I don't think I'd ever take 7 bridges trail to get there (so long!). There's a much faster and just-as-scenic way, especially when High Drive is closed. Park at the base of High Drive, walk west on Gold Camp Rd, and just after you go through the gate, take a right on the fairly new trail that ends up at the top of the ridge exactly where the Buckhorn cutoff trail T's with Captain Jacks. Then drop down into Bear Creek and hang a left onto 666. Go through the gnarly section of the trail that has all those BIG rocks (which I never used to be able to ride through without stalling at least once on my '83 Honda CR480). Continue west, pass the creek crossing on the left, where the pipeline trail goes over to Seven Bridges....and a short distance after that, hang a right at the fork over to Loud's Cabin. Just follow the drainage all the way up 'till your in the beautiful meadow between Arthur and Garfield. From there you can summit them both rather quickly with Easy bushwacking. For a fun route back to Bear Creek, I went south down the ridge from Arthurs summit, then steeply southeast into the valley that boarders the west edge of Tenny Crags.....a scetchy trail in the base of that valley parellels a little creek that takes you all the way back to 666, right exactly to those Big gnarly rocks in the trail.
ken_orlando - Feb 5, 2008 12:34 pm - Hasn't voted
ken_orlandoI don't think I'd ever take 7 bridges trail to get there (so long!). There's a much faster and just-as-scenic way, especially when High Drive is closed. Park at the base of High Drive, walk west on Gold Camp Rd, and just after you go through the gate, take a right on the fairly new trail that ends up at the top of the ridge exactly where the Buckhorn cutoff trail T's with Captain Jacks. Then drop down into Bear Creek and hang a left onto 666. Go through the gnarly section of the trail that has all those BIG rocks (which I never used to be able to ride through without stalling at least once on my '83 Honda CR480). Continue west, pass the creek crossing on the left, where the pipeline trail goes over to Seven Bridges....and a short distance after that, hang a right at the fork over to Loud's Cabin. Just follow the drainage all the way up 'till your in the beautiful meadow between Arthur and Garfield. From there you can summit them both rather quickly with Easy bushwacking. For a fun route back to Bear Creek, I went south down the ridge from Arthurs summit, then steeply southeast into the valley that boarders the west edge of Tenny Crags.....a scetchy trail in the base of that valley parellels a little creek that takes you all the way back to 666, right exactly to those Big gnarly rocks in the trail.
Enjoy! Ken