Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
canyon, the trail returns to private property along the banks of an alder-lined creek (3
miles, 2880'), where you'll find a few unofficial camps. Don't expect to find water
during the dry season (May through October).
From the creek, the trail climbs to a series of minor saddles offering fine views.
Atop the third saddle, the trail descends 0.3 mile to a more dependable creek that usu-
ally flows through early summer. Here you'll find the
Nason Cabin site
(4.3 miles,
3090'), featuring scattered homestead relics along a small creekside clearing. The site
also hosts an unofficial camp. Beyond this point the already narrow trail suffers from
overgrown brush and destructive washouts. In wet season, hitchhiking ticks are pro-
lific.
The trail climbs to a fourth saddle for oak-filtered views along the
Carmel River
and Miller Fork, featuring fire-scarred ridges and cleft gullies that shelter rare Santa
Lucia firs. A range of textures and hues distinguish the distinct plant communities.
Along the canyon floors, lush deciduous forests flash vibrant green in the spring and
deep orange, red, and yellow in the fall.
From the fourth saddle (4.9 miles, 3070'), the trail steadily descends 2.2 miles
to
Miller Canyon Camp,
leading past a sixth saddle and through a minor gully. In
wet months the trail crosses a nettle-lined seasonal creek beneath a small waterfall.
Continue 150 feet to the
Hennickson Trail junction
(6.4 miles, 2420').
Although the US Forest Service has abandoned the
Hennickson Trail
to the ele-
ments, hikers still pass this way. The route rockets up 900 feet in 2 miles along a
brushy waterless trail to the
Tin House
on
Hennickson Ridge.
Past the junction, the Miller Canyon Trail continues past endemic stands of Santa
Lucia firs, easily identified by densely foliated crowns that extend from the base of
the tree and lower branches that nearly touch the ground. The trail descends 0.4 mile
past talus slopes to a small seasonal tributary and a 20-foot waterfall that flows from
the first winter rains until summer.
The trail follows this small tributary through its narrow gorge, crossing it a
second time through shoulder-high thickets of stinging nettles. This invasive nonnat-
ive plant features clusters of small white flowers that bloom from the base of stinging
pubescent leaves.
A few hundred yards past the stinging nettles, the trail approaches the Miller Fork
for the first of 20 crossings. After heavy winter storms, these fords become increas-
ingly swift and dangerous downstream. In all other seasons it's an easy boulder-hop
across to
Miller Canyon Camp
(7.1 miles, 2000').
This is the larger of two official camps along the Miller Canyon Trail. The first
site is perched atop the east end of a creekside bench a few yards from the crossing,
marked by a dilapidated
LOS PADRES NATIONAL FOREST
sign, a table, and a fire ring.
