This route makes a loop through a lot of wide open ranch land in North Eastern Stanislaus County and takes you along the Stanislaus River between  the town of Knights Ferry, and Kerr Park.

Start at Junction of Milton and Sonora Roads

Parking on Sonora Rd

While we could start this loop from anywhere along its course, and one could make a good argument for starting and ending in the community of Knights Ferry, we’re going to start at the junction of Milton Rd and Sonora Road (‘A’ on the map).  We get there by turning South off of Highway four onto Milton Road and driving about three and a half miles.  There’s a wide gravel shoulder on Sonora Road at the junction big enough for a few cars to park.

We’re going to do the loop clockwise for no particular reason.  I’ve seen people do it counterclockwise also.  So, we are going to head straight down Sonora Road.  This first leg is the easiest to follow as we’re going to just stay on Sonora Road for almost the next 12 miles until we go through the town of Knights Ferry to the Stanislaus Recreation Area / Picnic area just outside of town.

Cattle Country On Sonora Road

Most of Sonora Road goes through cattle country with wide expansive views, and in the spring time lush green low rolling hills for as far as you can see.  You won’t have to look hard for the cattle, they’re everywhere along this stretch of road.  If you keep your eyes open though you might catch a family or two of groundhogs along the way.  In the first 8 miles, we climb about 140 feet to just under 300 feet in elevation.  We then drop down by about 60 feet in the next third of a mile and bounce back up 123 feet in less than three quarters of a mile.  Now into the course a little over 9 miles, we are at the highest point we’ll see today at about 358 feet in elevation.  After reaching this peak (loosely defined), we descend about 120 feet in a little over a mile.  Now, just under ten and a third miles into the course, we reach the junction of Sonora Road and Orange Blossom Road.  If you wanted to shorten the loop by a few miles you could turn right on Orange Blossom Road, but then you would also miss out on seeing the quaint community of Knghts Ferry which we’ll be coming to shortly

Welcome To Knights Ferry

At the junction with Orange Blossom, we turned left at the stop sign to stay on Sonora Road and regain about 60 feet over the next two thirds of a mile.  At just under 11 miles into the the course, we begin our descent into the Stanislaus river basin and the community of Knights Ferry.  This descent is only about 128 feet over a half mile.

If you don’t care to stop or slow down on your ride, you could just turn right at Cemetery Street (‘C’ on the map), just before you come into “down town” Knights Ferry (also loosely defined).  However, it’s worth taking the short ride through town and maybe taking a short break at the Knights Ferry Stanislaus River Recreation Area just on the other side of town (‘B’ on the map).   There are porta-potties, and a picnic area at the recreation area and according to a sign we saw there, they apparently also have drinking water though I did not take the time to scout it out.

We’ve come just under twelve miles when we reach the Recreation Area just outside Knights Ferry.  By turning around and heading back the way we came, we could cut the total distance down by about 14 miles, to about 24 miles.  However, we’re going to continue on the loop.

Steep but Short

From the recreation area, we retrace our route back about a half mile, through town, to Cemetery Road (‘C’ on the map) and turn left up the short steep hill.  On Cemetery, we gain about 140 feet in under a third of a mile.  We’re going to turn at the first left onto Frymire Road (‘D’ on the map).  However, you might want to take a short detour continuing on the now flat Cemetery road keeping your eyes open to the left.  You just might spot the Camel or Zeedonk (Zeebra + Donkey = odd) or some other exotic creature that call this ranch home.  This also gives you a little break before we climb a little more on Frymire.

If you wanted, you could just continue a bit more on Cemetery road and then turn left on Morrision.  We’re going to turn from Cemetary onto Frymier though and after a short assent and a gradual decent, we’ll catch up with Morrison after about 1.7 miles.

At the junction of Frymire and Morrison (‘E’ on the map), we’ve now come about 14.4 miles from the start.  We’re going to go left on Morrison, heading due West for a while before it turns North just before the intersection with Orange Blossom Road.  We’re only on Morrison on a shallow descent for just over eight tenths of a mile.  Since getting on Frymire, we’ve been following the course of the Stanislaus River pretty closely and will continue to do so for several miles to come.  There are several river access recreation areas along the way similar to the one outside Knights Ferry.

