Cold Springs Pack Trail

Patrick Creek Loop Drive, California

Backcountry Adventures - Smith River National Recreation Area

Pack train on the Cold Springs Mountain Trail arrives in Oregon's gold rush country with supplies from Crescent City, northwest California. This section of the loop drive follows a ridge used by pack trains bringing supplies from cargo ships at Crescent City to mining camps in Oregon's gold rush country. It was estimated that during peak periods of activity, more than 100 pack animals went over this trail daily. The trail was established in 1852 and was the primary transportation route into southern Oregon until around 1857 when the first road, the Turnpike and Puncheon Road (known locally as the McGrew Trail) was established. At one point along this section of the tour you will be able to see the ridge top that the McGrew Trail followed and with a pair of binoculars you should be able to see the road climbing up the flank of McGrew Mountain. You will also be able to see parts of the Wimer Road and the vicinity where the Wimer and McGrew Trail meet at Sourdough Flats Junction.

There are hiking opportunities along this section of the tour including one that goest goes for about a mile to the scenic High Dome Meadows, another that follows the historic Cold Springs Mountain Pack trail, and a short hike to the Holiday Mine.

The historic 1852 Cold Springs Mountain Trail followed the ridge from the far distant left to the right. This trail is now known as the Elk Camp Ridge Trail. Smith River National Recreation Area, Redwood Highway 199, northwest California Klamath Mountain coast The Cold Springs Mountain Trail follows the ridge seen in the middle foreground of the photo. Cold Springs mountain is the high ridge in the distant left of the picture. The road you will be following can be seen in the lower left of the picture.

Just after the High Dome Trail, the road crosses a very distinct geologic boundary between ocean crust rock and upper mantle rock that have eroded into ridges of reddish mantle rock, most of which is harzburgite. The rainfall in this part of California about 50 inches a year but the vegetation growing on these ridges are more like what you find in the eastern Oregon desert. This is why this region of mantle rock is sometimes referred to as the "red rock rainforest".

Del Norte County Road 315 follows along the same ridge as was used by packers using the 1852 Cold Springs Mountain Trail. Some of the trees on the right were burned in the 2002 Biscuit Fire. Smith River National Recreation Area, Redwood Highway 199, northwest California Klamath Mountain coast The road climbs some short but steep hills as it follows the ridge. Some cars may have a little trouble with traction as they climb up the gravel surface. It may help to get a little extra speed just before you begin to climb. Keep up your speed as you climb. Don't stop until you get to the top.

Note that a fire break was created along the left (south) side of the road during the 2002 Biscuit Fire that burned much of the region to the right (north) of the road. After the fire, an effort was made to rehabilitate and camouflage the fire break by covering it with logs and boulders.

ZERO YOUR ODOMETER as you TURN LEFT on to County Road 315 also known as the Holiday Mine Road.

0.0 A few yards from the intersection there is a wide turnout on the right and a good opportunity to get out and look at the forest burned in the 2002 Biscuit Fire. Most of the smaller trees were Doughlas fir, probably planted after this area was logged about 30-50 years ago. When a fire burns the upper part of a Douglas Fir, the whole tree dies but other vegetation, the fire adapted species you see growing from the forest floor, resprout new growth from its roots and flourish without the competition from the Doughlas fir. This is typical of what happens after a fire in this region.

Some people might be surprised that the large logs on the ground did not burn in the fire but it is not uncommon that most large logs survive even the most severe fires. During the winter, these logs soak up and retain water, which makes them very difficult to burn. More important is the ability of these logs, and other wood in the forest, to absorb water from the air if humidity is high. During dry weather, the forest may dry out but this drying is countered to a degree when humidity goes up and the woody material on the forest floor absorbs water from the air. Large diameter logs, such as those seen here, are nicknamed "1000 hour fuels" meaning it takes about a 1,000 hours or 40 days of extremely dry conditions to dry them out enough that they will burn completely down to ash. The proximity of this region to the ocean helps to sustain a high humidity in these forests. Extremely dry conditions occur briefly but not long enough to dry out these logs. For that reason, large diameter logs rarely burn to ash in these forests.

There is a small outcrop of mantle rock next to the turnout in the direction of the intersection. Some small Jeffrey pine are growing on these rocks and offer an opportunity to look at the leaves. Notice how the leaves are bundled into groups of three. This is different from the sugar pine and white pine you saw earlier, which have bundles with five leaves. Some small incense cedar are also growing in this area if you want to see what these look like compared to the Port Orford cedar seen at Cedar Trough Springs (mile 2.5).

0.2 As you drive down the road you will have the unusual opportunity to compare the burned forest on the right with the unburned forest on the left. The unburned forest is what the other side of the road used to look like before the fire.

0.4 A white metal post indicates mile marker 10 for County Road 315. This also marks the approximate boundary where diorite rock ends and ocean sediment rock begin. Both of these rocks produce nutrient rich soils so there isn't a distinctive change in the forest at this point.

1.1 The forest on the left opens enough that the rugged peaks of the Siskiyou Wilderness can be seen.

2.5 Cedar Trough Springs: A small spring is located about 100 feet above the road to the left. The name "cedar" probably was due to the abundance of Port Orford cedar in this area. The word "trough" may have been used because this was an important water source for packers using the Cold Springs Mountain Pack Trail during the 1851 Oregon gold rush. Cedar Trough Springs, Holiday Mine Springs and Cold Springs near Cold Spring Mountain would have been the only water sources for packers along this ridge.

2.7 Rock quarry: A rock quarry forms a large flat area to the left of the road. The quarry rock is almost entirely pillow basalt and many pieces of this lava with rounded mineral-filled holes can be found all over the ground.

