March 27, 2015 - Miami Lookout

Title: March 27, 2015 - Miami Lookout

Trail head:  Highway 49 and Road 6S79

Hike Info:

Type:  Hiking

Trail: Miami Mountain Road

Destination:Miami Lookout

Distance:  4.30 miles

Start Time:  11:31

End Time:     2:18

Travel Time: 2:46 (1.55 mph)

Moving Time: 1:48 (2.39 mph)

Elevation Rise: 1,148'

Maximum Elevation: 4,337'

Description:
This is a hike which I have wanted to do for about the past 9 months. Miami Mountain has fire a lookout on top of it. From the pictures it looks like it is a 360 degree view. So when Rachel has the day off, Sherri and I plan on going up there to do this 4-5 mile trail. As an added bonus, Steven is able to come with us.

The day starts out with me waking up at 5am. I do my quiet time. Then a little after 6, I get an e-mail from my brother. It looks like Dad has found some more of the tax information for my Dad. So I work on that while Sherri takes care of a medical appointment. At 10, I am still working on taxes while Sherri and Rachel get ready for our trip. I suspect we are all dilly-dallying around, but today may be the wrong day to do that. Fresno will be breaking a heat record-over 90. Miami Mountain is not that high so we will be in the midst of the warmth. But the good thing is that Steven comes home from school and wants to come with us.

So at 10:30 or there about, we start off. Rachel is driving and the first leg goes well. We go up Highway 41 to Oakhurst. Then take a left onto Highway 49. Here a simple journey gets a bit complicated. I know that the road to Miami is a bit hidden, but it is right at a saddle, about two miles beyond Nipinnawasee. So we go over the saddle and do not see a road and do a U-turn. We see a small side road, but it looks more like a driveway. But there is no other road, so we go down farther and come to Wormak Road which looks close, but Steven points out that it must be the little driveway we saw. So another U-turn and we go up the road. It quickly turns into a dirt road. Traveling up this road for a first time dirt road driver is a bit nerve-wracking. Then we come to a cattle gate and there is little room to turn around. There is not enough room to park, so I get the task of doing a U-turn on a one-lane dirt road with a drop off on one side. It is not too bad and we are quickly on our way back to where it is paved. There is a wide spot there, enough to park the car. So that is what we do.

Start of dirt road

Sherri on the road

Before we start out, while others are getting ready, I sort of look over a cattle chute, when I hear a noise and see a doe bound across the road. Nobody else saw her. Then we start walking up the road we just drove down. By the way, Friday, Rachel's dog is with us as well. We also immediately start a pretty good climb up the road. When we come to the cattle gate, some hope over it, but I see where there is a little opening to go over a cut out section of the barb-wire fence. Then it is more up. Now the road is nothing special, but as we climb up a couple things happen. First, the air is warm and the sweat drips freely from me. Second, we keep climbing. But the last thing is that we start to get glimpses of some views. The views are not ones of the high Sierras, but more of the foothills and out into the Central Valley.

View to the south

First view of Miami

When the road tops the ridge to the south west of of the lookout, we start curving back up. We eventually get our first view of the lookout, still high above us. But it gives us hope. Along the northern ridge, there is signs of life breaking out. Some of the smaller bushes leaves are uncurling, making a grand sight against the mountains in the distance.

Approaching Miami

By this time, the heat of the Spring day is starting to get to us, so we are glad when there is a final turn and the lookout springs in front of us. There is a bit of shade on the north side, so we sit by the lookout station, enjoying the view and our sandwiches.

Miami View-South

Miami View North

Miami View North East

Miami View-East

Eastman lake

As we are observing, a lady bicyclist comes up on a quick trip up the mountain. We talk for a few minutes about the lookout. But then she needs to go back down to pick up kids from school. After we take care of some personal needs in the outhouse, we do need to go back down. Some of the good things about  going back down is: we are going down, and you get to see things which you did not see before. On top, Sherri had noticed a body of water to the south of us. Around a bend, we can see it pretty clearly-I believe it is Eastman Lake. Then, around another corner we see Oakhurst laid out in front of us. Pretty good views for a less than five mile walk.

Friendly gopher snake

But wait, there is more. Did I mention we brought along Friday, Rachel's dog? She was about to go over and investigate something when Steven alertly called her back. She had found a snake, which for a minute we were wondering what kind. but it was just a garden variety gopher snake.

We get back to the car without further excitement around 2:15. Now where do we go to eat? We decide that Southgate Brewery would be a good place. Even at 3:00pm, the place has a significant number of people. We enjoy our food and then off to Fresno by 4:30. We now have a new place to hike to.

As a note: I have been communicating with Jeff May, the person in-charge of Miami Lookout. He was saying that only three people, plus the lookout in the tower can be in the lookout at any one time. But he is very welcoming of people coming up. Also where we parked is the appropriate place to start from.

Oakhurst

On the way down

Starting to leaf