Redwood Spring, east of Cone Peak Road, has the claim-to-fame of having the highest elevation redwoods located on an inland canyon. And Redwood Spring Camp still seems to be an official USFS Camp - it is on the most recent rec.map used by the USFS (e.g. the map used to show Dolan Fire closures).
But no one goes there, largely because the trail has been overgrown for over a decade. And the sign at its trailhead is now gone. When I first visited the spring in 2013 with Paul Danielson, we first checked out the old trailhead but finding the trail impassable instead chose to bushwhack down from a less vegetated slope to its west.
But the 2020 Dolan fire burned hot in that area and now the first half of the trail is clearly visible in Google Earth. So I went out to see if I could create a record of where that trail lay by following cuts-on-the-ground beyond the GE limit. And indeed did find more cuts, ending just before the camp.
Also of interest was the state of the redwoods. Being non-coastal, redwoods have a difficult time and the trees have never been prolific or overly tall. I found all badly damaged by fire, with most having the furry sprout-from-everywhere response characteristic of badly damaged trees. On my hike strong onshore wind was blowing clouds over the ridge causing much mist and spitting rain (why such redwoods can exist) so have only cloudy photos. Below is a post-Dolan-Fire photo taken from the road by Mike Heard, showing the damage to the redwoods from a more distant vantage - also to be see is the old trail coming down from Cone Peak Road in its upper center.
The actual camp spot is marked by a fire grate so I cleared branches to make it easier for someone to find. I find this grate highly interesting because it shows how the long-legged grates were meant to be used - with a mound of dirt built below, contained by stones, to hold the fire. The first time I had seen such.
I also wondered about the fate of the metal "Redwood Spring Camp" marker posted on a nearby redwood by Gilbert Anderson. I found the trunk burnt hot enough to melt the metal, leaving just 4 nails in the tree and two melted metal pieces lying on the ground. I put the one which had a large hole back atop one of the nails, to keep it visible for awhile.
- 2013
- 2021
Dead redwood branches now litter the area and would need clearing to make a decent camp site - the existing flat area is small and could only hold one tent. Currently the area is not very attractive.
Finally, I have now added the re-discovered Redwood Spring "lost trail" to my trailmap for future reference.
Redwood Spring, east of Cone Peak Road, has the claim-to-fame of having the highest elevation redwoods located on an inland canyon. And Redwood Spring Camp still seems to be an official USFS Camp - it is on the most recent rec.map used by the USFS (e.g. the map used to show Dolan Fire closures).
But no one goes there, largely because the trail has been overgrown for over a decade. And the sign at its trailhead is now gone. When I first visited the spring in 2013 with Paul Danielson, we first checked out the old trailhead but finding the trail impassable instead chose to bushwhack down from a less vegetated slope to its west.
But the 2020 Dolan fire burned hot in that area and now the first half of the trail is clearly visible in Google Earth. So I went out to see if I could create a record of where that trail lay by following cuts-on-the-ground beyond the GE limit. And indeed did find more cuts, ending just before the camp.
Also of interest was the state of the redwoods. Being non-coastal, redwoods have a difficult time and the trees have never been prolific or overly tall. I found all badly damaged by fire, with most having the furry sprout-from-everywhere response characteristic of badly damaged trees. On my hike strong onshore wind was blowing clouds over the ridge causing much mist and spitting rain (why such redwoods can exist) so have only cloudy photos. Below is a post-Dolan-Fire photo taken from the road by Mike Heard, showing the damage to the redwoods from a more distant vantage - also to be see is the old trail coming down from Cone Peak Road in its upper center.
[attachment=4]RedwoodSpring-postDolan-m.heard.sixthsize.jpg[/attachment]
The actual camp spot is marked by a fire grate so I cleared branches to make it easier for someone to find. I find this grate highly interesting because it shows how the long-legged grates were meant to be used - with a mound of dirt built below, contained by stones, to hold the fire. The first time I had seen such.
[attachment=3]dsc01060.sixthsize.jpg[/attachment][attachment=2]dsc01062.sixthsize.jpg[/attachment]
I also wondered about the fate of the metal "Redwood Spring Camp" marker posted on a nearby redwood by Gilbert Anderson. I found the trunk burnt hot enough to melt the metal, leaving just 4 nails in the tree and two melted metal pieces lying on the ground. I put the one which had a large hole back atop one of the nails, to keep it visible for awhile.
[attachment=1]IMG_4605.georef.sixthsize.jpg[/attachment][attachment=0]dsc01066.sixthsize.jpg[/attachment]
Dead redwood branches now litter the area and would need clearing to make a decent camp site - the existing flat area is small and could only hold one tent. Currently the area is not very attractive.
Finally, I have now added the re-discovered Redwood Spring "lost trail" to my trailmap for future reference.
