Hiking the Sonoma coastline and enjoying sweeping views of sea stacks: Kortum Trail

Splashing waves off the oceanfront cliffs

The Kortum Trail in the Sonoma Coast State Park in northern California parallels the Pacific Ocean from Wright's Beach to Blind Beach, from where you can—while being aware of danger zones and sleeper waves—continue to Goat Rock and beyond to the mouth of the Russian River. The trail is mainly winding across open coastal prairie along oceanside cliffs, offering stunning views of sandy coves and craggy, wave-breaking outcroppings [1-6].

Year-round, Kortum Trail lets you watch and enjoy the rhythm and drama of the rocky Sonoma Coast. Curious about earth movements or slides? Well, the San Andreas fault follows along offshore—making this coastline indeed unique and special.

Kortum Trail is named for the Petaluma veterinarian and environmentalist Bill Kortum (1927-2014), who fought to keep coastline access open to the public. Many are regarding Bill Kortum as the father of the Sonoma County environmental movement. He helped defeat a proposed power plant at Bodega Bay [2-4]. 

Herein, I am following the Kortum Trail from its south-end trailhead at Wright's Beach via Shell Beach and over the Peaked Hill to Blind Beach.

Downstairs to Shell Beach

At the Wright's Beach trailhead, you will find an informative board with a trail map and the warning that the rugged shoreline with its jagged rocks and hazardous surf is not for swimming. Actually, if you are just  following the well-marked hiking path, you will not reach the shore or surf level before reaching the Blind Beach/Goat Rock area. Kortum Trail mainly meanders through coastal bluffs from where you will experience sweeping views of the offshore sea stacks and the ocean surf from a safe distance.

About halfway between Wright's Beach and Blind Beach is Shell Beach. It takes five to ten minutes to take the stairs downhill to the beach—actually a small, scenic cove with not much beach left to scatter around at high tide.  

Shell Beach surf

Board walk through coastal prairie: northbound to the Gull Rock vista point

North of Shell Beach, rocks on both sides of the oceanfront cliffs will attract your attention: offshore Gull Rock as well as Mammoth Rock and the Sunset Boulders [5,6].

White bird droppings covering sea stacks (Gull Rock in the upper left quarter)

Gull Rock is the farthest offshore rock. This sea stack is “painted” white with bird droppings and serves as a nesting site for gulls and cormorants [2,3]. 

Mammoth Rock

On the coastal prairie side there are several outcroppings of archaeological and recreational interest. Collectively, they are called Mammoth Rocks or Rubbing Rocks. Archaeologist Breck Parkman thinks of these rocks as mammoth and bison grooming sites [5]. He wrote:

In 2001, I discovered what I believe to be Rancholabrean rubbing rocks on California's North Coast. These are features that I believe were used for grooming by now-extinct Ice Age megafauna such as Mammuth columbi and Bison antiquus. [...] The Mammoth Rocks site consists of four loci of rubbing rocks, separated by about 300 m. Two of the loci consist of very large blueschist seastacks (20 and 30 m tall). The other two loci are smaller blueschist boulders (4 and 5 m tall). The four loci surround an enigmatic wetland that I believe may represent a relic animal wallow. 

Sunset Boulders

During my late-October visit of the Mammoth Rocks this year, I saw people climbing to the top the Sunset Boulders, the northernmost rock formation of the “Rubbing site.”

Past the Sunset Boulders, Kortum Trail continues— over wooden steps—uphill over a saddle east of Peaked Hill and then downhill to Blind Beach. Arched Rock, Goat Rock and the Russian River State Marine Conservation Area are now coming in view. Here, I began my return hike and took my car to get to Goat Rock Beach and the sand spit between the final stretch of the Russian River and the open sea. 

Goat Rock

Getting to Kortum trailheads

From Bodega Bay, go north on Highway 1 for six to ten miles and select one of the multiple access points. The Kortum Trail stretches nearly four miles from Wright's Beach to Goat Rock.

Direction from Shell Beach

The trail is accessible from different road ends and parking lots including the few lots near the Wright's Beach campground and picnic area, the Carlevaro Way dead-end, the Shell Beach parking area, the Pacific View Drive dead-end, and from various sites along Goat Road including the Blind Beach parking area. 

