I wanted to find a loop trail we could do easily in a day. This was a very nice day, not too hot, maybe 70s at the hottest. Started off around 11:50 AM from the picnic area at the start of Gazos Creek Road (of course) and went up the Middle Ridge Road. That was about a 600 ft elevation gain in about an hour.
Coming out of the woods onto a ridge that's about 1675 ft above sea level.
This is an old burn area where the vegetation is growing back nicely.
This is the marker for ....
...this viewpoint.
Continuing on through the woods. We took this trail to the end where we came upon a paved road. We rode on the shoulder of the road for awhile until we saw some hikers off to the side and asked what trail they were on.
The hikers told us they were just coming off the Basin Trail (horses allowed) and going on the Hollow Tree Trail (horses not allowed). I was looking for the Basin Trail as part of our loop, so here we go on one of the few real trails (not a road) where horses are permitted.
The trail is narrow, but not precarious.
The hikers had informed me that the trail would be narrow and to beware of the bushy sections.
A large granite rock lies on the hillside above us.
The trail winds in and out of groves of trees. Some of the branches are low, and I have to duck down to my horse's neck and plow through.
These madrone come up out of the ground like spindly fingers trying to grab some sunlight in the dense foresst.
Now we're coming out of the woods and getting into the bushy area where we also have to traverse some sliprock.
We're up around 2200 feet, so we are getting some incredible viewpoints.
Yeah, this is the trail. At this point, I'm hand-walking Bella.
Wow, just look at how beautiful this is. I am so blessed to live in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
And forever grateful to have such a steady, superb trail horse like Bella. The bushes close in on us from either side of the trail, but she maintained a steady walk
I didn't take photos of the most difficult sections we plowed through. It was horrendous, that's for sure.
You can barely see the trail. I was wondering if we had lost the real trail and were on a deer trail. These bushes were full of sticky berries and other sticky things and needles that got caught in my hair and on my blouse, jeans and saddle pad.
More slick rock
More bushes that grew over the trail.
And still more overgrown bushes
And overgrown shrubs
And low clearances from broken branches and fallen trees.
And more slick rock, but gosh, what an incredible view of whole canyon and the coast!
Just look at that view - made all the trouble getting to this spot worth it.
This photo is a continuation of the photo to the left - sort of a panoramic picture, but the sky came out white (sunlight)
Back into the woods
Narrow trail continues - it feels like we're a million miles from anywhere.
More bushes to plow through
These pictures are almost the same. You get to see them both.
More fantastic views
We finally came to the end of the Basin Trail, and then I handwalked Bella on the (paved) China Grade Road a short distance to the trailhead of the East Ridge trail.
The old Coast Live Oaks along this trail were simply magnificent.
East Ridge Trail is really beautiful.
Just a country lane.
Lovely gnarled oaks.
More views
This small grove of oaks grew up out of the ground close to each other, and then seemed to bend over backwards with their "arms" upraised in joy.
This is a scene that probably hasn't looked any different for a hundred years. You can just imagine a horse-drawn wagon coming up the road.
Beautiful oaks stand out on a hillside meadow.
Then the road went back into the woods and became a trail again.
Late afternoon sunlight filters through the thick forest.
What a surprise to come out of the woods and find ourselves just above the entrance sign on Hwy 236! If we took the paved road, we'd be at park headquarters in 1.5 miles, but our trail is much more loopy and we still have over an hour of riding ahead of us.
The trail crosses Hwy 236. Even tho the speed limit is 25 MPH, cars come zipping down the road. I decided to handwalk Bella across the road. But first, what was that noise behind us?
C'mon, Bella, we're headed back.
Because the roots of redwoods are so shallow, most horse trails do not come close to the treasured giants. This was probably the biggest tree we saw all day. I couldn't get Bella to pose in front of it, but you can bet she tried to take a couple of bites out of it.
Bella, back up and show us that the tree is as wide as you are long.
She's just not interested in posing.
Are we done? Got any treats?
That triangular shape on the right is not a mound of dirt - it is the bottom of a redwood tree that has fallen over. Roots are seldom more than 8 feet deep.
East Ridge Trail
Now we're on the Hihn Hammond Road, crossing the creek on a concrete bridge.
Looking downstream. From here, it was back up to the Middle Ridge Road, and then a long, slow walk down Gazos Creek Road to the trailer. What an adventure!