Little Res to BIG Tree

April 18, 2015 - HIKE

   April is a very indecisive month, when you may be defrosting your windshield in the morning and running the A\C after lunch.  This doesn’t mean you can’t go out hiking, it can be beautifully refreshing, it just means you need to go prepared.  This article will give you a basic rundown on the items I carry with me on the trail.  Occasionally I won’t carry anything if I’m not exploring somewhere new and I’ll be less than one hour.  Longer hikes require more planning, carrying more stuff,  and possibly bringing items like binoculars, a camera, or trekking poles.

The bare minimum for any outing is water, food, a cell phone  and extra clothing items appropriate for the weather.  If I feel like going deeper into the woods I make sure to have a map, compass, GPS, first aid kit, matches, headlamp, tissues, sunscreen, extra socks, string or rope, chapstick, hat, sunglasses and a knife.  Try to use an appropriate size backpack and if it’s smaller, have a system to attach bulky jackets and objects to the outside.  With experience, you’ll learn how much water to take, because a hot day and steep climbs can quadruple your requirements.  I never take less than a quart of water and it is typically enough for 2 to 4 hours.  When you ramp up to all day adventures or backpacking it is a huge advantage to use water out there in the wild but it must first be filtered or treated.   One last piece of advice is to secure your car keys where they can’t get lost.  It’s no bueno to be panicking at dusk wondering if they’re lost in the dirt 3 miles back, or locked inside your vehicle.  Any questions, comments, or concerns, call me at 801-243-0095.  

   One word to describe this weeks hike is “charming”.  It is a short 1.5 mile loop that has a bit of everything wonderful about hiking.  Shady pine trees, a crystal clear stream, soft rich black soil, moss draping off damp cliffs, two stream crossings, sunny clearings, and most impressively, the BIG TREE!  I would allow 1 to 2 hours to appreciate this easy walk.  Begin by driving up Beaver Canyon and turn right at mm 10,  then park at Little Reservoir Campground.  If the campground is operational you need to pay the five dollar day-use fee.  Across the street from the campground entrance look to the east and theres a little ditch running through this small grassy meadow.  You’ll walk away from Little Res. across this meadow towards a small rise.  At the top of the rise you’ll spot two half-buried pipelines that diverted water out of the South Fork of the Beaver River.  Follow these lines through the shade for several hundred yards until you spot an historic stone valve box.  My favorite part of this trail is here as you walk upstream, meandering up the drainage bottom to the first crossing.  Once across, the trail spends some time in the sunshine weaving through clumps of creeping juniper, mixed conifers and aspen trees until you arrive at the USFS trail number 230.  Take a right on the 230, cross the stream again and shortly you’ll see two brown fiberglass signs.  You are now only 100 yards from the BEAST!  Go left at the signs and you’ll be approaching a massive Ponderosa Pine whose limbs reach 57 feet across, whose trunk is 17 feet around and proudly stands 130 feet tall.  All the first graders in Beaver County go on a field trip in the fall to visit the big tree, learn how to responsibly enjoy the forest, and meet Smokey the Bear.  Please do not harm or deface any living tree, especially this beauty!  This summer there will be new benches installed under the tree and a sign with all the facts and figures.  

   To continue this hike in a loop back to your car, get back on the 230 trail heading westerly and you’ll climb up out of the drainage emerging near private cabins.  Please respect private property, staying on the gravel road downhill to join the Kents Lake road( FR 137).  Hopefully the ten minute downhill walk back to Little Res. is dust free and you can admire the cute cottages of the Hi-Lo community.   Maybe you’ll be inspired to purchase a lot and you can MOVE “Into The Tushars”.