From the Shell Beach lots, favored by many visitors, you have multiple hiking options: walking the easy southbound trail, hike northbound towards Gull Rock viewpoints, Mammoth Rock, Sunset Boulders, The Peaked Hill and Blind Beach, or take the short path down the stairs to Shell Beach.   

Map

The map, accessible by the following link, shows the trail section and sites between Shell Beach and Blind Beach including Peaked Hill, Mammoth Rock and the Sunset Boulders: https://www.google.com/maps/dir//Sunset+Boulders,+Kortum+Trail,+Jenner,+CA/@38.428139,-123.1197201,15z/data=!4m9!4m8!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x80869fac2db18237:0xcbf227d683480426!2m2!1d-123.1157319!2d38.4292347!3e0

References & further reading 

[1] Sonoma Coast State Park. PDF version: https://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/451/files/SonomaCoastSPFinalWebLayout2017.pdf.

[2] David Weintraub: North Bay Trails. Wilderness Press, Berkeley, 1999. See Chapter 46 - Kortum Trail; pp 244-247. 

[3] Robert Stone: Trail of the Week: Kortum Trail. Sonoma Magazine, June 2016. Website: https://www.sonomamag.com/trail-of-the-week-4/ (accessed on November 12, 2022).

[4] Bill Kortum 1927-2014. Sonoma County Conservation Action. Website: https://www.conservationaction.org/bill-kortum/ (accessed on November 12, 2022).

[5] E. Breck Parkman: Mammoth Rocks. California Department of Parks and Recreation.   Website: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=23566 (accessed on November 12, 2022).

[6] Patty Ginochio: Fragile Beauty - Sunset Rocks | Mammoth Rub on Kortum Trail at Goat Rock State Beach. Sonoma County Gazette, August 3, 2019. Website: https://www.sonomacountygazette.com/sonoma-county-news/fragile-beauty-sunset-rocks-mammoth-rub-on-kortum-trail-at-goat-rock-st/ (accessed on November 13, 2022).

Ghost mill exploration: walking between big-mill walls and rubble

Trapezoidal-prism-shaped foundation of the Mangum Mill today (September 2022)

The ghost town of Aurora in Nevada has its ghost mill: the Mangum Mill.  The discovery of gold- and silver-rich ore in the second half of the 19th century triggered the foundation of mining towns north of Mono Lake—including Aurora [1-5]. Founded in 1860, one year after Bodie was established, the Aurora Mine Area (elevation around 7,500 feet) had a very short boom time; if any at all. Nevertheless, the mines were kept alive for some decades (see the Aurora Cemetery board section “Boomtown, Then Dust” [1]):

In the early twentieth century, the Aurora Consolidated Mines Company acquired property north of the old town and erected the big mill known as the Mangum Mill. While the company's activities brought some life back to Aurora, it was not a long-lived proposition, closing operations in 1918.

Today there is only rubble left, due to the fact that many buildings were disassembled and the bricks used to make them sold or stolen. Today, the US Forest Service manages a portion of the site.

  

Not stolen: concrete-anchored metal

The 500-ton mill is named for W. Lester Mangum, who, with Jesse Knight and three others, established the Aurora Consolidated Mines Company in 1912. Construction of the mill was completed in 1914 [2]. Although the company kept Aurora in its name, Aurora was not considered fit as the mining hometown. In the shadow of the mill, the company town of Mangum was established, because Jesse Knight, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was displeased with the “sinful life” happening in Aurora. 

The Nevada Expeditions website describes the short time of the mills operation and its final fate [2]:

For the next few years and into World War I, the Aurora Consolidated Co. worked old mines and tailings, processing over 633,000 tons of ore and producing over $1.8 million. By 1918, a shortage of labor due to the war coupled with rising operation costs led to the mill's closure. It was soon dismantled, and both equipment and buildings were relocated to Goldfield and Mangum quickly became but a memory. Large foundations of the Aurora Consolidated Mill remain, but the site of Mangum has since been covered by modern day mining operations.     

Stay out of trouble—avoid the rubble!

