Then follow the road until you come to a sharp bend where recommended speed is only 5 mph. After the uphill flattens out, the Wildcat Trailhead is on the right. Its limited parking!
The trail is easy to follow and almost flat, a little sandy, but also parts with rocks. After about one mile, the trail divides. To the left is the trail to Wildcat Canyon. To the right is the trail to Northgate Peaks. That is where I wanted to go. So after another mile you come to kind of an end of the trail. An area with lava rocks around. And you will see why its called Northgate Peaks Trail. It is a beautiful scenery from that point.
If you want, you can continue down from the lava rock area and turn left. It is kind of off trail. Then you can walk to a canyon on your left. It is also a nice view from there. To get back up to the Northgate Peak trail from there, you might have to walk through some bushes!
When I came back to where the trail divided, I went towards Wildcat Canyon. It is also an easy trail, but climbs about 200 feet over 2 miles before you descend slowly towards Wildcat Canyon. It is a different landscape through forest and meadows. I turned around just before Wildcat Canyon and went back.
I had my camera with me, so during the 9 mile long hike I took pictures. My total time was about 4.5 hours, my walking time was 3.5 hours. Where I hiked off trail at the end of Northgate Peaks trail, I lost my GPS. I did not feel where I lost it, so I tried to go backwards the same way I thought I had come. After roaming around for 20 minutes I found the GPS, I must have been pretty lucky. Dont put your GPS in a T-shirt pocket. I found the GPS where I had jumped over a fallen tree. The GPS must have popped out of my pocket.
During the hike I did not see much wildlife. Lizards, butterflies, birds and grashoppers, but it is a lot of beautiful flowers along the trail.
No comments:
Post a Comment