DISTANCE: 8.93km / 5.55 miles
ELEVATION GAIN: 215m / 707ft.
ELEVATION LOSS: 341m / 1118ft.
TIME: 3:10
PLUMAS NATIONAL FOREST
BUTTE COUNTY, CA
SOUNDTRACK: Exmortus: Night On Bald Mountain
SUMMITS:
Bald Rock Dome 1036m / 3400ft.
Little Bald Rock 1042m / 3420ft.
Bald Rock Area High Point: 1076m / 3530ft.
PHOTO ALBUM
MAP
...continued.
Bald Rock Dome is a striking granite batholith that towers over the Middle Fork Feather River canyon. It is a rather obscure dome, and most people that have seen it, probably did from the trail to Feather Falls. Fewer, from the "Bald Rock Dome Trail," which does not actually lead to Bald Rock Dome, but to a spot on the canyon floor (Curtain Falls) which presumably has a good view of it. Few people at all, it seems, make it to the top of the dome, or to the top of cliffs, as I did. I would soon find out why.
Still camping out in Berry Creek on some private property (most campgrounds in the state being closed at this point due to Covid-19), the day began with a visit to Milsap Bar, a recommendation from a local. At the bottom of a harrowing dirt road (45 mins.) lies Milsap Bar, where a bridge crosses the Feather River at the bottom of the canyon. Turns out the road down to it was considered a 4WD, but Amber's Chevy Van, with high clearance, made it with no problems. Milsap, officially closed as a campground, was deserted (one vehicle in parked, no humans seen) so we had a picnic and explored the area a bit. Two major tributaries of the Feather River join here, and it's quiet the wonderland of rushing mountain water.
This seems like a fine time to go off on my displeasure at lazy river naming in California, so here it comes: The two tributaries that that converge here on the Middle Fork Feather River are called "Little North Fork Feather River" and "South Branch Middle Fork Feather River." Come on! Was that the best you could do? I understand that the white man colonizers arrived in California and there were countless hundreds of rivers and streams to apply their white man names to, so they only named the big ones. But how can you even tell one from the other, with such a jumble of forks, branches, etc., all with basically the SAME NAME?
Food was eaten in haste, because when you sit still, the mosquitoes come. But then we were freed up to walk around, and we discovered the South Branch Middle Fork Feather River on the east side of the campground, which has excellent swimming holes. The water was so cold that it hurt, so I didn't stay in long. After I got home, some more research led me to learn that this side creek comes down from the legendary "Seven Falls," a destination I hope to check out soon, now that I know about it. After grinding the van back up the dirt road and out of the canyon, Amber wanted to go back to Oroville for supplies, and I had an unquenched thirst for hiking and exploring the area. So I had her drop me off at what I thought was a trail to the top of Bald Rock Dome. Cell phone service was adequate in the area, so a pickup could be arranged later.
There was a sign that said "to Bald Rock Dome Trail," at the intersection of Bald Rock Road and Bean Creek Road, but it turns out this was in reference to the aforementioned canyon trail to Curtain Falls. The path I followed, off of Bean Creek Road was not the "Bald Rock Trail" at all, it turns out, but according to my GPS, it looked like it would lead to the dome. I waved goodbye, and followed the dirt track around a bend, straight into a gate marked "private property." The road beyond was covered in undisturbed pine needles, I could tell it hadn't been used recently, and I carried on. Then road came to a T-intersection, and I turned right, following my GPS towards the dome. This road started out going south, then turned back east again. I was getting pretty close to the high point of the dome formation, but still deep in the trees, and suddenly I noticed a house. Even though the area seems ghostly abandoned, I was still a little paranoid, so I went off the south side of the road, into the bush, where there was a sign clearly stating "National Forest Boundary." At least here I couldn't be busted for trespassing. The "top" of Bald Rock Dome was due east of me, but that was not my destination, so I did mild bushwhacking to the south-east, towards the top of the exposed granite cliffs. As I got closer to them, a faint trail began to emerge, which I lost and found a few times.
Eventually I emerged from the manzanita thicket, and was staring over the edge of the granite precipice, overlooking the Middle Fork Feather River Canyon. I sat and absorbed the grandeur of it for several minutes. It was clear that this was a seldom visited place, with no official trail leading to it. I read somewhere that it was a meditation spot for the indigenous Maidu people. I could see about 180 degrees up and down the canyon, and there were some impressive cliffs across the river as well. I didn't stay for too long, because there was more on the menu for the afternoon's hike. I followed the faint trail that had finally gotten me to the cliffs, to see where it comes from, and luckily it became a real trail, but not heavily used. It led southwest, through the woods, all the way to Bean Creek Road. It was unmarked at the "trailhead," but this would be the trail to use to get to the dome if that's your goal. I couldn't tell if this area was on private land or not, but I think it's not. From here, I walked northwest, up the road, back to where I had been dropped off. Realizing by now that the area was a patchwork of private property easements, within or right at the edge of Plumas National Forest, I just said "fuck it" and started walking towards where I wanted to go.
Through the woods, to Bald Rock Area high point, which is 3,530 feet, but just a dirt patch surrounded by manzanita. Continuing west, I soon escaped the brush and got to easy cross country over open granite, to "Little Bald Rock," the final feature of the area that was on my agenda today. Similar to Big Bald Rock in nature, but apparently on private land. No trails or people visible. But not far in the distance, I heard the sound of heavy machinery working, and a plume of smoke rising from the trees. Some kind of "operation" on the land. I avoided whatever this was, and followed dirt tracks that led me back to Bald Rock Road. I was able to contact Amber via cell phone, and arranged to be picked on the road. To keep my self amused, I continued walking alongside the rural highway, Thankfully not too many cars whizzing by. I passed by the Big Bald Rock parking lot from two days ago, and kept going. It wasn't long after this that a familiar Chevy van came around the band, scooped me up, and took me back to camp for another night of drinking by the fire.
FURTHER READING
I couldn't find any report of anyone going to the area of Bald Rock Dome that I went to. All information on the internet leads to Official Bald Rock Dome Trail, which as I said above, leads down into the canyon, to Curtain Falls, and for a look up at Bald Rock Dome from below.
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