Fremont Peak State Park, San Juan Bautista, California

 Third Quarter Moon

Making the most of my San Juan Bautista Public Library State Park Day Use Pass, I drove up the winding San Juan Canyon Road last Friday (actually under the Waning Gibbous Moon) for a free loop hike around the park. The first time I hiked up there was after I had just moved to SJB (Summer of 2005). That day it cost me $56. That's right, $56. 

I missed seeing the small sign in the lower parking lot that read Pay Fees Here, parked up in the unsigned upper parking lot, did the easy climb to the peak, and returned to my truck to find on my windshield  a very expensive parking citation from a way-too-on-the-ball Ranger dude. Whoopsie daisy, rookie mistake. 

Subsequently, I appealed to the powers that be, proclaiming my innocence and protesting the itty-bitty signage, but I received zero mercy. These days there are much better signs, so maybe my mistake resulted in a cheaper hiking experience for others? The day use fee for Seniors is only $5 at this park. I figure if I hike with my Library pass ten or eleven more times, I will make up for my blunder. See? Everything always works out. 

The hike up to Fremont Peak is a good thing to do once in a while and it's especially fun the first time. But I much prefer the loop hike starting from the upper parking lot for its variety and elevation changes. Starting with the Valley View Trail, you pass through different families of madrones, oaks, pines, and manzanitas as the trail winds up and down and around to connect to the Cold Springs Trail.

Cold Springs is not a functioning spring any more but there is a spring house and some old hardware there to mark the spot. There is no posted information about its history either at the site or on the park's website, which is too bad for curious people like me. I wonder how long ago it was a working spring? Did the native people use it? Miners? Soldiers? It looks like an inviting place to camp, but to my knowledge that is not allowed. There are two nicely developed campgrounds in the park, but dispersed camping is taboo. Fires are not allowed anywhere in the park, for good reason.

After you huff and puff and climb up from the spring to the road at the park's entrance, Tony's Trail takes off up through a shady oak forest and leads you to the Fremont Peak Observatory. Then you lose the shade and contour around Carmen's Trail on an exposed hillside made of crumbly shale and serpentinite. Hiking poles help with traction if you happen to be of a certain age, ahem. You can work up a good sweat on these sunny slopes and practice your slipping and swearing skills. It doesn't take that long, though, and pretty soon you're rewarded with good views of the backcountry and the east side of Fremont Peak.

I have mentioned in these pages more than once that Tony's Trail and Carmen's Trail were named after the two children of Rick Morales, a long time Ranger at the park. Rick passed on last year, but I am sure he would be pleased at how well-maintained all the trails at the park are right now. I don't know if the work has been done by park staff or fire crews or the conservation corps, but whoever cleaned up the place (the poison oak is trimmed well away from the trails) did a great job. The loop hike around the park is a good little workout and a quiet, pleasant way to spend time in the woods.

Peace, Love, and No Citations,

Jim

#2,022 in 2022