This area is about two to three miles from Jamestown. You turn onto Rawhide road at the stoplight in Jamestown and continue until you reach Shell road. Proceed on Shell road until you come to a fork in the road and then turn left and continue until the pavement ends. You can park in this area or drive further if you have a high clearance vehicle and take care to close the cattle gates behind you to the trailhead. If you park here, it is about a 1.5 mile walk to the trailhead that leads to the top of the mountain. The trail to the top can be steep and narrow in with numerous places that have large rocks to maneuver around and through. This trail is much easier to traverse if you are wearing hiking boots rather than sneakers or sport shoes. The rocks can make for slippery going if you are visiting after a heavy rain. Beware of the areas that have poison oak overhanging and near the sides of the trail in several places. One of the real treats of spring time in this area is the huge display of vernal pool species on the top of the mountain that bloom in multi colored rings of flowers as the water slowly evaporates from the dozens of small pools of water. Try to avoid trampling the flower areas on top as the soil layer here is very thin and rocky. There are some seasonal seeps and water flows on the trail to the top that support some unusual species that last for a relatively short time before the area dries up for the summer. In a normal weather year the blooming period begins in March and continues until May with a few species that are early bloomers and several that can be relatively late in blooming.
(Last revised 2/02/07)