://s139.photobucket.com/albums/q...eek%203-16-08/
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