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| Hiking | 2.95 Miles |
2,230 AEG |
| | Hiking | 2.95 Miles | 2 Hrs 46 Mns | | 1.07 mph |
| 2,230 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Decided to make Reynolds Creek our first family hike in the Sierra Anchas. The drive up went well--we drove straight to the trailhead, saw the sign for trail "150" and took off on the trail/road to the right--BEHIND the sign (which headed in the same direction as the sign pointed and resembled a trail more than anything else in view), instead of where we were supposed to go (i.e., to the left of the sign into an area that just looks like a place where a few more cars can be parked).  Well, the "trail/road" we took is really just a continuation of FR410 (it doesn't really end at the trailhead, per se). Pretty soon the road doubled back on itself and I realized we were headed the wrong direction. However, we did find a cool mine entrance to explore off the side of the road and the kiddos got their first, up-close-and-personal encounter with a bat!
Heading back towards the trailhead, at the point where FR410 doubled-back on itself, there was a faint trail crossing the creek (a tributary to Reynolds Creek, which we mistook for the real Reynolds Creek), so off we went on that trail. It led to a box canyon with a beautiful 75 ft. falls (which we mistook for Reynolds Falls) and another short mine shaft that we all had fun exploring in, BUT the trail dead-ended at the falls and there was no way I could see around it. I knew the trail stayed to the left of Reynolds Creek for quite a ways, so I travelled back and forth down the trail looking for any offshoot to the left that I might have missed. Couldn't see a thing, so I finally decided just to bushwhack up the side of the mountain in hopes of hitting the trail and then following it back down to where my family could come up. After going up and down the hill 2-3 times (and gaining a couple thousand feet in elevation along the way), including a trip out to the top of the box canyon above the falls we had enjoyed, I still could not find any sign of a trail and decided to throw in the towell.
When we headed back to the car, it was then that I finally located the split-log bridge that led to the trail sign for Reynolds Creek, and realized that I had missed the trail right out of the gate--and had spent our whole morning hiking around a side canyon. 
Unfortunately, we were on a timeline and had to be back in the valley by mid-afternoon, so doing the hike as planned was not an option at that point. 
The best we could do was to erect a couple of cairns opposite the sign for trail 150 to help other newbies to the area avoid our same mistake. 
For anyone reading the triplogs in advance of your first hike here: (1) stay to the left at the parking area, and IGNORE the the road/trail that continues on to the right; (2) if you have not crossed the split-log bridge in the first minute or two of your hike, you're on the wrong trail!
Other than a bit of bruised ego, the hike was still fun (and if you have time while you're in the area, the short side trip [less than a mile] to the falls up the side canyon is well worth seeing). See the pics.
I'll be back to experience the real Reynolds Creek Trail again . . . .  |
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