Today, you can still walk between the remaining walls and rubble of the Mangum Mill. Its terraced foundation can be seen from the air [5]. It seems relatively safe to use the walk ways between the walls that occur on different terrace levels. All around, fallen rocks, wheels, beams and sharp or rusty metal pieces make for trip hazards. An occasional high-altitude rattlesnake may hang out in a rubble shelter during the hot summer months, although it is said they are seldom found much about 7,000 feet or higher. 

Today's Aurora landscape: Mill walls in front, high walls in the back

References and more to explore

[1] Aurora, Nevada. Ghost City of the Dawn. Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest Board at the Aurora Cemetery site, Bridgeport Road, Nevada. 

[2] Mangum, Mineral County. Nevada Expeditions, 2013-2022. Website: https://www.nvexpeditions.com/mineral/mangum.php.

[3] Aurora, Nevada. Western Mining History. Website: https://westernmininghistory.com/towns/nevada/aurora/.

[4] Aurora. Atlas Obscura. Website: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/aurora-nevada.

[5]  Drone footage of the Ghost Town of Mangum, Mineral County, Nevada. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41EhnRRMRm0.

Inspiring Mangum Mill memories: beams below clouds

Carson Range recreation: from Spooner Lake to Marlette Peak, northwestern Nevada

Marlette Lake with Marlette Peak above Rocky Point 

The 6.5+-mile-long route (one way) from Spooner Lake to Marlette Peak (elev. 8780 ft) leads mostly through mixed forest—with the exception of the open-slope grandeur around the west and south side of the conic peak. Instead of starting at Spooner Lake, hikers and mountain bicyclists also like to travel the alternative route to Marlette Peak from Spooner Summit along the Tahoe Rim Trail.

Spencer's Cabin

Here, I am following the route starting at the trailhead in the Spooner Lake Management Area. A short walk from the parking lot west of Spooner Lake's dam takes you to rustic Spencer's Cabin. Following the wide path used by hikers and bicyclists, you soon will arrive at the kiosk with the Marlette Lake Trail sign. The 3.75-mile-long trail to the southern tip of Marlette Lake is a single-track, hiking-only trail; while the wide path—

Marlette Lake Trail sign

North Canyon Road—also leads to the lake and is open for mountain biking.

About half-way along Marlette Lake Trail, you will pass the Woodcutter's Cabin site. Continue the steady climb until you get to a saddle separating North Canyon from the lake basin, then descend for a half a mile to the trout hatchery at Marlette Lake. 

Rocky Point with a stretch of Marlette Lake's shoreline

From the hatchery, it takes 0.3 miles along the northeast side of the lake to a road junction, from which you can access Rocky Point, return to Spooner Lake on North Canyon Road, or begin your climb to the Marlette Overlook and to the point where the road intersects with the Tahoe Rim Trail (TRT). 

On the way between Rocky Point and Marlette Overlook

Turn left on the TRT to the Marlette Peak Campground (Marlette PK CG). If you continue northbound on the TRT, halfway around Marlette Peak, you will get to a junction, where a post directs you to the South Marlette PK Loop and back to Marlette PK CG. 

South Marlette Peak Loop Trail

The South Marlette Peak Loop Trail is where you want to rest and celebrate the magnificent view of Marlette Lake, Snow Valley Peak, Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Crest in California.   

Marlette Lake with Lake Tahoe further back

Lincoln Bypass Trail, Carson City, Nevada

Lincoln Bypass Trail near Carson City

Longview/Kingsview Way post

The Lincoln Bypass Trail connects Carson City with the trail system of the Kings Canyon waterfall area in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. This 4.4-mile-long hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding trail starts at the intersection of Kings Canyon Road and Longview Way in West Carson City and ends at the south trailhead of the Ash Canyon to Kings Canyon Trail. Today's Kings Canyon Road section between the Kings Canyon Rd/Longview Way trailhead and the Ash-to-Kings trailhead, which you are bypassing by using the accordingly named single-track trail, was part of the original 1913 Lincoln Highway.

Green band alongside the downhill path of water into Kings Canyon Creek 

The Lincoln Bypass Trail—completed in October by Sierra Trail Works & Muscle Powered—is much more than a bypass trail: it's a great addition to the Kings Canyon/Ash Canyon trail system. 

