Part - 2 Northern Access : Before the Memorial day opening I had talked to Barry Nelson on the phone and was asking if the BLM were going to let the hikers form the Bowen Ranch cross their strip of BLM land to access the LFPL and the trailhead to the springs. I had just, 10 minutes before, got off the phone with Ruth Wenstrom, the Forestry Spokesperson and she had told me that they would definitly be opening up the forestry area around the springs. Barry Nelson told me in our conversation that the hotsprings area would not be opening up and told me not to listen to Ruth Wenstrom. He said she didn't know what she was talking about and just told the public what they wanted to hear. Well when I got off the phone with Barry, Icalled Ruth up and told her what Barry had just told me. Ruth was smokin after hearing that. Apparently the BLM and the Forestry folks don't always get along to well. I'm sure Barry Nelsons boss, Tim Read got a nasty call from Ruth about this. I also complained to Tim Read about what Barry Nelson had said and indicated that these comments were very unprofessional. So I told you all of this so you would understand why Barry Nelson was giving me the " evil eye " at the checkpoint motorhome :-) So off my wife and I went to explore these new routes. I found that the way to the LFPL was differant than before. Old route 2 had been eliminated because it was found out during a survey in deciding the new routes that route 2 crossed some private land owned by an entitiy called Rancho Las Flores. Old route 1 was now called Route 4 and it connected to a point further south at a multiple junction of routes 3,6 and 8. You turned left from route 4 onto Route 3 and headed east towards the LFPL. I had gone this way many times in years past in my explorations around the area. This new Route 3 dipped into Forestry territory in two places. These two places were the only points on any roads on the north side of DCHS that Forestry lands could be accessed which was a very important feature at that point in time since the BLM lands were still closed and would be for a long time to come. I called the BLM about whether I could park on the side of a BLM open route road in BLM lands and walk down the road. They said you could not do any of this. Also you could not walk through any BLM lands in this area. The Forestry lands however were open for normal use and you could walk through the lands and park on the side of the road. At that point in time my 4 wheel drive was not working so driving to the LFPL was not an option since the last 10 minutes of the road there were quite steep in sections. Fortunately on Route 3 there was the first spot that dipped into Forestry lands that was just before this rough and steep section. The LFPL was the second area I mentioned that Route 3 dipped into Forestry lands. So this meant that I could access legally to that first spot in the Forestry lands. park my car, and walk to the springs in a southerly direction, which would keep me in the Forestry territory all the way to the springs. Now many years before this I had spent alot of time in that particular area exploring and camping and I knew there was a canyon just south of the spot on Route 3 where I would be parking in the Forestry lands. This canyon I knew would lead to a point above the Bowen trail about a 10 minute hike from the springs. So this Route solved my problems of accessing around the bowen Ranch and it was all perfectly legal. Since I had not been to that area since the Willow Fire I was amazed to find that the area where I parked on route 3, and the lands all the way through the canyon, and on to the springs had not been burnt, which I relished with delight. I was in the Deep Creek canyon when the Willow Fire burnt through, and the blackened, tortured landscape I saw afterwards hiking out was very disappointing. So here was this Route to the springs through a beautiful canyon and unburnt lands. I found out in later hikes into DCHS from all directions that this canyon was the only one completely unaffected like that. Also throughout the entire length of this canyon are great looking granite outcrops. During this period my children where not able to hike so my wife and I would carry them to the springs in small backpacks. Of course as you know, kids don't get smaller, they get BIGGER, so it was getting ever harder to carry the little tikes in and out of DCHS which is another great thing about this Route to the springs. It is the shortest walking distance to the springs from a road, from any direction, north, south, east or west :-) My wife has torn ligaments in her knee from a basketball injury in her college days so the shorter walk meant less pain for her. My back was thankful for this point also. I actually, one time, in a fit of madness, a hotsprings addicted frenzy of sorts, decided to carry both my children down to the springs with one on my back and one in a belly pack in front. Needless to say my lower back after that hike went into a meltdown for a few weeks. I can say that old dogs can learn new tricks, like never try that again. Anyway another feature of this way to go to the springs is that I can drive to the parking area in any kind of weather, like snow, or very rainy conditions. Also the veiw of the Deep Creek Canyon ( when you exit the lower end of this canyon I'm talking about ) is really wonderful! When my kids finally did start walking it was nice to have the shorter walk on this trail. Howsabout I call it the Route 3 trail. I'll bet your wondering how I came up with that name :-) Anyway I started hiking each one of my two little girls when they were about two and a half. Patience is mandatory to maintain sanity on hikes with two and three year olds :-) They eventually made it all the way in and out on their own after many trips. Some of the early trips to the springs challenged Papa to keep the Munchkins mind occupied with much talk so they would not notice the distance of the hike. They really have made me proud how well they have done and of course now I'm having to call them back because their leaving me in the dust. Lets see, are there any more attributes that I appreciate about the Route 3 trail. Well I've listed quite a few and I've no doubt you can see why it appeals to me. To get to the spot where I park you first take Route 4 which is the right hand turn through the green gate a couple hundred yards before the Bowen Ranch. This is the beginning of Route 4. Go exactly two and a half miles, making every left ( every right on the way out ) hand, well traveled, turn, and you will arrive at the parking area by a small, three and a half foot tall Forestry sign. You will have traveled the length of Route 4 and a portion of Route 3. Past this point on Route 3 the road goes down a steep hill which is where the 4 wheel drive part of Route 3 starts. Park at the Forestry sign. When your ready to hike go to the Forestry sign and hike directly south on a short, dead end road ( about 50 yards long ) to a small rock outcrop and you will see the beginning of this trail. You will drop down into the unburnt canyon I mentioned about previously then you will head slightly southeast. Before long you will exit the canyon and drop down to the Bowen Ranch trail.