At the junction of Frymire and Orange Blossom Road (‘F’ on the map) we turn left and continue to follow the course of the Stanislaus river for about nine tenths of a mile before turning right, up Horseshoe Road (‘G’ on the map).  We could skip this little detour and continue on Orange Blossom, but the extra couple miles helps get us a bit closer to 4o miles total (actually 38.2).  So, we take the easy 2.4 mile “horseshoe” and find ourselves back to Orange Blossom road (‘H’ on the map) where we’ll turn right and continue once more to follow the course of the Stanislaus River.  At this junction, we’ve come just over 18.5 miles from the beginning.

Orange Blossom Recreation Area

Back on Orange Blossom now, we continue 2.5 miles until we come to Rodden Road.  We continue to follow the Stanislaus by turning Right on Rodden Road (‘I’ on the map).  Just off to our left we’ll see the rather large and inviting “Orange Blossom Recreation Area”, yet another river access park.

We continue on Rodden Road, staying along the northern bank of the Stanislaus River for a little over 2.9 miles.  At this point, almost 24 miles into our journey, Rodden takes an uphill turn toward the North, and away from the river bed.  After another half mile, Rodden Road turns back generally Westward.  We continue on Rodden Road for about 1.4 miles where it ends at a T-junction with Twenty Eight Mile Road (‘J’ on the map).  We’re now about 28.8 miles from the beginning.

We’re going to turn right on Twenty Eight Mile Road which starts out heading us due North.  A little over 2.8 miles on Twenty Eight Mile Road, we come to the cross street, Dorsey Road, and the beginning of the Woodward Reservoir Stanislaus County Park which will be on our left as we cross over Dorsey.  We continue on Twenty Eight Mile Road which soon begins to take turns to the East, North East, North, West, etc, as it skirts the boundary of the Reservoir.

About three miles from crossing over Dorsey, we come to a junction with Eastman Road (‘K’ on the map).  From here, Twenty Eight Mile Road continues on straight, to the North, and would get us back to the beginning more quickly, but it also turns into a dirt road here.  So we’re going to take Easman Road West, to the left.

Eastman Road, like Twenty Eight Mile Road, skirts the reservoir park boundary, but on the Northern edge.  We follow Eastman generally Westward for about 2.2 miles where it ends at a T-junction with Twenty Six Mile Road (‘L’ on the map).  We’ve now come a little over thirty three and a third miles from the start.  We take Twenty Six Mile Road, right, to the North.  About 2 miles after we join Twenty Six Mile Road, the road name changes (though there is no sign that I saw) to East Sonora Road (‘M’ on the map).  From here, the road turns toward the East and in another 1.9 miles, takes us back to the junction of Sonora Road and Milton Road where we started (‘A’ on the map).

I have yet to personally ride this route on my bicycle, but other than the short steep climb up Cemetery road, the climbs seemed relatively gentle.  The traffic was light to non-existent for most of the route with the exception of “down town” Knights Ferry and the stretch of Twenty Six Mile Road and East Sonora Road, but even those  did not seem too dicey.

If you’ve ridden the route, or if you catch any mistakes I’ve made in this description, please feel free to leave your comments!

joe

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On a whim, we drove over to 395 and discovered an interesting abandoned Gold mine in the Eastern Sierras just a bit south of the junction of US 395 and Highway 89 near Coleville.

Golden Gate Mill

I had been looking over some maps, looking for possible access points to the Eastern Sierras when I noticed one that looked promising.

Just a couple miles south of Coleville, there’s a dirt road that takes off in a Westerly direction from US 395.  The road is called Mill Canyon Road.  It, as well as the rest of the roadways I describe in this article, were well graded dirt roads with only a couple sections of washboard and a couple places where shallow water was washing over the roadway.  I can’t guarantee what it will be like when you visit, but I would have been comfortable taking a normal 2 wheel drive vehicle everywhere we went.

Junction with Golden Gate Road

From the junction with 395, we take Mill Canyon Road about a third of a mile east to a well signed junction with Golden Gate Road.  Here, we are going to the right on Golden Gate Road and leave Mill Canyon Road for another day of exploration.

After another 2.7 miles, we were surprised to find the old abandoned stamp mill for the Golden Gate mine.  Until we reached it, there had been no indication that we were on our way to this historically significant location.

