Hike Log

Another perfect “winter” day in NorCal

Trailhead:

Mount St Helena trailhead off of hwy 29

Type of Hike:

Day hike

Trail Conditions:

Trail in good condition

ROAD:

Road suitable for all vehicles

Bugs:

No bugs

Snow:

Snow free

Started about 10:45 with the weather around 52 degrees. Sunny and no clouds at all, with just a small hint of a breeze from the north.

First section is a dirt trail with lots a branches and rocks to maneuver around and over, then about .6 miles it a steep ravine with difficult terrain. When you arrive on the fire road ahead at around .9 miles the trek becomes much easier. The trail is wide, fairly flat width wise and a bit of gravel in areas. There is absolutely no shade  when pure on the fire road. Would definitely recommend spring or fall for this hike.

After about mile 7 the grade becomes noticeably steeper and there is one area, where if you don’t know the route you will miss where the trail splits on to another. No signs whatsoever! I used All trails app and google maps to be sure i was rolling the correct route.

Another thing is that you cannot see the summit you are aiming for until the “split” of the path. Keep a heads up for it!

On the summit was many communication towers and then a nice Rock outcropping where you can stand and get an almost 360 degree view of the whole region. The air was a bit. Hazy, with fog and smoke from chimneys that made the distance you can see a bit less than i had read about.

the hike down was easy until about 9.5 miles when you had to scramble back down the steep dirt path i came up on. Not to bad though. Lots of good traction and rocks to scramble on. There are no bathrooms or water anywhere on this trail!

overall the hike was, 10.38 miles, 2143 feet in elevation. It took me 3 hrs and 8 minutes even with all the stop i took to enjoy the view and take pictures.

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