April 7, 2025 - Stevenson Falls

Title: April 7, 2025 - Stevenson Falls
Hike Info : Description : Background :  Extra Photo's : Animals : Flowers and Plants

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking 

Trail head: Italian Bar Road

Trail: Million Dollar Mile (SCE)

Destination: Stevenson Falls

Actual Destination: 

Distance:  6.98 miles ¹

Start Time: 10:20

End Time:    2:25

Travel Time:  4:05 (1.71 mph)

Moving Time: 3:16   (2.14 mph)

Elevation Rise: 828'

Descent: 837‘

Maximum Elevation: 2,345'

GPS Tracks

 ¹My GPS stopped on the return trip about 1.4 miles from the Falls. The rest of the trip is stitched together from the trip out. The Start and End times is what I noted down. For a more complete view, see my blog entry for January 3, 2025.

Description:

Yesterday during our Fresno family meeting, we said we would go on a hike today. Even though we went to Stevenson Falls in January, since it is Spring, we might get to see some flowers in bloom. Let us hope so.

Jose Creek

I got up at 6:30 and got myself ready for an 8am departure. We actually left at 8:20 with Sherri driving. Our first stop is Costco to fill up with gas. We probably could have easily made it. But I really would rather not get stuck down there without cell service. Sherri is trying a new thing, paying with her phone’s wallet. We still need to work on it. I think it is a matter of getting things right with the membership.

Sherri actually drives all the way. The first part of the route is an ordinary road. But when we leave Auberry, the road starts to get a bit more “interesting”. Particularly when we turn off onto Jose Basin Road. But Sherri keeps on going. When we turn onto Italian Bar Road, the road gets more curvy, more narrow and steeper. And Sherri drives us all the way to the parking area for the Million Dollar Mile. We arrive a few minutes after 10.

But before we hit the road, Sherri cannot find her day pack. Did she bring it? Where was it left? What is crucial in there? Sherri is able to get a bottle of water, but she is missing her sunscreen. I have some energy bars and more water if needed. So we start our walk about 10:20

 

 

There is more exposure to the sun than there is earlier in the year. So Sherri is bundled up since she lacks her sunscreen. On the other hand there are flowers. I misquote Jesus to her, telling Sherri to that our heavenly Father looks after the flowers, so she should let her earthly husband and son look after her. Not that she really took us up on this.

Looking east

California Golden poppies

You may think the previous statement was facetious, but it isn’t. There are flowers everywhere. I go from the edge of the road to the edge of the road to gawk at the flowers. There is lupine and redbud, of course, which provides the purples and a reddish-lavender. But then there are the delicate little white flowers, some blue dicks, fireweed, and the orange is provided by California Golden Poppy. This is not just a patch here and then a small patch there. But there were flowers throughout our walk. Even the rocks have water dripping from them and the greenness of plants hanging on.

Throughout this walk, I stop and look, then catch up only to stop and look some more. Not so much looking over the San Joaquin River or the mountains around. Today’s walk is more about the flora.

But Stevenson Falls almost always catches your attention. Today is no different. The Falls are not at its fullest, but pretty full. When you stand right, the sun filters through the dropping water, sometimes providing a glow and other times a glistening.

Rivulet off a rock

Redbud

We drop down in the shade, close to the rock wall. Direct sunlight is a bit warm. This is a pleasant place to have lunch. Right beside where I am sitting are several flowers. Always nice to have a bouquet of flowers to be at your side while you munch on your peanut butter and Nutella sandwich. Heaven must be something like that.

Sherri left about ten minutes before Steven and myself. By the time I got off the ground-it takes a bit more to get off the ground these days-it is 12:40. I am even more delayed as I cross the Stevenson Creek bridge. A couple of women were taking selfies. I took their pictures, which they were appreciative of.

 

 

 

 

Coming out of Stevenson Falls, the Million Dollar Mile Road goes on a long uphill. I am wondering how I will be doing on this. Actually, I do well. I kept a steady pace going up it, stopping only at the top for 30 seconds at the top. But I have not caught up with either Sherri or Steven. As we get to the adit a bit more than halfway to the car, I do catch up. I give Steven my car fob and he goes on ahead.

I walk with Sherri the rest of the way. Nothing exciting, just walking. Well, there is an SCE helicopter flying the lines. It is warm, but we have plenty of water. We got back to the car about 2:30. Steven drives us back. I guess I no longer need to drive-I can be chauffeured everywhere. Of course, after a hike, there is always the pressing question: Where do we want to eat? The answer after much shoulder shrugging is Pieology up in northern Fresno. By the time we get home it is closing in on 5.

 

 

Background

I met a new fellow lookout afterwards. He used to work for SCE and travelled this area. We swapped stories. I did ask him if there was any truth to a SCE truck being crushed on the bridge by the Falls. He had not hear of it, but he had heard of windows being blown out.

