Category Archives: Trail Reports

Trail Report- Havasupai Falls, Arizona

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The Quick and Dirty:
Location: Havasupai Falls, Arizona
Distance: 20 miles round trip
Terrain Type: Trail is flat most of the way to Supai Village and the waterfalls
Difficulty:  Moderate when the weather is cool, difficult in the summer heat
Best Time: Early summer, late fall
Special Conditions: Advance permit reservation needed for over night camping and lodging. Water is not available throughout the hike into the campground, drinking water is available inside the Supai village and campground.

Duration: 2 days for us, 3-4 recommended for less experienced hikers looking for a more relaxing trip.

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Havasu Falls

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Trail Report- Momyer Creek Trail

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The Quick and Dirty:
Location: San Bernardino National Forest
Distance: 11 miles round trip
Terrain Type: Steep elevation gain for the first 3 miles, trail not maintained at some parts
Difficulty:  Moderate
Best Time: All year round, water is abundant throughout the trail!
Special Conditions: Permit needed for over night camping. One of the lowest points in San Gorgonio, water is available pretty much all year round.

Duration: 2 days

We headed out to San Bernardino National Forest a couple weekends ago for a quick one night backpacking trip. The weather was gorgeous, perfect for a fall hike near home.

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Trail Report: Sequoia National Park/Mineral King – Timber Gap to Sawtooth Pass

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The Quick and Dirty:
Location: Sequoia National Forest, Mineral King
Distance: 28-29 miles (we looked at 3 maps, all different mileage)
Terrain Type: Rolling, high, and long elevation climbs and descents
Difficulty:  Strenuous
Best Time: Late summer and early fall, the road is closed when there is snow fall   Special Conditions: Permit needed for over night camping. Windy and difficult road to reach the last 20 miles to the trailhead. Aggressive marmots in the spring and early summer.  Bear canisters required.

Duration: 4 days

Every labor day we try to hit the trails.  This labor day, and to celebrate our one year anniversary, we spent it backpacking one of our favorite locations in California.

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Trail Report: Piedra-Blanca Trail

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The Quick and Dirty
Location: Sespe Wilderness located within Los Padres National Forest, just north of Ojai, CA.
Distance: 10 miles out and back from Piedra Blanca trailhead to Pine Mountain Lodge. We stayed overnight at Pine Mountain Lodge campsite before heading back the next day.
Difficulty:  Moderate, the peak is 6,000 feet  with a 3,500 feet elevation gain over 3 miles.
Dogs Allowed? Yes, dogs are allowed on leash within Los Padres National Forest
Good to know: a National Forest Adventure Pass is required for parking at the trailhead. No backcountry permit is needed for overnight camping, however you do need a fire permit if you want a campfire or use your stove for cooking.

Spring is our preferred time to visit Los Padre National Forest because of several reasons:

  • There’s not a lot of reliable water source in the summer! Due to the persistent drought the last several years in Southern California, water generally dries out by summer time. We have heard the water near the campground at Pine Mountain Lodge campground is suppose to be flowing year round, but with the recent years of drought, we did not want take the risk by going there in the summer.
  • There’s not a lot of tree coverage making this area very warm to hike in the summer
  • Limited camping spots in Southern California since there are access to a lot of the high Sierra Nevada trails are limited as roads near the trailhead are closed for the season
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Dakota with her pack and sleeping bag, ready to go.

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Trail Report: The Wave, Arizona

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After spending a day hiking around Zion National Park, we spent another night in Hurricane and left early Sunday morning and headed towards The Wave, in Arizona.The drive from Hurricane to The Wave is about 2 hours. One thing we forgot to take into account was the time difference between Utah and Arizona, since this was before day lights savings time, we actually gained an hour going from Utah to Arizona and made it to the trail head around 7:30 AM. Once you turn off from Hwy 89 onto Red Rock Canyon Road, the road becomes unpaved and this last 10 mile stretch will take about 30 minutes depending on the road condition and weather. Based on our permit, a high clearance, 4WD vehicle came highly recommended but since there was no rain in the recent forecast, we decided to test out the road with our 2WD. The trail was surprisingly well maintained and luckily, we arrived at the trail head with no problems.

My recommendation for anyone who wants to drive a 2WD to The Wave is to check the weather forecast and make sure there is no rain predicted in the forecast. The  soil is fine and clayey on the road, with rain, it would be VERY easy to get stuck.

The Wave

The start of the trail, note the bright pink permit I had to hang off my backpack. Only 20 people are allowed on this trail per day.
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