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My family and two others headed up to Monache Meadows this past weekend.
If you go, definitely get gas at the Shell station in Pearsonville. There is no other gas up there, and you will go through nearly half a tank getting up to Kennedy Meadows and onward into Monache. I'd recommend bringing a spare gas can if you have one.
The road up is quite nice, a dramatic shelf road, sparsely traveled, but a fair amount of falling rock was strewn over the road, so go slow around the corners!
Last weekend there was a "controlled burn" very nearby the trail into Monache Meadows. We could see/smell the smoke from the Blackrock Ranger Station, but the lady there was not particularly knowledgeable...about anything. You can get camp fire permits at the Station if you don't have yours yet (and you do need a permit for a camp fire). Photos of the fire:
The trail itself is easy, any SUV can do it. No need to air down unless you want to for smoothness. The trail alternates between sandy and rocky, but always dusty, and I mean really dusty! There is a cow gate at one point, the signage is confusing to some, but it's okay to go through, just close it behind the last driver. Here is a photo of the worst spot on the trail:
There are camp sites all over the place, but none in the actual Monache Meadows. We headed towards the "river campsites" following the signs, and had a minor water crossing, then continued northward until we reached the end of the road, and a fantastic little campsite:
There are plenty of hiking opportunities, there is a pretty little dam a mile or two up river, and of course, lots of rocks to climb around on.
The weather was very nice, mid 60's in the day, clear starry skies at night but pretty cold early in the morning. There were no bugs! It was awesome to not have to smell like DEET all weekend.
On our way home, you can see the Fault Line and Red Cone as you descend back towards the 395. A quick look at the map, and the highway intersection is only about 6 miles from Fossil Falls, which is always worth a visit. The road has been redone, and there are improvements to the parking area, but the trail is the same (thankfully).
There are a few more photos here:
http://nwoods.smugmug.com/gallery/93...24113471_fsZvU
If you go, definitely get gas at the Shell station in Pearsonville. There is no other gas up there, and you will go through nearly half a tank getting up to Kennedy Meadows and onward into Monache. I'd recommend bringing a spare gas can if you have one.
The road up is quite nice, a dramatic shelf road, sparsely traveled, but a fair amount of falling rock was strewn over the road, so go slow around the corners!
Last weekend there was a "controlled burn" very nearby the trail into Monache Meadows. We could see/smell the smoke from the Blackrock Ranger Station, but the lady there was not particularly knowledgeable...about anything. You can get camp fire permits at the Station if you don't have yours yet (and you do need a permit for a camp fire). Photos of the fire:
The trail itself is easy, any SUV can do it. No need to air down unless you want to for smoothness. The trail alternates between sandy and rocky, but always dusty, and I mean really dusty! There is a cow gate at one point, the signage is confusing to some, but it's okay to go through, just close it behind the last driver. Here is a photo of the worst spot on the trail:
There are camp sites all over the place, but none in the actual Monache Meadows. We headed towards the "river campsites" following the signs, and had a minor water crossing, then continued northward until we reached the end of the road, and a fantastic little campsite:
There are plenty of hiking opportunities, there is a pretty little dam a mile or two up river, and of course, lots of rocks to climb around on.
The weather was very nice, mid 60's in the day, clear starry skies at night but pretty cold early in the morning. There were no bugs! It was awesome to not have to smell like DEET all weekend.
On our way home, you can see the Fault Line and Red Cone as you descend back towards the 395. A quick look at the map, and the highway intersection is only about 6 miles from Fossil Falls, which is always worth a visit. The road has been redone, and there are improvements to the parking area, but the trail is the same (thankfully).
There are a few more photos here:
http://nwoods.smugmug.com/gallery/93...24113471_fsZvU