Date Hiked: July 7, 2026
General Condition: Impassable (completely overgrown or tread obliterated)
TLDR: we were able to summit double cone. Trail conditions are awful. No water after pat springs. Do not attempt without a GPS.
We got to pat springs at around 6:30am and at that point we were still excited. Leaving pat springs the trail is pretty clear, that is until you get to right before little pines. By that point the trail is completely lost in chaparral, there is no tread and no clearing whatsoever. Even with 2 different downloaded GPX traces of the trail we could not find it. We decided to push forward and we bushwhacked off trail for 1.5-2 hours before being able to rejoin any semblance of real trail (keep this in mind for the way back). This bushwhacking consisted of some of the thickest ceanothus, chaparral, and poison oak I have ever seen. If you are considering this at all make sure you have an accurate GPS app/device, gloves, long sleeves, sunglasses, and a hat/head/face protection. Looking back gaiters would be a good choice to bring as well. Even when we thought we were back on trail we would lose it immediately due to the lack of tread (mind you this is with 2 GPS). For many parts we had to crawl and just disregard the trail to bushwhack through the path of least resistance. Every once couple of hours you would see a handful of tightly placed pieces of flagging tape.
Once you began descending towards Puerto Suello creek there was a trail again, although still in extremely poor condition. Overgrown brush and faint tread. This was short lived as once you began ascending towards Puerto Suello usecamp the trail worsens a lot. It is extremely easy to lose the trail as there is no tread in many points and the brush completely covers the trail. Even around 9am this section is hot because it is directly in the sun. We passed Lone Pine camp (will talk about this later) and continued for the summit. The trail improves marginally after the climb out of lone pine but is still in awful conditions. Ventana Spring usecamp is marked as "historic" even though the trail bisects it and there are remnants of the old stove/fireplace, there is still enough room to sleep there with a couple people [Ed-jg: moved from historic location to create new "use" camp]. The last half mile before the summit finally opens up again with great views, relatively free of brush, and ok tread. The summit was phenomenal and we put our names in the register. There seems to be relatively few summits recently as is common, the last one was maybe 2 months before us.
One the way back we were able to "find" the section of trail around little pines, though it was still ridden with overgrown brush and faint tread. We still got lost frequently.
The poor conditions of the trail slowed us down significantly, the 14 mile section from pat springs to the summit and back took us around 11 hours. This is a good segue into the discussion of water. After Pat Springs we did not find any water. By the time we got to lone camp we had about a liter of water left for each of us. We spent a good amount of time looking for water at Lone Pine camp (the usetrail to reach is also very overgrown). We cut our losses and continued. The brush had slowed down our progress and made us much more tired than expected.
Ventana Double Cone is magical, there is no other way to put it. However, in the current state the trails are almost dangerous and I would only suggest it to the most stubborn of people. As mentioned before, a GPS is a must as you will get lost without it.
I obviously had a type II blast, but it also left me with a bitter taste. I am frustrated with the poor conditions in the Ventana. How is it possible that the VWA receives close to a million dollars in funding in 2025 and the namesake trail (Ventana Double Cone) of the organization is in complete disregard. I am not saying this with any hate in my heart whatsoever. I know that if you are reading this you most likely care about preserving access to the backcountry. I am just saying that we can do better.
