Whew, that was a lot of rocks! Took the kid with me today. She’s really big for a three year old (3’9”), but I could see why she was the only kid we saw under the age of about 12.
The first couple miles were relatively smooth, wide, dirt trail. About a mile before the waterfall, though, the switchbacks started in earnest. The trail became narrow, relatively steep, and almost exclusively rock, much of it loose and wobbly. It was well-maintained – no blowdowns – just rough, rocky terrain for such small feet.
We owe a big thanks to the trail description writer for mentioning the 22 switchbacks! That was great motivation as we tallied them up, writing down a new number every time we made it to a new corner.
Holding hands for stability, we made it up and (perhaps more importantly) down, but I don’t know that I would recommend that rocky stretch for most little ones.
Notes on logistics:
- Arrived at 8 AM on a sunny Saturday, large parking lot less than half full.
- Back at the car at 3:30 PM, still around half full.
- Sign on the pit toilets at the trailhead says closed until summer 2025; it appears it is not yet summer 2025.
- Port-a-potties are open. Toilet paper in the morning, not the afternoon.
- Lots of (patient) people!
- Trail description says 5.6 miles. Gaia clocked us at 7.01. Gaia sometimes goes a little haywire when attempting to track our snail’s pace, so that may be off. We do typically go about 1 mile per hour, though, it's likely somewhere between those two.
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