VENTANA WILDERNESS ALLIANCE
On-Line Trail Conditions Report

TONY TRAIL (Hot Springs Trail)

• USFS Trail #
• Parking: See junctions below
• Watershed: Willow Creek, Tassajara Creek
• Junctions: Marble Peak Trail, Tassajara Road end
• Connects: Marble Peak Trail with Zen Mountain Center
• Camps: None

Conditions reported by: Joe Rad
Survey date: 25-NOVEMBER-2007
General: CLEAR
Specific:

Lots of water in the Tassajara Creek, the first time we didn't need to wade across but could boulder hop. On the south end of the trail the west branch of Willow Creek is running strong. The trail is clear and in good condition. Conditions reported by: Zensen Steve Kent
Survey date: 12-SEPTEMBER-2007
General: PASSABLE
Specific:

Section: Marble Peak Trail to Ridgetop - PASSABLE

The trail is very steep. Some trail washouts ascending the south side where the trail has slid down the hillside. Very loose, be careful.

Section: Ridgetop to Tassajara - Clear

The north side of the trail is very easy to follow, with no obstacles. There is a painted sign at the top of the trail pointing the way to Tassajara. The residents of Tassajara have just started practice period, so, the monastery is closed to the public until April, 2008. You may hike through during this time but you should try not to disturb the monks at all. Days ending in a 4 or 9 are off days for the monks and are probably the best days to walk through. Tassajara creek is not running. Conditions reported by: Lisel
Survey date: 28-APRIL-2007
General: PASSABLE
Specific:

We hiked this one from the Marble Peak trail north over to Tassajara Hot Springs. There is a worn wooden sign just past the campsite on the Marble Peak Trail (deep in the wooded drainage) that marks the junction. At that point, the trail is overgrown with poison oak, etc, for a few yards and crosses the stream going north. It was a little hard just across the stream to find the tread--we expected it to continue up the drainage, but instead, it veers west along the side of the hill for quite a ways. Once you find that, it is clear and easy to follow because the south side of the slope is so steep and brushy, there is really nowhere else to go. The trail is narrow and just clinging to the hillside in many places with sloughing and slumping and some little "rabbit-hole" slides where it looks like a fall would shoot you through the bushes and a long way down! However, in general, pretty passable though steep.

The north side down into the Tassajara area was good and clear and scenic. It was a little confusing at the end figuring out how to get over to the Zen Center--the signs are funny and really, you want to go left or west when you get to the grassy area by the Tassajara creek (not right or east) and follow the trail past the swingset and over the little foot bridge, and then veer left (east) down the road to the Center. Only a few ticks and little poison oak on this trail. We saw a beautiful 4' long kingsnake. Conditions reported by: Ken Swegles
Survey date: 4-JUNE-2006
General: CLEAR
Specific:

Very hot this time of year, so do it very early or very late or even at night would be surely great. No water for three miles, but all that is forgotten when you reach Tassajara Hot Springs, and a breath taking 60 foot water fall. It is really steep up both sides but it is probably a breeze in the morning with no pack. Conditions reported by: Greg Minter
Survey date: 29-MAY-2006
General: CLEAR
Specific:

The Tony Trail is in pretty good shape, despite being listed as abandoned by the USFS. Very steep, but tread mostly evident, with many brushy spots. Keep a close eye on the tread climbing out of Willow Creek Canyon, or you might miss a switchback. The north slope heading to the monastery is in very good condition, with several areas of trail repaired over the last several months, including the rather large slip. Thank you, Ventana Wilderness Alliance, for your continued hard work on these trails! Tassajara Creek was flowing strong about knee-high, but was easily crossed. The flies were very bad on this trip. Lots of bites and swats. Only saw a couple of ticks, though. Conditions reported by: Jon Benner
Survey date: 25-MARCH-2006
General: PASSABLE
Specific:

The beginning of the Tony Trail at its junction with the Marble Peak Trail is somewhat obscure right now, but the tread picks up about 20 yards up the slope after crossing Willow Creek. From there up to the top of the ridge, the trail is easily followed and not too brushy. The main issue is that the footbed is eroding away - there are a few places where you have to watch your footing on the steep slope, and the switchbacks are quite steep. Some brush encroaches as you nearly crest the ridge, and there are a some blowdowns on the descent down towards Tassajara Creek. There is one sizeable slide about a half mile before Tassajara, but you can pick your way across and it seems fairly stable. Conditions reported by: Neil
Survey date: 5-SEPTEMBER-2005
General: DIFFICULT
Specific:

Section: Tassajara to Ridge

The lower half of the trail to the top of the ridge has been brushed out in the past couple of years. The main problem on the Tassajara side of the ridge is tread that has been obliterated. There are sections of the trail that require a 5 foot scramble across an eroded gully, with a 100 foot drop off on the right.

