Thanks for your positive feedback Mr. Viejo :-) Eastbay, In making my comparison of the two trails ( Bowen and Bradford Ridge ) I mentioned the 2 wheel parking area which is about one half mile south of the Bowen Ranch on that property. During the fire closure this is where most people were hiking to the springs from. I take open public route 4 which cuts off the Bowen Ranch road just about one quarter mile from the Bowen Building and passes a few hundred feet to the north of it. As you continue on route 4 you will be going west and within two thirds of a mile you will come to a open gate on your right. Do not take this road and continue left. Another half mile down the road you will come to the edge of a good sized hill that runs north to south and you will turn south running parallel to this hill. Soon you will go over a gap between to hills and will go down a small canyon on the other side. Quickly you will come to a set of two intersections of roads and at the second one you will see the road is marked route 3 with a thin brown stake BLM sign. If there is no sign ( there has been one up till now ) just take the second left turn after going through the gap I mentioned. The first left goes to route 3 also but has been marked closed with a red BLM stake. After turning left take route 3 for about a mile and you will find a set of forestry signs on your right. Just on the other side of these signs the road goes down a steep hill which would require a 4 wheel drive for a return journey. If you continued down route 3 it would bring you to the lower parking lot along the Bowen trail. If you continued on past the lower parking lot to the east the road is called 3n59a and eventually takes you across the northern edge of Luna Mtn and then back to the northwest through Luna Vista Ranch and on to the Bowen Ranch road again. My point in telling you this last bit of info about 3n59a is that once you pass the forestry signs on route 3 down that steep hill you will most surely need a 4 wheel drive vehicle to get back out, either west or to the east toward Luna Mtn. With that said, I park in a flat area right by these Forestry signs above the steep hill. Everything to that point on Route 4 and 3 is 2 wheel conditions. This area is forestry land and is the closest place to the hotsprings you can park, legally. At these forestry signs there is a 50 yard dead end road that goes directly south. If you walk to the end of this road you will find a trail that takes off down the hill. This trail has been worked recently and is in good condition. The trail drops you down into a canyon. Once in the canyon just follow it to the south east and within a half mile you will come to a barbed wire fence in front of you. At this point you can see the hotsprings below you in the canyon. At this barbed wire fence go down hill about 300 feet to the bottom. At the bottom as soon as you stop descending turn to your left and you will find a trail that takes you down a small ravine to the Bowen ranch trail which is within a couple hundred feet. At this point on the Bowen Ranch trail it will take you another 10 minutes or less to arrive at the hotsprings. This is route I use always unless coming from the south off 173. One thing I really like about this trail is you hike through lands that were untouched by the Willow Fire. This is the way I take my munchkins to the springs and heck, if a 3 and 4 year old can do it then anybody can. This trail does have a couple of sections that are steeper than the Bowen trail but I find it easier ( mentally and physically ) than any other route that I've come across. Since you are parking in Forestry lands it is adventure pass territory. It takes me a little over 15 minutes driving time from the point I leave the Bowen Ranch road to this parking spot. Without the munchkins my hiking time down to the springs is about 30 minutes. I have never had any problems with vandalism at this area. If you follow the above directions I think you will find your way on this trail without a problem and you may find it to be your trail of choice to the springs as I have, good luck :-)
