- Elevation - low of 575' to high of 935'
- Location - South Yuba River State Park - Bridgeport Covered Bridge
- Mileage - 5 miles
- Hiking time - 3 hours (lots of picture taking!)
- Route - We parked in the lot right near the covered bridge and Visitor's Center (fee area). There's also a fee area parking lot across the river.
- Weather - Not too warm, not too cool, sunny and perfect for hiking!
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| I'm so lucky to have fun friends who are willing to follow me along on these hikes! |
It's hiking season again! Our main goal for this hike was to see some wildflowers. With all the rain we've had, we were hopeful there would be plenty of them. We did see some pretty flowers, but I wouldn't say it was bursting with them. But we also loved the view of the river throughout the hike and the beautiful green hills. We started on the North side of the river near the covered bridge and hiked up the hillside following the Point Defiance Loop Trail. It's a good little climb to get the heart pumping at the beginning. Then we rounded the corner and followed the trail along the river back around to where we started.
From there we crossed the road to the other parking lot and the Buttermilk Bend Trail. This section is totally flat the whole way, which is great if you want to hike with little kids. (though there are some pretty steep hillsides!) We hiked as far as a small waterfall coming down the hillside and then turned around. Lovely views, lovely flowers, just a lovely day!
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| Gas Station Throwback |
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| Green, green everywhere! |
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| But this is not a good green -- it's poison oak! We saw lots along the trail, so watch out! |
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| Lots of "Scotch Broom" -- apparently an invasive species but beautiful. |
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| Eating an edible plant called Miner's Lettuce (yum!) |
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| So many butterflies! |
