When I decided to do this hike, I was under the impression that the trail was not a very popular one because of what I read about it online. At first, I didn’t understand why.
At the trailhead, there is a small family owned farm and it smells, but there were some cute baby cows. Once I got past the trek through 3-to-4 inches deep of mud in the first quarter of a mile, the hike was rather pleasant. The trail got wider and I could hear a waterfall off in the distance. I came to a little creek running through the trail and thought it added a lot to the ambiance of this hike.
It was sunny out and a perfect day for hiking. After going up a little farther, I came to a cabin. There was a fire pit just outside of it and it was a cool little pit stop in the hike.
This is where I ran into problems. There were multiple directions that I could have gone and the trails were not very well marked. I hiked up a gravel road a little bit, finally getting to a trail that just looped me back to the gravel road. I hiked back down and noticed there was a trail marked “trail,” which I had not seen before.
I hiked down that trail a ways and there were several forks, so I just chose one off to the right. Supposedly there are gold mines along the trail (or trails, I should say) and I didn’t see any. The trail I chose got very narrow and there were many obstacles along the way, so I ended up turning around.
This hike was not worth the 40-minute drive and maybe would have been if the trails were better marked. This trail could be a lot of fun if you know where you’re going, so if you attempt it, try and find a map online. And don’t forget to wear waterproof shoes. My hiking buddy didn’t wear them and his feet were
soaked in the first 10 minutes. The hike (including the several times I got lost) took almost 3 hours.