2.9 Old road on the left goes down to the east fork of Patrick Creek about two miles from this intersection. To the right is a vista looking out toward Chetco Peak in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness. In the foreground is a good example of a mosaic burn, the behavior of fire that completely kills some parts of a forest but not other parts. In the long term, this type of burn results in a "mosaic" of habitats to include open meadows, brush lands, and tall stands of old growth trees. Some people say that the Biscuit Fire burned 500,000 acres of forest. It would be more accurate to say that the perimeter of the burned area encompassed 500,000 acres but only a portion of the forest was killed by the fires, as you can see in this scenic vista.

SPECIAL NOTE: The road becomes steep for the next half mile. If your car has poor traction, you may need to back up for a short distance to get a little extra speed to climb the hill. Do not stop until you get to the top or you may have difficulty getting the traction you need to move forward again.

4.1 Prospect Pond: The road to the right goes about a mile and a half to a small copper mine. The road is closed to vehicle traffic and makes an interesting hike especially to the small lake about a mile down the road. This lake holds a consistent water level throughout the year and the stability of the water level makes it possible for colonies of darlingtonia, an insectivorous pitcher plant, to line its shore. There is also a small hill next to the road that offers a sweeping view of the region to the north and west. More information on this hiking opportunity can be found at Darlingtonia Pond Trail.

4.4 The road forks just past mile marker 6. KEEP RIGHT.

4.5 The trailhead for the High Dome Meadows Trail will be on the left where a wide area next to the road marks the parking for the trail.

Lush vegetation covers the slopes of High Dome on the right and dispersed vegetation covers the slopes of upper mantle rock in the foreground. Smith River National Recreation Area, Redwood Highway 199, northwest California Klamath Mountain coast 5.0 After passing the High Dome Trail, the road crosses another geologic boundary between rocks of an ancient ocean crust to and rocks of the upper mantle. The vegetation makes a dramatic change from deep lush plant growth to a dissipated forest of scrub brush and Jeffrey pine. The picture shows the heavily forested slopes of High Dome in the upper right with the dissipated plant communities growing on mantle rock in the lower left. The turnout at 5.0 offers a good view but the next turnout at 5.1 is better.

5.1 Turnout and vista: This site offers a good point to look north but a better view can be had if you walk back on the road for a few yards and climb up on the rock outcrop. Two of the earliest roads into this region can be seen from this vantage point. A small section of the Cold Springs Pack Trail can be seen in the rocks a few feet above the road.

The pictures below will give you a closer look at the historic roads.

	The 1857 stagecoach road (McGrew Trail) taken from the ridge marked by the "X" in the picture above looking toward McGrew Mountain. In this picture you can see the road climbing diagonally across McGrew Mountain to the top where it then descends on the other side to Sourdough Flats Junction.
	Looking at the Wimer Road from Sourdough Flats Junction.
	Sourdough Flats Junction
	The McGrew Trail on the ridge at the far right of the picture above.

5.8 Trail to the Holiday Mine left. This is an unmarked and faint trail that follows an old road to the upper exploratory excavations of the Holiday Mine, one of the larger chrome mines in the region. The total distance to the upper excavations is less than a mile with much of it over portions of road that were rehabilitated. For more information on this hike see the Holiday Mine Trial.

About 300 feet beyond the Holiday Mine Trail is a small spring that was likely an important water source for pack trains using the 1852 Cold Springs Mountain Pack Trail. Follow the draw about 100 feet above the road to see the small spring. There is no trail so watch where you walk.

6.2 The road climbing upward to the right is Forest Service road 18N10. High clearance and four wheel drive is needed to drive the 1/10th of a mile to the trailhead for the Elk Camp Ridge Trail, the name now given to the 1852 Cold Springs Mountain Pack Trail. Also in this same area you will find some extensive chrome mining excavations.

If you walk the 1/10th of a mile to the Elk Camp Ridge Trail you will find the road forks. The road to the right takes you about a half mile to more mining excavation. The road to the left follows the Elk Camp Ridge Trail. Unfortunately, the old trail was used by vehicles for some distance, possibly to access chrome prospecting sites further down the ridge.

8.5 The road to the right goes to more chrome prospects.

9.8 The road crosses over a small creek. This is an unnamed tributary of the West Fork of Patrick Creek.

10.1 High Dome Trailhead left. This trail climbs up to High Dome meadows. It may have been used by staff riding horses to the High Dome Lookout or packers bringing supplies to the people working at the lookout.

10.2 Gasquet Toll Road. To return to Highway 199 and Patrick Creek Lodge, both located 3.5 miles from here, TURN LEFT, go over the bridge and follow the road log below. If you want to continue the adventure, you can TURN RIGHT and follow the Old Redwood Highway Road Guide to Highway 199 at Gasquet, a distance of 15 miles.

10.6 Intersection with Patrick Creek Road. CONTINUE STRAIGHT AHEAD to return to Highway 199. For those who are returning to O'Brien, TURN LEFT and click the link below titled Gasquet Toll Road to continue the tour. When you get to the end of this section, take the right fork and follow the main road back to O'Brien.

13.7 Highway 199 END OF TOUR

Return to Smith River National Recreation Area...

Introduction | The Moho | Gasquet Toll Road | Wimer Road | Cold Springs Mountain Trail

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Disclaimer: All information in Highway199.org is accurate to the best knowledge of the author. However, conditions in outdoor settings can change dramatically after storms or fires. For this reason, travelers are advised to check current road conditions before traveling through the area, drive responsibly and take measures to understand safety issues in the region. When participating in outdoor activities, always plan and prepare for safe hiking, swimming or any other activities mentioned in the Highway 199 website. More on disclaimer and copyright...