[Ed-JG: As a VDC lover no longer able to get there, to hopefully help intrepid individuals wanting to summit using GPS (not meant as comment on poster, whose perseverance I admire, but for future adventurers):
() GPS error (~15ft) makes GPS most useful for keeping from going completely wrong direction when you lose trail, not keeping on trail
() GPX track on Open Streets Maps (OSM) - used by most GPS apps - differs significantly in places from the Big Sur Trailmap GPX track, trailmap track is average of multiple trips so should be closer to original trail - in particular, OSM track just beyond Pat Spring differs greatly
() Lone Pine Camp much further from main trail than shown on OSM, 0.11 mi, and water (not on OSM) even further, 0.06 mi
]
[Ed-GN: from VWA's 2024 IRS filing, of the $750k in revenue: $150k was spent on Trail Programs, $220k on Youth in Wilderness, and $200k on advocacy]
[Ed-RP:
The Ventana Wilderness Alliance (VWA) shares your frustration over the poor condition of the trails in the Big Sur backcountry, and we appreciate your feedback on the Ventana Double Cone Trail. Adequately restoring and maintaining the 300+ miles of trails on the Monterey Ranger District of Los Padres National Forest is a long-standing challenge. We know that extreme topography, frequent wildfire, unrelenting winter storms, erosion, and aggressive post-fire regrowth of vegetation conspire to ruin trail access in a spectacular landscape. The root problems are compounded by insufficient funding and staffing of the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), the federal agency responsible for managing the Ventana and Silver Peak wilderness areas.
The mission of VWA is “to protect, preserve, and restore the wilderness qualities and biodiversity of the public lands within California's northern Santa Lucia Mountains and Big Sur coast." In addition to advancing this critical mission, VWA dedicates considerable resources to administer a Trail Program. We believe people should have access to and enjoy these public lands. We also believe that trail access helps build a constituency of people who will defend and fund the protection of the natural and cultural resources of the Ventana region.
Each year over 100 people volunteer their time under the VWA banner to improve trail access. Combined, they contribute hundreds of thousands of dollars in equivalent value to our public lands. All of this work is done in collaboration with the USFS to ensure trailworker safety and to track accomplishments.
No matter how you slice it, VWA cannot fix this problem alone. You are right. We CAN do better. We are planning to scale our trailwork. And we know we can’t do it alone. Please be on the lookout for more volunteer trail crew opportunities in the near future. As we do this work, we will always prioritize protecting biodiversity and wilderness character. Since the Wilderness Act allows “primitive” forms of recreation in designated wilderness areas, we dedicate significant resources to teach responsible recreation and improve access. We encourage everybody to advocate with federal elected officials to properly fund the U. S. Forest Service. We also encourage all who love the federal public lands of the Ventana region to join us as a VWA volunteer and donor.
Richard Popchak, Communications Director, Ventana Wilderness Alliance
P.S. VWA is also advocating for the reopening of Palo Colorado Road. With its closure ten years ago, a critical access point for backpackers, campers, and trail workers was cut off. We look forward to once again accessing the iconic trails of the northern Ventana via Palo Colorado Road.
]
Ventana Double Cone Trail
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Bradley
Ventana Double Cone Trail, Pat Springs to Lone Pine
Date Hiked: May 25, 2026
General Condition: Impassable (completely overgrown or tread obliterated)
Back for my annual slog to VDC, this time armed with a machete and a saw. Surprised to see some major trail work had cleared the way from Pat Springs almost to the top of Lone Pine, and then the trail disappears. It is literally gone. Last year I was able to snake my way under the ceanothis and stick to the trail. This year, between the ceanothis, baby madrone, and dead falls from youthful madrones (extremely hard to push through), there's no way through with a dog - but we gave it a go. Made Lone Pine peak after 60 minutes of buffaloing back and forth over where the trail should have been. The soil is so loose, and the thicket so thick, it just wasn't in our cards, again, this time. The dog rarely gives up, but his winning forced me to bail. The next group to head that way will find a 100' path clearing deep in the thicket, you're welcome.... I think I'll try VDC from Ventana Camp next year. I love Skinner Ridge and the VDC trail, but the last fire really has super boosted the undergrowth.
General Condition: Impassable (completely overgrown or tread obliterated)
Back for my annual slog to VDC, this time armed with a machete and a saw. Surprised to see some major trail work had cleared the way from Pat Springs almost to the top of Lone Pine, and then the trail disappears. It is literally gone. Last year I was able to snake my way under the ceanothis and stick to the trail. This year, between the ceanothis, baby madrone, and dead falls from youthful madrones (extremely hard to push through), there's no way through with a dog - but we gave it a go. Made Lone Pine peak after 60 minutes of buffaloing back and forth over where the trail should have been. The soil is so loose, and the thicket so thick, it just wasn't in our cards, again, this time. The dog rarely gives up, but his winning forced me to bail. The next group to head that way will find a 100' path clearing deep in the thicket, you're welcome.... I think I'll try VDC from Ventana Camp next year. I love Skinner Ridge and the VDC trail, but the last fire really has super boosted the undergrowth.
