Trail Report: Mountain Springs Stagecoach Trail

[Borregowrangler]

It turned out to be a beautiful day and the weather was cool. After hitting the dirt and turning under the freeway towards Table Mountain, I made a few wrong turns until we figured out were we wanted to go. The trail heading down the grade turned out to be a bit rockier than I hand anticipated but wasn't anything we couldn't handle. After descending the loose, off-camber trail, we found a spring that I'm sure was used as the local watering hole. It was full as crawfish as well! Then just before we began to start up the grade, we spotted a large bighorn sheep walking down the trail toward us! Looks like he was heading to the spring. After taking a few pics we were on our way. We also ran into a few Jeeps making their way down. Soon we were back at the trailhead airing up. It was a great way to spend the morning. There are a number of other trails in the area that I'll have to check out.

[Britain]

Thats a historical trail. The pen area was for sheep. Those sheep actually wiped out the big horn population from diseases. The big horn were repopulated at a later date. The California historical marker for that trail is at mountain springs but its on private property.

Heres a pic from mountain springs lookin back long ago



There was a photographer from around 1910 Ralph Stineman. His photgraphs are prob the only one avail to track that trail.

Heres some old picture matchups when the trail leaves mountain springs and goes into the desert.

http://www.jeepbbs.net/forums/showthread.php?t=12349

[Borregowrangler]

Dude, that is so figgin' cool! I love that stuff. Too bad Devil's canyon is closed. (I believe so, is that right?)

[Britain]

Good catch on the sheep. BLM says theres not a lot but the CHP tells me there running all over the place and in heards. Only two critters out there that cant been seen well Big horn and mountain lion.

u can get right up on them without seeing them until they spring.

Heres a pix of that trail going down. I mentioned about the other one at the bottom. I believe it comes up and is the trail on top of the one u went down.



DC is closed but it really takes a a good piece of junk to get thru its not an easy trail.

Theres a lot of unknown stuff in this area. Indian camp grounds / old ruins / caves with cool dwgs but u cant get to them all wheeling.

[nwoods]

Great info, I love seeing the history of these places.