We were hoping for some "road less traveled", and that was exactly what we got. We took the trail along the creek - clearly less used than the main trail from the busy parking lot. Most of the cars in the lot were there for the river - plenty of people kayaking, floating, fishing, etc. After the initial walk along the creek we tried to follow the directions to the old farmhouse, though we were unable to find the creek crossing mentioned in the guide. We crossed the creek many times, but much had washed away during the rainy season, so we assume the trail was up on a high bank that we were not feeling up for climbing. Still, we tromped through very narrow trails until we reached the end. We took plenty of time to check out the views from the top of a nearby boulder before heading back.
On the way back to the lot we decided to check out a bit of the main trail, and were surprised to find a slumbering, juvenile rattlesnake. We snapped a few photos from a safe distance and kept going to get a peek over the top of the ridge - the views from up there were spectacular. We saw many small trails - maybe from/for people or maybe for animals. We didn't want to venture off trail as there were signs posted letting us know that many areas were closed for wildlife protection, but the small trails along the ridge looked amazing.
Overall the hike was great - not a lot of cover, so bring plenty of water and sunblock. Definitely worth the trip for the beautiful scenery, animal and plant life, sounds, and smells.
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