SEA FOREST AND BLUFF TRAILS (NEW)

Carpool at pullout for Gualala business directory just north of bridge at 9:45 and meet at the Sea Ranch Lodge at 10:00. We will take the trail from the parking lot to Moonraker Road and cross highway 1. From there we will enter the new Sea Forest Trail (directly across from trail post 201), which has a creek and a seasonal waterfall.  After admiring the spectacular view of the coast, we will retrace our steps, cross back over highway 1 and head north toward the Moonraker Rec Center. At trail post 3C we will head toward the bluff, turning south at trail post 3. We will return to the lodge via the bluff trail for lunch.
Leader: Laura Bridge
photos contributed by Bob& Wildflower Laura

SALT POINT WATERFALL LOOP 2 (new)

Carpool at 9:15 at pullout for Gualala business directory north of the bridge and at The Sea Ranch Lodge at 9:30. Park on Hwy 1 south of Campgrounds (leader will show drivers where).  There is room for 3-4 cars here so carpooling is important. We will walk the trail past the waterfall and down to the bluffs where we will head south to the Sleeping Lion and then back north along the bluffs until we reach the paved road which we will walk back to the park entrance. From there we will cross Hwy 1 carefully and walk through the east side campground, and will then pick up the trail back to Hwy 1, where we will cross the road again and return to our cars. Parts of the trail may be muddy depending on weather and the path is steep in areas so plan accordingly. We will have lunch at the Two Fish Bakery in Stewarts Point. If you want to buy a sandwich at the store, please call ahead with your order (707-785-2011) or you can bring your lunch.
Leader: Harmony
Mileage: 3.7
photos contributed by Harmony, Liberty/Leader Laura, Wildflower Laura and Mary Sue

DMC TO GUALALA POINT PARK

RAIN CANCELED....Two intrepid  hikers and one dog braved an alternative hike in the rain. It was wet and wonderful!

Here's the original canceled hike: Carpool at 9:45 at Gualala Business Sign pullout just north of bridge.  Start at 10:00 at Del Mar Center on TSR. Hang tags needed for non Sea Ranchers. Hike south on Leeward, turning right on Sea Drift and accessing the Blufftop Trail from Tidepool. Walk north to Gualala Point Park. Depending on the trails, return via the bluff or access the Del Mar Meadow Trail to Leeward and the Del Mar Center for lunch.
Leader:  Linda Kennedy

RUSSIAN GULCH STATE PARK- WATERFALL

Photo Credit: Bob Rutemoeller

Photo Credit: Bob Rutemoeller

Photo Credit: Bob Rutemoeller

Meet at 9:20 at pullout for Gualala business directory and at 9:30 at Anchor Bay (west side of Hwy 1) to carpool to Russian Gulch State Park. This is a LONG drive for us - approx. 1 hour 15 minutes to the north to get to our starting spot. In addition to being a longer drive than usual the hike may be slightly longer too. Take road 409 (north of Mendocino) to the east until the pavement ends and park there. Enter through the "Horse Camp" gate on the right and proceed to waterfall via the a loop.  This hike is a beautiful hike, mostly forest and there is a fair amount of hiking up and down so boots and hiking sticks are recommended. We plan to eat our lunch at the waterfall. Carpools in agreement can stop at Frankie's for icecream as a reward after the hike.

Leader: Harmony Susalla

TOTAL MILEAGE: 6.7

SOUTH GERSTLE COVE BLUFF - "THE SLEEPING LION"

Photo credit: Bob Rutemoeller

Our Olympic obstacle course

Raven found by Mary Sue

Sleeping Lion

Glen Forbes Bench - A Gentle Spirit

Note: the trail starts at this mile marker

Photo credit: Nita Green

Photo credit: Nita Green

Photo credit: Nita Green

Photo credit: Nita Green

Carpool at 9:45 at pullout for Gualala business directory north of bridge and at The Sea Ranch Lodge at 10:00. Drive almost through Salt Point to MM 39.17 where there is a wide area to park on the right side of the road.  At 10:15 cross over to the gate on the east side of the road and follow a path north, parallel with the road. Cross the road at MM 39.4 continuing north until we pass the waterfall.  Follow the trail south to the South Gerstle Cove Picnic Area. From here we will follow the bluff as closely as possible until we reach the extreme southern boundary of Salt Point Park. We will return to our cars the same way we came. The rock formations and views from the bluff are outstanding. There are great photo opportunities for camera buffs. Just one warning: the paths are rough and eroded in places, and there are a few steep gulches to cross. The trail is not maintained, and disappears in some places. Hiking in Salt Point we are finding is quite an adventure these days. We will take a very leisurely pace and explore whatever attracts our attention. Be sure to bring walking sticks and be ready to lend a helping hand to your fellow hikers. There are several nice places to sit on the ground overlooking the ocean and have lunch, or we may wait until we return to the picnic area at South Gerstle. Our leader will point out a "sleeping lion" rock formation that is most visible on a sunny day at about 11:30. This hike is mostly level, but with obstacles. Dogs are not allowed on the Salt Point trails.
Leader: Gary Sprague

RUSSIAN GULCH STATE PARK- WATERFALL - June 28, 2012

photo credit: Bob Rutemoeller

 

Photo credit: Jane Seck

Meet at 9:20 at pullout for Gualala business directory and at 9:30 at Anchor Bay (west side of Hwy 1) to carpool to Russian Gulch State Park. This is a LONG drive for us - approx. 1 hour 15 minutes to the north to get to our starting spot. This state park is slated to be closed on July 1st so we wanted to get a chance to experience it one last time. (UPDATE: Parks is NOT closing - yahoo!) In addition to being a longer drive than usual the hike may be slightly longer too. Take road 409 (north of Mendocino) to the east until the pavement ends and park there. Enter through the "Horse Camp" gate on the right and proceed to waterfall via the a loop. We had a bit of a mix up at the start with half the group taking the "usual" way and the rest of us starting from Road 409 but we met at the waterfall. Ice Cream at Frankie's afterwards was a special treat. THANKS BOB!
Leader:  Harmony Susalla