Re: Ventana Double Cone Trail
Date Hiked: March 5, 2026
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
We were on the trail from the north end to about 3/4 mile south of the saddle at Pat Spring.
From the clearing at the north end to the crossing at Danish Creek: Trail almost impossible to follow. Tread invisible in places and very brushy. We left some flags along what we think is the trail.
From Danish Creek to the intersection with the east end of Skinner's Ridge trail: Very brushy near the creek and moderately brushy throughout. 4-5 large deadfalls. Very lightly used
From intersection of Skinner's Ridge trail to the saddle at Pat Springs: Trail pretty clear, some deadfalls. Cleary more used.
From Pat Spring for about 3/4 South: Very brushy with lots of large deadfalls. Tread evident throughout.
Note: Good camping at the North end/intersection with Big Pine trail. Large open area with many flat sites, and logs and rocks to sit on. Water available either at Danish Creek or close by (2 minutes east on Big Pines trail) at seasonal tributary. Trail sketchy but we added some flags to the watering site.
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
We were on the trail from the north end to about 3/4 mile south of the saddle at Pat Spring.
From the clearing at the north end to the crossing at Danish Creek: Trail almost impossible to follow. Tread invisible in places and very brushy. We left some flags along what we think is the trail.
From Danish Creek to the intersection with the east end of Skinner's Ridge trail: Very brushy near the creek and moderately brushy throughout. 4-5 large deadfalls. Very lightly used
From intersection of Skinner's Ridge trail to the saddle at Pat Springs: Trail pretty clear, some deadfalls. Cleary more used.
From Pat Spring for about 3/4 South: Very brushy with lots of large deadfalls. Tread evident throughout.
Note: Good camping at the North end/intersection with Big Pine trail. Large open area with many flat sites, and logs and rocks to sit on. Water available either at Danish Creek or close by (2 minutes east on Big Pines trail) at seasonal tributary. Trail sketchy but we added some flags to the watering site.
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Bradley
Re: Ventana Double Cone Trail
Date Hiked: May 5, 2025
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
The hike out of Pat Springs is more of a crawl. I ended up dragging my 1980s a-frame pack behind me as I slithered beneath the Ceanothus. The trail is there, and it's passable, it's just not doable on foot.
The Ceanothus does out after reaching the peak and there is mostly lupine grasses to the saddle back and junction of Puerto Suello trail. Upwards to VDC more Ceanothus and a mix of manzanita. Lost the trail all together just before lone pine and called it quits.
I saw a few foot prints. Pat Springs is running strong.
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
The hike out of Pat Springs is more of a crawl. I ended up dragging my 1980s a-frame pack behind me as I slithered beneath the Ceanothus. The trail is there, and it's passable, it's just not doable on foot.
The Ceanothus does out after reaching the peak and there is mostly lupine grasses to the saddle back and junction of Puerto Suello trail. Upwards to VDC more Ceanothus and a mix of manzanita. Lost the trail all together just before lone pine and called it quits.
I saw a few foot prints. Pat Springs is running strong.
Re: Ventana Double Cone Trail
Date Hiked: February 15, 2025
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Turner Creek to Devil’s Peak: Passable. A little brushy still and some trees you have to go up and over. However, there’s quite a few blow downs from storms recently, which required crawling. One creek crossing that made me hesitate, it was knee-deep for me and moving swiftly. Lots of work has been done on this trail.
Devils Peak to Pat Springs: Passable. No issues along Skinner Ridge except a few blow downs. Somebody has done a lot of tail work closer to Pat Springs. Plenty of water in the spring.