Prickly poppy 

Mariposa lily

The bypass trail is a scenic trail by itself. In late spring, Sierra/Great Basin wildflowers such as prickly poppies and Mariposa lilies are blooming alongside the path. Winding up through a short canyon at the edge of a Carson City neighborhood, the mellow-graded trail traverses a sagebrush plateau with amazing views of forested Carson Range slopes and continues through shrub, including snowbrush and wild rose shrub, before entering open pine forest, crossing Kings Canyon Creek and concluding its path at a stand of cedar trees. See the signpost below with directions for continuing on the Upper Waterfall Loop trail. The trail map at the kiosk on the other side of Kings Canyon Road shows the waterfall loop trail; but not the Lincoln Bypass Trail (as of June 2022).

Stand of cedars where the bypass trail continues to the Upper Waterfall  

Getting there

From the Nevada State Capitol Building in downtown Carson City, take West King Street and go west. West King Street continues as Kings Canyon Road. Find parking where Longview Way and Kingsview Way meet Kings Canyon Road. The trailhead is on the left side west of Kingsview Way. 

References and more to explore

[] Lincoln Bypass /mountain bike trail. Trailforks. URL: https://www.trailforks.com/trails/lincoln-bypass/.

[] Staff Report (Gregg Berggren, Trails Coordinator): Capital to Tahoe/Lincoln Bypass Trail. URL: https://www.carson.org/home/showpublisheddocument/77624/637696192196230000.

[] Lincoln Highway Era (1913-1928). URL: https://4thprater.onlinenevada.org/era/lincoln-highway-era.

[] The Lincoln Highway in Nevada. Nevada Magazine, March-April 2013. URL: https://nevadamagazine.com/issue/march-april-2013/539/.

Mountain bikers on track at a switchback of Lincoln Bypass Trail

Dead Truck Canyon Trail, Prison Hill, Nevada

Hello again!

Dead Truck Canyon Trail connects the Silver Saddle Ranch east of Carson City with the upper trails in the Prison Hill Recreation Area. The 1.7-mile-long trail ascends from the Carson River valley through an east-west canyon on the east side of the highest point at 5,724 ft (1,745 m) in the Prison Hill complex.

Dead Truck Canyon rock

The single-track Dead Truck Canyon Trail is a hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding trail with 800 ft (244 m) of elevation gain. The sandy trail winds through sagebrush and gets rockier while you climb uphill with interesting rock formations on both sides of the canyon trail. About half-way you will find the eponymous truck—or what is left of it. How did it get there? Obviously, this is an exciting place to take a break and have some fun. Even your dog will appreciate the shade under the roof of this stranded car. 

A coyote curiously watching who is coming up the trail

Dead Truck Canyon Trail coincidences with part of the Escape From Prison Hill Trail, along which a half marathon is now organized each year. This race of 13.1 miles includes and continues beyond the narrow canyon, rocky terrain, and steep hills you experience and pass on your way up on Dead Truck.  

Marking the end of the first mile of the half marathon

Getting there

From the 5th Street Trailhead at the northern tip of the Prison Hill Recreation Area, which is located next to the intersection of E 5th St. and Carson River Rd. in the eastern part of Carson City, continue on in south-east direction towards the Silver Saddle Ranch at 2648 Carson River Rd. Turn right at the ranch entrance sign. After about a quarter mile, where the one-way road bends right (east), there are a few parking lots for at-the-spot access of the Dead Truck Canyon Trail and the Valley View Loop. Alternatively, you may want to consider starting out from the main parking area next to the ranch buildings—less than a quarter mile away.

Dead Truck Canyon trail network 

PDF Map

Prison Hill Recreation Area and Silver Saddle Ranch:

https://www.beneficialdesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Prison-Hill_reduced_2019-04-24.pdf.

More to explore

Kyler Klix. Prison Hill: Several trails with varying difficulty. Nevada Appeal, April 10, 2021. URL: https://www.nevadaappeal.com/news/2021/apr/10/prison-hill-several-trails-varying-difficulty/.

Escape From Prison Hill Half Marathon, 10K & 5K. Halfmarathons.net. URL: https://www.halfmarathons.net/nevada-escape-from-prison-hill-half-marathon-10k/.