Re: Bradford Ridge Trail

Mike, You can make it all the way to the place to park on route 3 where the trail I mentioned starts with a 2 wheel vehicle. I've seen a volkswagon bug do it and they don't sit very high. There are thin brown BLM signs with the route numbers on them along all open routes. The info about Route 1and 2 as crossing private property is an outdated report and refers to the situation discovered after the willow fire that the old route to the Forestry parking lot did cross Rancho Los Flores property. Now old route 1 has become route 4 and old route 2 is now closed. Much of the old side roads along route 4 have been blocked by fences including old route 2. All routes listed on the BLM route map are open. I noticed a couple of months ago that all signs indicating the BLM lands were closed have come down and previously gated roads into there territory have been opened. I don't think they would open these gates and take down all these signs if there lands were still closed and off limits. The route that is now route 1 begins at a road I beleive is signed as Oak Springs Rd. off the Bowen Ranch Road and takes you by the Luna Vista Ranch and up against the north side of Luna Mtn and eventually back down to the Forestry parking lot. This route is lengthy, rough and 4 wheel drive territory in places. Not a real option if you wish to conviently access the springs. Current route 2 is a shortcut so to speak between two parts of route 1 but is definitely a 4 wheel route. Back to route 4 then 3, it takes me 17 minutes at a comfortable pace from the point route 4 leaves the Bowen Ranch road ( a few hundred yards from the ranch gate ) to the place where I park on route 3. At the point of parking there are two signs. One is a brown BLM route sign. There is no route number on this sign probably because you are in forestry lands at this point. The second sign is a forestry sign for the adopt a road program. If standing at these signs there is a short 50 yard or so dead end road going directly south. Where this dead end stops the trail I mentioned is clear to see going down a hill. I'll just call this trail the Route 3 trail in future discussions. I did a hike down this trail to the springs yesterday with my two daughter who are 3 and 4 years old. On the way back from the springs we came across an 18 inch Rosy Boa. It was very tame like the previous one I caught earlier this year and the kids had fun petting it. I let it go back in the bush I found it under. Well I think the above answers you current questions. Happy hotspringin :-)