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Posted by SteveM on July 13, 2012, 16:17:28, in reply to "Unmaintained Trail Between John's Meadow and Manzanita Springs"
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I agree with the others that starting from Manzanita Flats and going down is easier due to the sign at the flats, but it's really not that difficult finding it from the bottom either. It somewhat depends on whether or not you are familiar with Johns Meadows (never figured out why they called it a meadow). Anyway, finding the trail from the meadow is fairly easy. If you do start from Manzanita Flats and work down, I suggest you take a close look at the trees and topography for the first few hundred yards after leaving Manzanita Flats. That way it will look familiar to you when/if you decide to come up from Johns Meadows.
Just in case you're not familiar with Johns Meadows:
If you start from Johns Meadows, once you cross the first creek, the trail climbs up the embankment on the other side goes straight (west) for a short distance, does a left, then a right and dumps you in the flats (the meadow). If you keep walking west (the same direction you walked to cross the creek) a couple hundred feet or so, you will come to a second creek in a gulley. Look to the left just before you get to the creek and you should see the trail going down in the gulley to that creek. If you don't see the trail right off, walk along the creek in both directions under a 100ft and you will eventually see it.
Cross the creek and walk up the other side a very short distance, the trail will veer slightly to the right in a short distance and then go due north for several hundred, if not a thousand feet. Once you're on the trail, it's easy to follow.
The only problem after crossing the creek is, several people have made a trail up the steep embankment to the left right after crossing the second creek, either from not seeing the trail or trying to take a shortcut. The first is more like it. Just remember, once you cross that second creek, the trail only climbs a few feet for a hundred yards or more and it works it's way to the right, not up the hill to the left.
The only other issue I've ever had is once you get up to Manzanita Flats. People have cut off the trail in several spots and you may think the trail goes off in multiple directions, although all will go west towards the flats.
--Previous Message--
: How well marked is the unmaitained
: trail between John's Meadow and
: Manzanita Springs from each
: approach?
:
