Monte Cristo Ghost Town — Saturday, Jul. 29, 2023

Arrived at the trailhead 10:00. Parked past the Barlow winter gate on the gravel road. It was packed but parking was no issue. Bathroom is open at Barlow (Bathroom by Monte Cristo campsites near the mining town was locked), it’s clean but bring tp - it was stocked in the morning but out when we got back in the afternoon.

Hike was great. The trail didn’t feel crowded despite the number of cars. I’m guessing quite a few headed up the Gothic Basin trail and others were headed past Monte Cristo for an overnight. River is very low. Log bridge crossing was no issue (see photo). There were some flies, they bite, but only noticed when we stopped; was not bad enough to warrant bug spray but we had it just in case. Hike is mostly under canopy of the trees which provided wonderful shade.

Others have posted about mileage discrepancies. Trail is reported to be 8mi RT. We clocked 10.5. We did walk up Dumas St which added a few steps but I wouldn’t think too many. Wondering if the reported mileage starts at the gate at the road or farther down by the Gothic Basin trailhead and perhaps that’s the missing mileage??