Trip Report 11/21/16

After hearing about this wonderful place for may years, my wife and I finally made our way there the Monday before Thanksgiving. We entered and camped at the Bowen Ranch. It was in the low 50's and windy when we arrived, so not very conducive to hanging out or hiking nude. It warmed up and the wind was blocked as we descended into the canyon, and was much more pleasant at the springs. There were about a dozen people there, most nude, all younger than us. Some had camped there the night before, which appears to be a popular activity in spite of the signs saying it is not allowed. After spending a few hours at the springs building up our internal temperature, and knowing it was all uphill on the return, we hiked out without getting dressed. Even though it was now pretty late in the day, we still met people still hiking in.

The camping at Bowen Ranch was nice. Very quiet and pretty empty on a Monday night, with only about 3 other groups camped nearby. Tuesday morning dawned clear and frosty, and snow blanketed the distant mountains. It was sunny and calm, however, so we found our clothes were not necessary as we did some morning yoga and made breakfast. Afterwards we rode our mountain bikes on the surrounding roads and motorcycle trails for a few hours. Lots of good riding in the area, although the single track can be pretty steep and loose for human powered cycles.

All in all an excellent visit, and we shall return!