Uvas Canyon County Park: windy with waterfalls

   Waterfalls you say?!? But there's no water in California! Ok, so these are mini waterfalls. Still - it's not often we get to be near rushing water so I'll take it where I can get it (and even hike through it - which is this case with today's hike).

   First off - you have to get there. It is way up in the middle of nowhere - but you can navigate via Google Maps to the park (map link HERE). However, be careful on that last stretch - I had someone who was walking her Pit Bull scream at me (who also looked like a meth addict) to slow down. I was only going 30 mph but down the road saw another sign for 10 mph. Still - that 10mph is most important when you get to the one-lane road that goes through the private Swedish community that you'll be driving through. At the end, you'll have to pay $6 to park (the machine takes card or cash) and can also use the restroom before starting the uphill battle.

   From the parking lot, go up the paved road and veer left towards Waterfall Loop. You'll hit another sign post where Waterfall Loop then goes Right, but we went Left on the Alec Canyon trail. This is a moderate-steep incline, so get ready to get your heart pumping (I just wrote 'pumpkin' instead of 'pumping'...Thanksgiving is on my mind!).

photo credits to Annie, the A of JAG

   Eventually, this trail leads to another fork - we went left to Manzanita Point to take in the views and then circled back to take the other side of the trail.

View from Manzanita Point

photo credits to Annie

   You'll now be on Contour Trail - which goes up, down, around, and is really only wide enough for one person for most of the time. I love the smell of the woods, of the greenery (even though we're in a drought, you have plenty of green here!), and the water. You'll be walking towards that rushing water sound (over the sounds of Annie and I arguing about how skinny she was on her wedding day). We passed a few people, but the trail is in no way crowded. It'll eventually hit Swanson Creek where you can play in the mini waterfall and enjoy the shade. From here, it's just a bit more downhill to get back to the parking lot.

   I'm doing a crazy 6-day cleanse right now so we couldn't eat anything after (I like food after my hikes!). But Annie and I both agreed that this was a beautiful hike and felt very far removed from any kind of city life.