Trail camps just the cure for city blues
Instead of “cabin fever” — which afflicts those in the mountains — people in the Bay Area get what I call “city fever.”
Like cabin fever, it strikes when the cold and rain finally have passed, but the mountains are buried in snow and the start of summer vacation of still a month away. Side effects include traffic, stress and an oft-shared notion that everybody is having fun but you.
But fear not, there is a cure and it can be found at one of the region’s trail camps. The curtain rises this week on the camping season, which will be greeted by warm weather: The forecast calls for temperatures to rise into the mid-70s this weekend and likely the high 80s early next week. In the outlook for May, no rain is forecast for the region.
The payoff at camp is that you awaken at the threshold of beautiful areas to hike, explore and whatever sets you free.
Rancho Del Oso/Big Basin Redwoods: The summer bridges over Waddell Creek on the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail will open Saturday, confirmed ranger Jeremy Lin. The access is out of Rancho del Oso (on Highway 1), 30 miles south of Half Moon Bay. With the bridges available, you can ride a mountain bike for 6 miles, lock up at a bike rack and walk a half mile to Berry Creek Falls — and, if so motivated — another mile up the canyon to Silver Falls and the Golden Cascade. In the process, you solve the problem of the closed main trail (which will not open anytime soon) to the falls out of headquarters, and also pass within range of four trail camps.
Dowdy Ranch/Henry W. Coe: The Dowdy Ranch Entrance out of Bell Station on Highway 152 will open Saturday for nearby access to the otherwise remote and often out-of-reach Orestimba Wilderness and Rooster Comb areas of Henry W. Coe State Park. Dowdy Ranch will remain open on weekends through the summer. From the park headquarters or the Hunting Hollow Trailhead, the Orestimba and Rooster Comb are out of range for weekend trips. Marin Headlands: The one trail camp that remains closed for this weekend is Hawkcamp. The access road is too muddy for the service truck to reach the Porta-Potty for pump out, rangers said. Kirby Cove, which opened May 1 a year ago, opened early this year.
The best trail-camp locations include at Point Reyes National Seashore, Marin Headlands, Angel Island, Big Basin Redwoods, walk-in sites at Chabot Regional Park, the Sunol Wilderness, and Henry W. Coe State Park.
There are many other sites, and most people have their favorites. Most provide a chance at perfect quiet in a pristine destination with nearby adventure — but without the long drive, or having to wait until late June in the High Sierra to make a trip.
For most trail-camp destinations, it takes just the right amount of physical effort that makes you feel exhilarated, not exhausted. Others can be easy-to-reach walk-in sites, like at Pantoll and China Camp. A few can be grueling endurance treks, like to Mississippi or Coit Lakes in the wildlands of Henry W. Coe.
The variety in the destinations and landscapes means you can find a match for your level and desire of fitness and scenery.
In some cases, instead of awakening at home and facing a drive to your destination, you can awaken and already be there.
One of the best examples of this is the little-known Slate Creek Trail Camp in Portola Redwoods State Park south of La Honda. This trail camp doubles as a launch point for the “Bay Area’s Lost World” and the most remote sections of adjoining Big Basin Redwoods.
The Lost World is a grove of redwoods nestled in a canyon along Peters Creek in remote Portola Redwoods. Some of the trees are 30 to 35 feet around and many are 200-300 feet tall. With a slow, curvy drive to Portola Redwoods and a 12.5-mile roundtrip hike with two climbs, few can make the trip in one day.
Slate Creek Trail Camp, on the way to Peters Creek Grove, is a solution. From headquarters, it is 2.4 miles to the trail camp. The next morning, it’s another 3-mile hike to the grove, with a 1mile loop through the grove, and 3 miles back.
In addition, another trail from the Slate Creek connects through a corridor into the most remote sections of Big Basin Redwoods.
In one weekend, done right, you could see some of the prettiest landscapes in the Bay Area out of reach of those in cars.
In the process, you can get the best treatment available for “city fever.” Just what the doctor ordered.