Section: Ridge to Will Springs Camp

The trail from the top of the ridge down to Willow Springs is overgrown and suffers from dangerously eroded tread in some places.

Ventana hands know the drill for this kind of trail, wear long pants and long sleeved shirts, you'll be scratched and bleeding at the end of this trail, but less so than if you were wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Conditions reported by: Ery Arias-Castro
Survey date: 1-MAY-2005
General: DIFFICULT
Specific:

Section: Tassajara to the saddle: Clear

Section: from the saddle to the Marble Peak Trail: Difficult

The trail is very eroded (and overgrown), to such an extreme that I believe that portion should be closed. Conditions reported by: Lindsay Jeffers - Stevenson Wilderness Expedition
Survey date: 04-MAR-2004
General: PASSABLE
Specific:

Section: Tony's entire trail: Tassajara ZMC to Marble Peak Trail jct.

The trail is in good shape to the top of the ridge above Willow Creek, although it is steep. Coming down, there are some spots where the tread is faint or tricky, but the route is generally clear. We had several groups take this trail, since they could not use the South Fork-Big Sur Trails, and they enjoyed this route between the Pine Ridge Trail and Strawberry Camp. Conditions reported by: Rich Popchak
Survey date: 16-FEB-2004
General: CLEAR
Specific:

Section: Marble Peak Tr. junction to Tassajara ZMC

The Tony Trail is in pretty darn good shape. A large deadfall is a foreboding obstacle immediately after you cross Willow Creek ... but from there on ... the main challenge is enduring the steep grade up the ridge and down to Tassajara. The fragrant chaparral and the pleasing views of wind-driven sheets of rain whipping down the river canyon below calmed my soul as I rested at switchbacks. The chamise and oak along the trail has been dutifully clipped back ... making the Tony trail a useful route to complete a loop from China Camp to Pine Ridge to Strawberry to Tassajara. The lone soul out and about at the zen center looked at us quizzically as we trudged back to our vehicle ... sodden and drained ... but still enamored with the wildness and beauty of the area.

Tassajara Road was quite muddy and it required the 4-wheelin' expertise of my compadre to climb up to Chew's Ridge and down to Jamesburg. Conditions reported by: Steve Wilson
Survey date: 1-APRIL-2002
General: BARELY PASSABLE, but exciting
Specific:

The intersection with the Willow Creek Trail was clearly signed with an ancient USFS sign. The first section after the interesting Willow Creek crossing is crumbling but negotiable. Generally you are in contact with chamise and other denizens of the chaparral on the never ending climb up to the saddle, but an oaken canopy provides welcome shade in sections on the upper part of the trail. Contour east from the sign at the saddle. The vegetation is much less pervasive on the Tassajara Creek side of the divide. Generally the tread is crumbling and slipping in numerous spots, the Willow Creek side more so than the Tassajara side, while the grade of the Tassajara side appears steeper. As the Tassajara Creek had a healthy flow, we just waded across, and respectfully negotiated the road directly out to the gate of the monastery. Folks we encountered on the Zen Center's grounds responded to this respect with pleasant greetings and allowed us on our way with understanding and no hassle. This trail is definitely not for the acrophobic or shorts wearing tourist, but is definitely for the experienced adventurer and Ventanaphile. Conditions reported by: I. Turan
Survey date: 10-MARCH-2002
General: DIFFICULT
Specific:

Tony's Trail is in okay shape from Tassajara (the monastery is in silent retreat from May to Sept.) south to the summit/ridge, though there are wash-outs and the slope of the trail throughout is nearly parallel to the hillside itself. But on the other side towards Willow Creek, it¹s overgrown and decaying (filled in tread) to a potentially dangerous point in some areas. Its quite steep both ways, with no water for the length of it (3+ miles) - be sure to pack plenty along. Not for the weak kneed. Conditions reported by: Stevenson School Wilderness Expedition
Survey date: FEB-2002
General: PASSABLE w/ DIFFICULT TREAD SECTIONS
Specific:

Willow Creek to Tassajara Road: The trail is not excessively overgrown, but it is narrow on the way up to the top of the ridge. We did some clipping to help it along. The real issue is how steep and narrow the foot bed appears to the heavily laden hiker. Some will find parts of the trail tricky, but we did not experience any particular problems. From the top down to Tassajara Creek, the trail has been thoroughly brushed out. However, there are also some steep spots and some places where the path is slippery and unprotected. Conditions reported by: Steve Chambers
Survey date: April 1998
General: CLEAR
Specific:

The Tony Trail is unquestionably the steepest most sensitively maintained trail within the Ventana Wilderness. The southern side to Willow Creek, with its 19 switchbacks through the Black Sage overgrowing in a few places, can be VERY HOT on a warm day. But most use is by the residents of Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, where the trail ends/begins. Please respect their cloistered/closed period from mid-September to the first of May.