Pat Springs to Little Pines: Passable. Tread mostly evident but lots of blow downs and very brushy while leaving Pat Springs and entering into Little Pines. Some orange flagging helped, but I had to use a few markers so I would know where to push through the brush on the way back.
Little Pine to Puerto Suello: Passable/difficult. Sections are very brushy, but tread is evident. Overall in pretty good condition, mostly grasses and scrub oak. Lots of water in Puerto Suello Creek.
Puerto Suello to VDC summit: Passable/difficult. Required the most bushwhacking and longest slog of the route. Some sections very brushy, some sections very clear. But tread is evident throughout. Didn’t take the time to check the water at Lone Pine camp.
I took the Skinner Ridge fire break down to Bottcher’s Gap instead of Turner Creek on the way back to the car. Passable but very, very steep. Wouldn’t recommend coming in this way.
Overall, I would rate this hike as passable with some sections rated more difficult. Tread was evident throughout and I never lost it but just be prepared to push through a lot of bush. Recent high winds have caused a lot of blowdowns on the ridges which require extra time to move through. Ended up with quite a bit of PO and a handful of ticks. Fantastic route and was incredibly happy to bag my second VDC summit!
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Turner Creek to Devil’s Peak: Passable. A little brushy still and some trees you have to go up and over. However, there’s quite a few blow downs from storms recently, which required crawling. One creek crossing that made me hesitate, it was knee-deep for me and moving swiftly. Lots of work has been done on this trail.
Devils Peak to Pat Springs: Passable. No issues along Skinner Ridge except a few blow downs. Somebody has done a lot of tail work closer to Pat Springs. Plenty of water in the spring.
Pat Springs to Little Pines: Passable. Tread mostly evident but lots of blow downs and very brushy while leaving Pat Springs and entering into Little Pines. Some orange flagging helped, but I had to use a few markers so I would know where to push through the brush on the way back.
Little Pine to Puerto Suello: Passable/difficult. Sections are very brushy, but tread is evident. Overall in pretty good condition, mostly grasses and scrub oak. Lots of water in Puerto Suello Creek.
Puerto Suello to VDC summit: Passable/difficult. Required the most bushwhacking and longest slog of the route. Some sections very brushy, some sections very clear. But tread is evident throughout. Didn’t take the time to check the water at Lone Pine camp.
I took the Skinner Ridge fire break down to Bottcher’s Gap instead of Turner Creek on the way back to the car. Passable but very, very steep. Wouldn’t recommend coming in this way.
Overall, I would rate this hike as passable with some sections rated more difficult. Tread was evident throughout and I never lost it but just be prepared to push through a lot of bush. Recent high winds have caused a lot of blowdowns on the ridges which require extra time to move through. Ended up with quite a bit of PO and a handful of ticks. Fantastic route and was incredibly happy to bag my second VDC summit!
Re: Ventana Double Cone Trail
Date Hiked: May 29, 2024
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Over-nighter on VDC starting from Long Ridge. Overall, the trail is passable-difficult and I'll break down the sections.
Long Ridge to Pat Springs: Passable. The trail is clear all along Turner Creek, with several logs to go over-under, but relatively clear of brushed. Water flowing well at Apple tree Camp. Skinner Ridge to Devil's Peak is Passable, no issues. Devil's Peak to Pat Springs is passable, with recent brushing before Pat Springs. The third camp area at Pat Springs (on the bluff) has been completely taken out by a massive Oak. The spring is flowing very well.
Pat Spring to Little Pines: Passable/difficult. There is recent brushing on the ridge leaving Pat Springs, and it looks great. it gets a bit brushier in sections right before gaining the ridge, but nothing confusing. There are several blow-downs before Little Pines that slowed me down, and some very brushy sections.
Little Pines to Puerto Suello- passable- difficult. Little Pines is kind of a mess. Lots of brush in that area. The Uncle Sam area has some recent work, but also gets brushier the further you get, with sloping tread. a few blow-downs.
