Trail Talk – March 2024

SPRING IS IN THE AIR and winter’s wandering thoughts of last year’s memorable hikes will soon to be replaced by the new stories our wandering feet will create along nearby trails. As the wildflowers burst forth to share the stage with the rambunctious chorus of so many spring birdsongs, one would be forgiven the need to simply be “going there, making tracks.” With so many places to choose from in our public lands, maybe it’s time to explore some new locales.

Hiking amid the old-growth manzanita growing along the Prospectors’ Loop Trail near Applegate Lake is certainly worth the climb up from the Dagelma Trailhead. These superb specimens have been growing unperturbed by human intervention since the area was closed to motorized traffic during the construction of Applegate Dam in the 1970s. The ponderosa pine and live oak make for an interesting contrast in this unusual forest. For those looking for a more substantial day of hiking, intersecting trails lead down along the lakeshore to provide for a variety of loops.

Another less trodden trail through some nearby lowland forest is the connector along the Sterling Ditch Trail System that connects Deming Gulch to Grub Gulch. Remnants of mining history in the area are encountered in the open buckbrush and manzanita steppes of the gentle slopes of the Sterling Creek Valley. Here one can find an abundance of wildflowers and birdsong before summer’s blast renders the area inhospitable. Further along, mountain mahogany rules the slopes, and during its bloom (it’s in the rose family) the heady aroma on a warm spring day can be intoxicating.

Closer to home, a hiking-only route has been cleared along some of the abandoned logging and motorcycle tracks in the northern reaches of Forest Park. Originally a flag-line boundary for future fuels reduction work, its purpose morphed into an actual fire line to allow hand crews access to the area in the event of wildfire. The steepness of the terrain and the abundance of decomposed granitic soils produced a winding climb along the park’s north boundary punctuated by some spectacular views down Cantrall Creek Canyon toward the Siskiyou Crest in the far distance.

On that note, fuels reduction work continues in Jacksonville’s woodland areas. The chainsaws will go dormant shortly, but until that time, continue to respect trail closures. Hand piling will continue and more burning will occur this fall after piles have dried to assure complete combustion.

In Forest Park, Knobcone Pine Trail has been re-opened. Substantial re-alignment was necessary due to the removal of the manzanita buffers along the steep sections. A lessened grade and wider switchbacks should help ensure that the trail tread does not increase the potential for hillside erosion. Hikers must take extra care to maintain travel along the new trail sections, abstaining from the desire to cut corners. If you feel that this is too much to ask, then we suggest this is probably not the trail for you to enjoy. However, the removal of that same thick brush does provide for some spectacular views of the park.