Oliver Draffen Posted June 30 Report Share Posted June 30 I had a few days off, which gave me the opportunity to explore some of the Sierra Nevada and Yosemite. One of my stops was Shuteye Peak. Located just 2 hours from Merced and 4-4.5 hours from the Bay Area, it's an easy weekend trip or a day trip if you are dedicated enough. It features beautiful views similar to Bald Mountain while being slightly closer and at a higher elevation of 8,300 feet (500 feet higher than Bald Mountain's peak). On a clear day you can see plenty of mountain peaks, and with some binoculars the tower on Bald Mountain. OnX rates it at a 5/10, but I would knock it down to a 3.5-4/10. Bald Mountain was quite a bit harder. The trail conditions are similar, with forest roads leading up to granite slabs with plenty of room for alternative routes and opportunities to pass. I ran it solo in a D2, but any Rover with all-terrain tires would make it just fine. I did the trail in about 5 hours, including a lengthy chat with Richard and at a leisurely pace. Where it shines is in its beauty and its manned fire lookout tower. I had the opportunity to chat with Richard, the ranger posted there, for an hour and hear his stories of his 30 years of working with the NFS. I also got to see him spot a fire and report it. The trail is empty on weekdays but can be quite popular on holiday weekends, with about 10-20 trucks visiting a day on an average weekend according to Richard. There are plenty of amazing camp spots halfway up as well as at the top. There's plenty to explore through small hikes and some cool rock formations for kids to climb Some fun facts Richard mentioned - The tower on Bald Mountain used to be a manned fire watch tower - There are 5 remaining manned towers in Serra Nevada NF - In an average season Richard reports between 12 and 24 fires - After every lightning storm, Cal fire and the NFS flies planes across the forests where the strikes occur to try and - Smoke from hot spots were being reported months after the Creek Fire (2020) died down, both from campers and fire watch towers - The Creek Fire was the largest single fire recorded in California at the time burning nearly 400,000 acres, until it was surpassed by the Dixie fire in 2021 I don't have a set date but rather a very loose date range. I will be in Merced until July 31st and so if anyone wants to run it, I would be happy to lead a day trip or a one night trip. Once I'm back In San Mateo I will only be able to run it as a weekend trip. Mr.BlueSky 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodwelsh Posted July 17 Report Share Posted July 17 Was hanging out in Fishcamp and made a last minute decision to head out to the fire tower today. Great trail but was stymied at the granite ledges just past the winter time locked gate. My trail spotter and rock stacker - Bird the Dog - was unable to get me through. Beautiful vistas. Oliver Draffen and Mr.BlueSky 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oliver Draffen Posted July 17 Author Report Share Posted July 17 Wow! I wish I stopped to smell the roses... Mr.BlueSky 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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