Re: Bowen Ranch road condition including the road to parking please

Sam, did you end up going to the springs on Wednesday?

I had planned on going up on Friday via Bowen Ranch but with all the rain I gave up on that idea. I have attempted this before when it had recently rained or was raining. Usually if it is just a few showers you can make it okay but if it has rained really hard the road gets pretty muddy. One time I drove all the way from Long Beach and made it up to the ranch gate and was not allowed in to the Bowen parking area, the owner (Mike) said that the river was too swollen and he did not want to have to rescue anyone that attempted to cross it to get to the hot springs. That was a frustrating trip. One other time there was melting snow on the ground and the Bowen Ranch road was a muddy mess. My front wheel drive sedan could not make it up the slippery hills so I had to turn around and I ended up hiking in to the springs via the Mojave dam.

I was still thinking of going this Friday and hiking in via the Bradford Ridge trail but the weather report was predicting a 50% chance of rain throughout the day so I decided against it. I am going to try to get up to the springs next Thursday. Hopefully the Bowen Ranch road will be dried out by then and I can park at the ranch. If anyone makes the trip between now and next Thursday could you let me and Sam know the condition of the roads, including the road between the ranch house and the parking area?

Thanks.