Tiger Mountain Trail, Poo Top, Poo Poo Point , Hidden Forest, Preston Trail, West Tiger Railroad Grade, High Point Creek

I didn't feeling like driving a long way to hike today, so I decided to take a nice long (9 mile) hike on Tiger. As usual, once I got away from the popular trails around Tradition Lake, I saw few other hikers. There was a mob of cars parked at the end of the paved access road (cable line hikers and adventure pass evaders), but the inner trailhead lot still had lots of space even at 10:30 am (adventure pass needed to park here).

In general, the Tiger trails were in good shape, although I was surprised to see a number of blowdowns that had not been cut. As one would expect, the trails have dried out and have even become a bit dusty.



Well, here's the rundown on trail conditions that I found on my long ramble:

TMT from Tradition Lake to High Point Creek:

In good shape. Steep climb beyond the Cable Line junction has sections of slumped tread, and a number of step-over blowdowns. Beyond the K3 junction, the trail is closed due to the damaged bridge over High Point Creek. This part of the trail is still quite hikeable, however.

K3 Trail:

Hikers have reported a bee nest on the trail

High Point Trail from TMT to Fred's Junction:

In good shape. I always enjoy hiking through the well-aged second growth forest here. Big, well spaced trees have the flavor of an old growth forest.

W Tiger RR Grade from Fred's Junction to Preston Trail:

In good shape. There is quite a durable spring that flows across the trail a quarter mile before the Preston Trail junction. Wonder if the water is drinkable?

Preston Trail from W Tiger RR grade junction to upper Bootleg junction:

In good shape. With this steeply inclined trail, maintenance of the drain dips is important. Someone should dig them out before the rainy season hits.

Poo Top Trail:

In good shape. Steep, narrow, old-school trail that is lightly used. If usage increases, this trail will have to be rebuilt.

Hidden Forest Trail above TMT:

In good shape. The lower portion is overly steep, needs rerouting with a reduced grade.

One View Trail:

In good shape. East end of the trail has a rooty, rough tread, and is steep in places. The west part of the trail has been rebuilt to a high standard, but sections are overgrown by brush.

Poo Poo Point Trail:

In good shape. One of the more heavily used trails on Tiger. Sections of the trail above the Many Creeks Valley bridge are excessively steep given the heavy usage, and could use rerouting. Below the bridge, drain dips need repair. This part of the trail is prone to erosion damage and needs good drainage. About 3/4 of the way up to Many Creeks Valley, there is a 100 foot section that gets a lot of runoff from a seasonal spring, and needs extensive tread repair and drainage features to remove water.