Golden Gate Mine Historical Marker

According to the historical marker located across the road from the stamp mill, the Golden Gate Mine was opened in 1903 and operated until 1939.

There is a short trail up to the stamp mill where you can get a close look.  There is also a display next to the mill showing what it looked like when it was new.  It also explains how the mill, and several nearby buildings have been damaged or destroyed by periodic avalanches.  The mill is located near the canyon floor at nearly 6500 feet so it’s easy to understand how avalanches could be a problem.

Golden Gate Mine Mill

The mill was run by water though it is difficult now to see the source.  I did not see evidence of a water wheel but suspect that it was one of the many features destroyed by the elements and time,  To the left of the mill there did appear to be what perhaps was once a ditch that may have been part of a flume and ditch system used to bring water from further up the canyon to run the mill.  The stamp mill consisted of ten steel stamps, running off a cam system, each about six to eight inches in diameter.  These stamps would have been lifted up and then let fall on the ore below to crush it into fine powder.  This had to make a horrible racket when it was running!

Bunk House (maybe)

A little before we reached the mill we passed a couple of buildings, one completely destroyed and one barely standing.  These were apparently the bunk house and chow hall for the worker at the mine,  According to the information at the mill, these buildings have been severely damaged by avalanches as mentioned earlier.

I believe the one standing may have been the bunk house but I don’t know for sure.

Golden Gate Mine

About 4o feet further up the road, you can see the old mine itself up the hill to the left (South).  According to topo maps there is a trail that can take you there but we didn’t go looking for it as thunder storms were on their way.

While it is likely that the mine workers took horses, wagons, and perhaps even trucks up to the mine, the ore itself was carried down to the mill via a tram system.  Nearby the mill there appears to be what perhaps once was one end of this tram system.  Also, further up the road I noticed fencing that appeared to be using old steel cable rather than barbed wire.  I suspect that this cable may have been scavenged from the mine after it was abandoned but I don’t have proof of this.

View Down To Little Antelope Valley

Once we pass the mine Golden Gate Road turns North East and for a while we travel along, but not too near, a steep slope which yields spectacular views across Little Antelope Valley about 2000 feet below.  On the day we were out here, there were thunder storms blowing through which made the scene all the more dramatic.

After a while, Golden Gate Road swings to the left as we pass a couple dirt tracks off to the right that look interesting (for another day).

Rodriguez Flat

About 2.8 miles from the stamp mill, or 6.2 miles from 395, we come to Rodriguez Flat.  Here we have to choose whether to go left to the Corral Valley Trail Head or right to the Snodgrass Trailhead and the Pack Station.  This time, our choice was to go right.

Several trails that take off from the Corral Valley trailhead are described in the latest edition of the book Sierra North: Backcountry Trips in Californias Sierra Nevada (which you can purchase here!).  Take a look at page 256.

Since we decided to go right at the Rodriguez Flat junction we’re headed for the Snodgrass Creek trailhead and the Pack Station.  In about a third of a mile, 6.6 miles from 395, we reach the trailhead.  There are wilderness permits at an information kiosk there.  The trail follows Snodgrass Creek into the Carson Iceberg Wilderness Area and then intersets the Silver Creek trail that goes up and down stream along Silver King Creek.

Little Antelope Pack Station

After visiting the Snodgrass Creek trailhead, we get back on Golden Gate Road and head South to where the road ends a few hundred feet further on at the Little Antelope Pack Station.  This was the second surprise of the day!

The pack station apparently provides all kinds of pack and guide services like hunting trips, fishing trips, backpacking supply dropoff or backpacker dropoff and pickup, etc.  Pretty cool!  You can learn more about them on their website.

That was it for our little road trip.  Just after we turned around at the pack station, the thunderstorm hit and we started getting intermittent bursts of hail and buckets of rain.  The road stayed good all the way out which we were glad for.

You could take this road on a mountain bike if you don’t mind the elevation gain.  However, I wouldn’t recommend it.  While the road is well graded, it can be very dusty and it seems to be fairly well used.  So, on a mountain bike you may find yourself dodging vehicles and eating more than your share of dust.

This was a fun drive with good road conditions, beautiful views, some history, and some interesting possibilities for future hikes, backpacks and fishing trips.   I hope you get the chance to experience it for yourself!

joe

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This is an introduction to the road leading to the South Grove trail and Beaver Creek access in Calaveras Big Trees State Park.