Extra Photo's

View from our lunch spot

Sherri and Gary at lunch

Steven, Korra and Gary at lunch

Stevenson Falls

Top of Stevenson Falls

Sherri crossing Stevenson Creek Bridge

Gary and Steven going down the road

Animals

 
Flowers and Plants

Sunflowers

Sun Cup

Whisker Plant

Sunflower

California Golden Poppy

Lupine

Lupine Bush

Lupine

Indian paintbush

Sucessllia?

Elderberry

Redbud

January 3, 2025 - Stevenson Falls

 

Title: January 3, 2025 - Stevenson Falls
Hike Info : Description : Extra Photo'

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking 

Trail head: Italian Bar Road

Trail: Million Dollar Mile Road

Destination: Stevenson Falls

Distance:  6.93 miles

Start Time: 11:03

End Time:    2:53

Travel Time: 3:50  (1.81 mph)

Moving Time:  2:55  (2.38 mph)

Elevation Rise:  849'

Descent: 868‘

Maximum Elevation: 2,341'

GPS Tracks

Description:

Today we are going on the first hike of 2025. I get up about 6:30 and get my stuff together. It has been two months since we have gone on a hike. My day pack is in disarray, but I was able to get it together in relatively short order. We are scheduled to leave at 9. Leaving about 9:20 is not too bad. It will be just Sherri and I on this trip.

Jose Creek

The drive is relatively uneventful. Once we leave Auberry, the roads-Jose Basin and Italian Bar-are both narrow and have been patched many times. After descending in second gear and rounding many switchbacks, we came to the parking area. Just as we park, another pickup pulls in. But he is not hiking. He gets out and unlocks the gate. The man explains he is a contractor and needs to get to one of the generators.

We get our boots on-which is probably overkill since it is paved all the way. After all, this is the Million Dollar Mile Road. By 11:00, our boots hit the pavement-after rounding the gate. The gate is there because this is a private road used by Southern California Edison to go between its Big Creek facilities.

Gary on the Jose Creek Bridge

The road starts out descending to a bridge crossing Jose Creek. There are a couple of falls high up which we have not noticed before. Then we climb up above the powerplant which is powered by falling water through pinstocks.

The weather right now is pretty nice. A bit overcast or at times some high clouds. The temperature is in the high 50’s, perfect for hiking. We walk at a pretty good pace. During the past couple of years going uphill has pretty much winded me. Today, I will not say I am charging up the slopes, but I am able to walk up them, stopping to take a picture and then catching up with Sherri.

 

San Joaquin River

 

 

We see a bicyclist coming up the road, not struggling. Then a couple of hikers who try to encourage us that it is not that far. Do we look so bad that we need encouragement? But since we have done this walk several times before, we know what is next.

The only question in our minds is how much water is coming down Stevenson Falls? Looking down into the San Joaquin, there does not seem to be much water flowing down there. When we round the final bend, the falls are pretty nice. We have seen it fuller, but these are falls which look good just by being there.

We cross the bridge in front of the falls and find a place to sit and admire them while we have lunch. Peanut butter and Nutella, if you must know. While we are eating, another couple comes along, admiring the falls. Right before we are to leave three women and a guy crosses the bridge as well.

Sherri and the adit by the power plant

 

First view of Stevenson

 

The first couple takes off before us-we have joked that they would be passing us by. After a few more minutes of resting and picture taking, we are off. Since we are leaving a few minutes after 1, I figure it will be about 3 before we get back to the car. We actually return at a pretty good pace. That couple which started out before us? We passed them while they took a break. I told them that they just made our day.

Except for a few jelly belly’s, we do not take any breaks on the way back. That is until we meet a couple who had just crossed Jose Creek. I saw that he had a Forest Service hat, so I engaged in a conversation with them. In season, they are part of a trail crew. He is the lead on a crew and she is a packer for them, bringing in supplies. We talked for a bit. They had not been down this road before and we gave them an idea about how long and showed them a picture of the falls. Then we went our separate ways.

 

 It is a short distance to the car now and we cover it in about ten minutes, getting to the car before my 3pm estimate. While we change out of our boots, the slower couple come by and we exchange greetings. Then the group of four wander by. Then to our surprise, the Forest Service couple came up. They had already climbed up to the falls above Jose Creek and had decided they had enough for the day. But we talked for about a good 20 minutes, exchanging names of those who we had communicated with in common.

 When Sherri and I left, there were a few drops on the windshield. By the time we get to Prather, it is raining pretty good. We get home after 4:30. I take a shower. Eventually we went out to Hammy’s Smash Burger for dinner with Steven. A good day.

Extra Photo's

Redinger Lake

Sherri crossing Jose Creek

Falls on Jose Creek

Stevenson Falls

Stevenson Falls

Adit by Stevenson Falls

Looking out from the Adit by powerplant

Adit by powerplant

Adit by powerplant