Longest Mile Trail Wildflower Walk

Longest Mile Trail (map coming soon)

Features

Trail Description

  • rugged & difficult at times
  • Altitude change (coming soon)
  • x miles, one-way (coming soon)
  • single track with stairs built into the mountainside

Trail Accessibility

This trail is not wheelchair accessible

Area History  (coming soon)

Side Trips (map coming soon)

  • James Bar Trail
  • Mokelumne Hill history tour
  • Mokelumne Hill wineries

Parking (map coming soon)

  • Middle Bar Parking Lot on Gwin Mine Rd.

General Trail Safety

  • Use between sunrise and sunset
  • Stay on trail
  • Carry water and snacks
  • Carry a GPS and bring a friend along
  • Signage – Where the trail is signed it is marked at intervals with oval green, beige and white logo signs on 4×4 trail posts
  • Leave-No-Trace—The MCCT Council supports and encourages LNT practices while on the trail
  • Camping – Not allowed on the trail.
  • Fire – Fire danger can be extreme, campfires, camp stoves, and smoking are prohibited

Notes for the Wildflower Hike:

Here is a rare chance for you to see this magnificent portion of the Mokelumne Coast to Crest Trail with native plants experts as guides!  After meeting at the Middle Bar Take Out parking lot, we will carpool/caravan to the jump off point (since this starting point is behind locked gates, it is not accessible to the public without a ranger – we will all arrive together and leave together).  Then we will take the “ankle express” (hike) from James Bar west to Patti’s Point on one of the most beautiful and challenging segments of the MCCT on EBMUD watershed, “The Longest Mile”. For 10 years, California Conservation Corps, Mokelumne Trailbusters, and California Youth Authority wards worked on this remote one-mile segment of the MCCT between Patti’s Point and the Log Boom. Participants should plan ahead as we will stay together on the hike and after the hike we will not leave until everyone is carpooled back to their vehicles.  and a view of this segment of trail is under “Have some free time? Take a hike”.

Difficulty: The route between Spanish Gulch and Patti’s Point is very rugged and steep because of property boundaries and topography.  The elevation change in this half mile is 550 feet.  Stone stairs, landings, and retaining walls have been constructed to mitigate these steep grades.  Round trip is about 2-3 miles and much of the route is a difficult grade.  The hike, one way from James Bar to Patti’s Point, takes about 2 hours.

BRING: Bring a bag lunch, comfortable hiking shoes, backpack, canteen, sunscreen, insect repellent, long pants (to protect against stickers and insects), binoculars, and camera.

Not recommended for children under 7½ years old.  Participants under the age of 18 must have written permission from a parent or guardian and those under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.  No pets or alcohol permitted.

Field guides: If you would like to bring along a field guide, one of these beautifully illustrated guides are all you’ll need to locate and identify hundreds of native plants that grow in California ’s Gold Country and both are available in Sutter Creek at Bubble Gum Book Store:

Wildflower Walks and Roads of the Sierra Gold Country by Toni Fauver

Peterson Field Guide to Pacific States Wildflowers by Nichaus/Ripper

Directions: To the Middle Bar Take Out Parking Lot

From Paloma:

  • Travel north about 3 miles on Gwin Mine Road
  • Cross over the Middle Bar Bridge
  • The Middle Bar Take Out Parking Lot is on the left

From Highway 49 between Jackson & the Mokelumne River:

  • Travel south about 3 miles on Middle Bar Road
  • Just before the Middle Bar Bridge the Middle Bar Take Out Parking Lot is on the right

TICK BITE PREVENTION

People who just spend time outside are at risk for Lyme disease and other tick-borne co-infections. The Western Black-legged tick may harbor at least a dozen microbes including Lyme is found in 56 of the 58 California counties and Lyme infected ticks have been found in 42 of these counties. Education is the most important way to reduce the risk and increase the awareness of tick-borne diseases. Personal prevention is the most effective way to reduce your chances of being bitten by an infected nymphal Western Black-legged tick, which accounts for most of the Lyme disease transmission in California. 200,000 Americans are infected annually with this disease because of the Infectious Disease Society of American guidelines which are constructed in a manner that limits diagnosis and treatment and favors HMO’s and the Heath Insurance Industry.

The following are suggestions that will help to protect you from tick-borne diseases. Do thorough tick checks after the hike. Pretreated clothing, Insect Shield(R) apparel and accessories are available now from top brands such as L.L. Bean, Orvis, ExOfficio, REI, Sloggers, RailRaiders, Outdoor Research, Tilley, Zorrel, Carolina Manufacturing, Buff and others.

Another option is to spray one pair of pants and one shirt with a repellent containing Permethrin (at least 2 hours before use) and use an identifying mark on the inside of the garments to keep track of treatments.  The treatment should remain effective for 6 weeks or 6 launderings of the garment. Spraying pesticides containing DEET such as “Off” or “Cutters” on your skin is not as effective as treating your garments with Permethrin products. Spraying pesticides containing DEET such as “Off” or “Cutters” on clothing is NOT effective against ticks. Only use Permethrin products approved for human use and use pesticides in a responsible manner and follow the label instructions. Wear light-colored long pants and long sleeves so you can easily see any ticks. Repellents applied to the skin containing DEET or Lemon Eucalyptus oil applied every 7 hours have been rated “good” for mosquitoes & ticks.The Centers for Disease Control lists Lemon Eucalyptus Essential Oil as an organic product as an effective repellent for ticks that can carry Lyme disease.

Sawyer brand Permethrin 24oz pump spray @ 0.5% concentration, Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Repellent, from Spectrum Brands and insect repellant clothing available at REI

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