Читать книгу 101 Hikes in Northern California. Exploring Mountains, Valleys, and Seashore онлайн

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Bear left on wide Manzanita Point Rd. and undulate along the ridgetop past valley oak and ponderosa pine. The road tours the pleasant Manzanita Group Camps and reaches the junction for China Hole and Madrone Spring Trails just past Sites 6 and 7 (2.6/2,260'). Turn left on China Hole Trail to begin the descent.

China Hole Trail contours below the last group sites (a spur trail splits right to Site 9) and then dives through a corridor of massive big-berry manzanita. You next emerge in an area burned by prescribed fire (a posted sign tells the story) where thick chamise and buckbrush thrive on the regenerating hillside. Good views open up of the Coyote Creek watershed and its multiple drainages below.

The trail encounters Manzanita Point and the junction with Cougar Trail (3.7/1,910'), where you continue straight on China Hole Trail to begin a series of long, descending switchbacks to the canyon bottom and the junction with Mile Trail (5.2/1,150'). China Hole Trail Camp and its year-round swimming hole await a short distance upstream. In summer and fall, this stream is the only reliable water source on the hike, so fill your bottles.