The road starts just inside the park entrance where, if you look straight ahead you’ll see the sign…

The road is well paved and wide enough for two cars to pass comfortably up until you get to the river where it narrows a bit.  Even after that it’s still wide enough as long as you take is slow, keep on your side of the road, and watch out for bicycles.

A little less than two miles up the road, on the left, you’ll see a gated dirt road, and if you’re going slow enough, you’ll also see a small sign indicating that the area outside the gate is for e (environmental) camp parking only.  If you happen to be visiting in the area you might want to know that the fire road behind the gate leads you to the Big Trees Village neighborhood.

A little further up the road, a little over two miles in, you’ll see a sign on the right for  a scenic overlook.

I would highly recommend that you take a few moments and check out the view from this overlook.  It is really pretty spectacular.

The Oak Hollow camp ground is about four miles in from the start of the road.  This is a nice campground far enough from the highway to reduce truck and motorcycle noise.  It is also closer to fishing spots than the campground up near the park entrance.

As you go down the road into the campground, just to the left of the road you’ll see an open area and if you look closely you’ll see a small interpretive kiosk that will tell you a bit about the history of the area when it was occupied by Native Americans.

Shortly after you pass the campground, on the South Grove road, you’ll come across an unexpected sight… A pedestrian crossing sign and cross walk.  There is a hiking trail that goes from the visitors center all the way down to the Stanislaus River.  This is the first of two places where that trail crosses the South Grove Road.

At about the five mile mark, you’ll come to a sign on the right for Lava Bluffs.  This is a relatively short interesting trail.  I’ve not taken it yet, but I hear tell that there may be poison oak along some parts at some times of the year.

About a half mile after the Lava Bluffs trail head, you’ll come across the second River Trail pedestrian crossing that I mentioned earlier.

At a little under six miles, you’ll come to a sign for the River Picnic Area.  This is a very nice picnic area and also provides easy river Access.  The River Trail, that started near the Visitors Center, ends here.  The trail from the last picnic area parking lots is well graded and if I am not mistaken it is wheel chair accessible.  This river access trail is less than a quarter mile long but includes several benches along the way if you want to sit, rest, or just enjoy the sounds of the river and the forest.

Just past the River Picnic Area, at about six miles in, you’ll come to the river crossing.  There are parking area on both sides of the river here.  There is also river access though I do not believe it is as easy here as it is in the picnic area.

Once you cross the river, the road narrows a bit.

At a little under eight and a half miles in, if you keep your eyes open for it, you’ll see a small sign on the right indicating the Skull Creek Fire Station.  There’s a fire road behind a locked gate that leads to the station.  You would never know it looking around, but not too far down this road it turns to follow Beaver Creek.  It’s a bit of a walk but very pretty.  There is also some great mountain biking back o n thees fire roads.

About 100 yards further down the South Grove Road, you come to the main attraction… The South Grove  trail head.  The South Grove trail is quite a bit longer than the North Grove Trail (near the Visitors Center), but it has the largest trees in the park.  In case you didn’t know, the redwoods in Calaveras Big Trees State Park are Sequoiadendron giganteum (giant Sequoia).  They were once thought to be of the same genus as the coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), but that is no longer the case.  The giant sequoia don’t get as high as the coast redwood, but their girth is astounding.

At about nine miles in, you’ll come to the Beaver Creek Picnic area.  The last time I was down there, there was a lot of construction and renovation going on.  It is a great picnic area and I’m sure that once they get done it will be awesome.  Evan as it is, it provides great access to Beaver Creek.

Finally, at just over nine and a quarter miles, you come to the end of the road.  There’s parking, a vault toilet, and an easy loop to turn around to get back out.  At the end of the road there’s a locked gate across a fire road.  The fire road leads down to a bridge crossing Beaver Creek as well as a number of great hiking  and mountain bike trails.  This area is one of my favorites in the park!

Remember… some simple rules in the park:

1. Mountain bikes on fire roads only!  No off trail and no single track other than on foot.
2. Dogs on leashes at all times.
3. Dogs on paved or dirt roads only, not on the foot trails.
4. Don’t take anything from the park, including pine cones, dogwood blossoms, rocks, etc.
5. Enjoy yourself!

joe

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