June 11, 2012 - Lewis Creek Trail

Trail head: Cedar Valley

Hike Info:

Trail: Lewis Creek

Destination: Sugar Pine

Distance: 7.6 miles

Travel Time: 4:21, 1.75mph

Moving Time: 3:50, 2.00mph

Elevation Rise: 1,414

Maximum Elevation: 4,291

Description:

If you head north on highway 41, about halfway between Fresno and Yosemite is the town of Oakhurst. It is mostly a tourist town with commuters to Fresno. Traveling just a few miles more on 41, you will see, if you keep your eyes sharply open, a little side road called Cedar Valley Road. Go up the road, about a mile and a half and to the left is a little pull out road, with a sign saying trail. Stop here—you have reached our trail head.

Now most guidebooks say to just continue down highway 41 until you reach a turnout with a trail sign. But that meets the trail only half way. Most people start here—and we have done this as well. But to hike the full length of the Lewis Creek National Scenic Trail—that's right it is a National Scenic Trail—use the Cedar Valley Road trail head.

The reason why this is a National Scenic Trail is the trail runs along the creek the full way, there is plenty of plant and animal life to keep you busy. Plus there are two very attractive falls to enjoy. Ann-Marie Brown in her book, California Waterfalls, describes as pure enjoyment. And they are. Corlieu Falls is a series of cascades over rocks and around greenery. But Red Rock is a 20 foot drop over a red rock—the redness of the rock needs to be seen during low water times.

Starting at Cedar Valley, the trail rolls along, through pines, cedars and wildflowers for the first mile—if done in Spring or early Summer. Then when you hit a campsite, by the creek, the trail starts a 500' ascent over the next mile—it feels like it is a lot more, at least my old legs feel like it is. Some of the feeling is that the ascent is done steeply, then levels off and then the climb starts again. But just when you start wondering where the top is, you see the bottom of Corlieu Falls. And it is a beauty to behold. Not all of the great falls in the area are found in Yosemite.

Corlieu Falls is named after Clifford Corlieu, a local personality. He did some ranching and mining over near Friant. But his daughter lived near Lewis Creek. Once he saw the area, he fell in love with it. He even set up a resort of sorts at the top of the falls—it is no more and there is no remains to be seen. Just a flat place.



After climbing to the top of the falls, you walk along the remains of an old logging flume walkway. You reach the trail coming in from the highway 41 trail head. We keep going and cross a log—with nice railings to get on the east side of Lewis Creek. For the most part, the trail still is gently rising. It continues to follow the old logging flume path. That is until right before Red Rock Falls, when there is a pretty good, but short rise, taking you to the top of the falls.

To view Red Rock Falls, take a the side trail about 200 feet down to the top of the falls. The better viewing place is the bottom of the falls and there is a side path down to the bottom. We enjoy a snack and then go back to the top of the trail. Most guide books have you go back down the trail. But if you really want to finish the trail, like we did, you go about half a mile of up and down walking to the Sugar Pine road.



The return trip is down the same trail, just reversing the route. As a note: the shorter version of this trip from Highway 41 is found in the Falcon Guide book, Best Easy Day Hikes: Fresno by Tracy Salcedo-Chourre, page 59.