Puerto Suello to VDC- passable-difficult. the trail is initially very choked with brush, but thanks to some heroic trail work, the path is passable all the way to the top, with a few belly crawls. It's not always pretty, or easy, but it is passable. There is water, and a nice flow, (very small, but collectible), about 50-75 feet down the creek at Lone Pine. Third year in a row I've found good water here in early June, so I consider it reliable this time of year.
Notes: I estimated 6 hours to get to the summit, and it took me close to 9. The ceonothus, blowdowns, and bad tread really slowed me down. Difficult in many ways, so use caution. I saw 3 Rattlesnakes. I want to give a big, GIANT thank you! to the trail-clearers. your work is so appreciated. It is difficult to work in those remote areas, but you are helping to keep this historic and world class trail accessible. Hopefully it inspires others to help keep this trail open; without the trail work, this trail would be impassable, or lost, and it's already close in places. So thank you!!!
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Over-nighter on VDC starting from Long Ridge. Overall, the trail is passable-difficult and I'll break down the sections.
Long Ridge to Pat Springs: Passable. The trail is clear all along Turner Creek, with several logs to go over-under, but relatively clear of brushed. Water flowing well at Apple tree Camp. Skinner Ridge to Devil's Peak is Passable, no issues. Devil's Peak to Pat Springs is passable, with recent brushing before Pat Springs. The third camp area at Pat Springs (on the bluff) has been completely taken out by a massive Oak. The spring is flowing very well.
Pat Spring to Little Pines: Passable/difficult. There is recent brushing on the ridge leaving Pat Springs, and it looks great. it gets a bit brushier in sections right before gaining the ridge, but nothing confusing. There are several blow-downs before Little Pines that slowed me down, and some very brushy sections.
Little Pines to Puerto Suello- passable- difficult. Little Pines is kind of a mess. Lots of brush in that area. The Uncle Sam area has some recent work, but also gets brushier the further you get, with sloping tread. a few blow-downs.
Puerto Suello to VDC- passable-difficult. the trail is initially very choked with brush, but thanks to some heroic trail work, the path is passable all the way to the top, with a few belly crawls. It's not always pretty, or easy, but it is passable. There is water, and a nice flow, (very small, but collectible), about 50-75 feet down the creek at Lone Pine. Third year in a row I've found good water here in early June, so I consider it reliable this time of year.
Notes: I estimated 6 hours to get to the summit, and it took me close to 9. The ceonothus, blowdowns, and bad tread really slowed me down. Difficult in many ways, so use caution. I saw 3 Rattlesnakes. I want to give a big, GIANT thank you! to the trail-clearers. your work is so appreciated. It is difficult to work in those remote areas, but you are helping to keep this historic and world class trail accessible. Hopefully it inspires others to help keep this trail open; without the trail work, this trail would be impassable, or lost, and it's already close in places. So thank you!!!
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Mickey Rush
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Tue Mar 19, 2024 7:17 am
Re: Ventana Double Cone Trail
Date Hiked: March 18, 2024
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
The Ventana Double Cone trail is extremely overgrown, blocked with deadfalls, and difficult to follow. Would not recommend traveling this trail without a GPS/ route downloaded for offline use (e.g., AllTrails). In particular, the stretch of trail leading east from Pat Spring was very difficult to follow due to many deadfalls and thick chaparral. The trail gets a bit easier between Little Pines and the junction with Puerto Suello, with lots of water in the drainages coming off of Uncle Sam Mountain. Going south from Puerto Suello, the chaparral is again very overgrown – prepare to duck your way through. We are generally fast hikers, but averaged less than two miles / hour due to the challenging conditions. Worth it overall, but would probably not do it again in this condition.
