Pine Mountain – Nifty Ninety Peaks — off to Big Basin, Part 1

Ancient Redwoods on Pine Mountain route

We missed a couple of weeks of ‘peak’ climbing the #Nifty Ninety because of other travels, so we were itching to make up for lost (not exactly lost, but focused elsewhere) time. Our hiking partner Patricia did the research and then planned an overnight trip to California’s first state park — Big Basin Redwood State Park, established in 1902. We knew that getting to and from the park was going to involve a longer drive than usual, so an overnight stay would allow us to do two peaks — Pine Mountain and Mount McAbee (1,730′).

Though Patricia and Tom had been there before, neither Ralph nor I had. Somehow, though I’d always known of its existence, I’d never followed through and visited there — too bad, it’s a great place for day or overnight visits by any age.

It’s a bit remote getting to Pine Mountain

It was about a ninety minute drive for us. There are options, but we traveled by freeway to just west of Los Gatos, took Bear Creek Road near the Lexington Reservoir, followed the curving road through Boulder Creek and then into the park.

After checking in at park headquarters, we found our site, and set out a bit of gear. We were very impressed with how clean and quiet the Bloom’s Creek campground was — especially considering it was at the end of summer. And because Patricia had managed to get the last reservation, we hadn’t known what we would find. Water faucets, trash containers, and food storage lockers were nearby as were the toilets (that flushed!).

We headed for the trailhead adjacent to our campground. We walked along the Bloom’s Creek Trail and turned onto Pine Mountain Trail. The trail was very well maintained, somewhat uneven, and a pleasure to follow — and pretty much up the entire way. A bit of scrambling up exposed rock along the way kept things interesting. That, and the fact that the canopy of trees offered beautiful specimens of redwood, madrone, fir, and pine.

We came to the turnoff to Pine Mountain’s peak. Only problem was, the narrow side trail to the peak was marked closed and tree branches had been piled up to  discourage hikers. We considered our options, but decided not to proceed because of our concern the closure might be to protect wildlife. Instead we continued on the main trail, went over the crest looking for another approach to Pine’s summit, and finding none, came back uphill and spent time climbing around nearby Buzzard’s Roost. This handsome large outcropping was a fine place for lunch before turning around and retracing our steps downhill for a total round trip of about four miles.
en route to Pine MountainWe were feeling rather discouraged about not getting to the top of Pine Mountain, but afterwards we discovered that the 2,150-ft. elevation given on the #NiftyNinety Peaks challenge for Pine Mountain is the elevation of Buzzard’s. According to the park’s map, Pine Mountain is 2,208 feet, and there is no longer a stub trail to the peak. We are, therefore, taking credit for this summit.

 

Father of the Forest
After we came back down to camp, we hopped in the car and took the very popular Redwood Trail through the main old growth forest near the Park Headquarters Center. This half-mile, self-guided walk took us to such wondrous specimens as the Father of the Forest, Mother of the Forest, and the Animal Tree. Don’t miss this collection!

Dinner was both easy and tasty because we had split up the tasks and kept things simple. We set the stage with our usual beer toasting and then Patricia put together Pad Thai while I made a salad of greens and fresh fruit. Chocolate bars provided just the right end to our al fresco meal.

In the next blog, I’ll cover our next morning’s hike to Mount McAbee in Big Basin. Click here. 

Note: The wildfires of 2020 swept through Big Basin SP. The trees will survive, but the campgrounds and historic buildings were destroyed. Before heading there, check to see which trails, camping areas, and guest services are currently open. 

More: PDF of the Bay Chapter’s ‘Nifty Ninety Peaks’ challenge, click here.

Trail hiked: Sep. 28, 2018

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