[JG: FYI the OSM track - used by All Trails, Gaia, etc - is off by as much as 300 ft in the 'very difficult to follow' section cited above, but reasonably accurate elsewhere]
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
The Ventana Double Cone trail is extremely overgrown, blocked with deadfalls, and difficult to follow. Would not recommend traveling this trail without a GPS/ route downloaded for offline use (e.g., AllTrails). In particular, the stretch of trail leading east from Pat Spring was very difficult to follow due to many deadfalls and thick chaparral. The trail gets a bit easier between Little Pines and the junction with Puerto Suello, with lots of water in the drainages coming off of Uncle Sam Mountain. Going south from Puerto Suello, the chaparral is again very overgrown – prepare to duck your way through. We are generally fast hikers, but averaged less than two miles / hour due to the challenging conditions. Worth it overall, but would probably not do it again in this condition.
[JG: FYI the OSM track - used by All Trails, Gaia, etc - is off by as much as 300 ft in the 'very difficult to follow' section cited above, but reasonably accurate elsewhere]
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calhobson
Re: Ventana Double Cone Trail
Date Hiked: February 13, 2023
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Pat spring to Puerto Suello gap: trail is in relatively good shape with some brush encroaching on the trail and some blowdowns (a couple larger ones on the traverse below uncle sam). Pat spring was flowing well
The section immediately after pat spring was the one difficult section of the trail and we lost it at first. There are many downed trees and the trail is pretty obscured by brush for the 1/2 mile until the top of the hill.
Puerto Suello gap to VDC summit: a bit more brushy and more downed trees, a couple we had to crawl under. Near the top some trimming had been done which opened up the trail a lot. Tread is clear, just lots of brush.
No water at lone pine camp, but the camp looked good and the trail down to it was passable
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Pat spring to Puerto Suello gap: trail is in relatively good shape with some brush encroaching on the trail and some blowdowns (a couple larger ones on the traverse below uncle sam). Pat spring was flowing well
The section immediately after pat spring was the one difficult section of the trail and we lost it at first. There are many downed trees and the trail is pretty obscured by brush for the 1/2 mile until the top of the hill.
Puerto Suello gap to VDC summit: a bit more brushy and more downed trees, a couple we had to crawl under. Near the top some trimming had been done which opened up the trail a lot. Tread is clear, just lots of brush.
No water at lone pine camp, but the camp looked good and the trail down to it was passable
Re: Ventana Double Cone Trail
Date Hiked: May 14, 2023
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
This is an update of the report below. Thanks to some recent trail clearing work, my son and I were able to complete a day hike to VDC from The Hoist on 5/14. From the Skinner Ridge Trail to the Ventana Double Cone summit, the VDC trail is now passable, with some sections, particularly close to the top, clear. There is still plenty of brush to walk through in the usual places which makes hiking a bit slow, but there is now a good path through all of it (it really, really helps having the BigSurTrailMap GPS trace on the app of your choice to help you on occasion). The brush on the short section of trail to Pat Springs is getting quite thick.
The two "difficult" sections I described below are now fine.
There are trees down here and there but none are a big deal.
The traverse along the base of Uncle Sam Mtn. to the Puerto Suelo junction is not fast walking. Much of it is loose and side-sloped and there's a bumper crop of poison oak this year. It also includes probably the most annoying downed trees.
A big thanks to whoever did the recent clearing work. We were so happy when we encountered it!
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
This is an update of the report below. Thanks to some recent trail clearing work, my son and I were able to complete a day hike to VDC from The Hoist on 5/14. From the Skinner Ridge Trail to the Ventana Double Cone summit, the VDC trail is now passable, with some sections, particularly close to the top, clear. There is still plenty of brush to walk through in the usual places which makes hiking a bit slow, but there is now a good path through all of it (it really, really helps having the BigSurTrailMap GPS trace on the app of your choice to help you on occasion). The brush on the short section of trail to Pat Springs is getting quite thick.
The two "difficult" sections I described below are now fine.
There are trees down here and there but none are a big deal.
The traverse along the base of Uncle Sam Mtn. to the Puerto Suelo junction is not fast walking. Much of it is loose and side-sloped and there's a bumper crop of poison oak this year. It also includes probably the most annoying downed trees.
A big thanks to whoever did the recent clearing work. We were so happy when we encountered it!
Re: Ventana Double Cone Trail
Date Hiked: March 26, 2023
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
My son and I attempted a hike to VDC from The Hoist on 3/26, but the going was so slow that we ended up turning around well short (the base of Uncle Sam Mountain). So, this report only describes the trail from the Skinner Ridge Trail to the begin of the traverse below Uncle Sam Mtn.
The short section to Pat Springs from the junction with the Skinner Ridge Trail was passable-difficult. My memory is hazy but I think there was a section where the trail disappeared (from a slide?); there were other obstacles, but none that posed a big burden. Pat Springs was flowing, but not very strongly, at least from the pipes. There was plenty of water flowing around the spring.
The 1/2 mile climb from Pat Springs up to the top of the ridge was difficult. In particular the trail is completely covered with blowdowns and overgrown where the short switchback is depicted on Jack Glendening's map. We ended up trying different routes coming and going and neither worked well. It took us nearly 30 minutes to travel this 1/2 mile.
The next mile down before the climb up to Little Pines was pleasant, with great views of course and clear-passable.
The mile after that was difficult. Up towards Little Pines and back down, the trail is mostly, sometimes entirely, overgrown, with regular blowdowns on top of that. We tried heading all the way up to the Little Pines ridge on the way out, hoping it would be easier, but it wasn't. On the return we generally tried to follow the path of the trail, and it was probably the better of two bad choices. It took us about 45 minutes to travel this mile.
At the point where the trail begins a traverse below Uncle Sam Mtn. we gave up. At this point we hadn't budgeted enough time to make it to Ventana Double Cone or even Uncle Sam. So, we had lunch (great views!), and turned around.
I hiked the entire trail last year, and section around Little Pines I remember as being somewhat overgrown, but one could fairly easily push through it all without being slowed too much. Sadly, what a difference a year (and lots of storms) makes.
There was some ice on the trail past Pat Springs and in the Little Pines area, enough to cause a couple falls, but that's obviously not a long-term problem.
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
My son and I attempted a hike to VDC from The Hoist on 3/26, but the going was so slow that we ended up turning around well short (the base of Uncle Sam Mountain). So, this report only describes the trail from the Skinner Ridge Trail to the begin of the traverse below Uncle Sam Mtn.
The short section to Pat Springs from the junction with the Skinner Ridge Trail was passable-difficult. My memory is hazy but I think there was a section where the trail disappeared (from a slide?); there were other obstacles, but none that posed a big burden. Pat Springs was flowing, but not very strongly, at least from the pipes. There was plenty of water flowing around the spring.
The 1/2 mile climb from Pat Springs up to the top of the ridge was difficult. In particular the trail is completely covered with blowdowns and overgrown where the short switchback is depicted on Jack Glendening's map. We ended up trying different routes coming and going and neither worked well. It took us nearly 30 minutes to travel this 1/2 mile.
The next mile down before the climb up to Little Pines was pleasant, with great views of course and clear-passable.
The mile after that was difficult. Up towards Little Pines and back down, the trail is mostly, sometimes entirely, overgrown, with regular blowdowns on top of that. We tried heading all the way up to the Little Pines ridge on the way out, hoping it would be easier, but it wasn't. On the return we generally tried to follow the path of the trail, and it was probably the better of two bad choices. It took us about 45 minutes to travel this mile.
At the point where the trail begins a traverse below Uncle Sam Mtn. we gave up. At this point we hadn't budgeted enough time to make it to Ventana Double Cone or even Uncle Sam. So, we had lunch (great views!), and turned around.
I hiked the entire trail last year, and section around Little Pines I remember as being somewhat overgrown, but one could fairly easily push through it all without being slowed too much. Sadly, what a difference a year (and lots of storms) makes.
There was some ice on the trail past Pat Springs and in the Little Pines area, enough to cause a couple falls, but that's obviously not a long-term problem.
