Henry Coe Kaiser Aetna Rd. Trip Options

[Justin Mckinney]

Henry Coe offers a weekend at the end of April , 28th to the 30 th to hike , backpack and so forth with the ability to park along Kaiser Aetna rd. Has anyone done this in the past ? If so, what are some good 2 night spots to camp ? Thank you for your input !!

[Manfred]

Justin,

Are you thinking about registering and wondering which zones to select for Friday night and Saturday night? Normally I avoid going into the Orestimba Wilderness during the Backcountry Weekend (BCW) as there are hundreds of people out there who use the opportunity to drive in. It’s a beautiful area and during all other times you would have it mainly to yourself as most people don’t like hiking in for roughly 15 miles. When I have it all to myself I like to visit Pacheco Falls, Mississippi Lake, Kingbird Pond, Mustang Pond and other places and catch some bass for lunch or dinner. For the BCW the different lakes zones will most likely already be full as registration opened on March 10. Depending on how many miles you would like to hike you could start out from the Orestimba Corral visit Kingbird and Mustang Ponds. If time permits you can also visit Jackrabbit Lake before taking the Red Creek Trail to camp your first night in Orestimba South  along the Red Creek. On your second day you could take the Chaparral Trail, take the County Line Rd to Mississippi Lake and stay the second night at Turkey Pond also in Orestimba South. That way you would already be back at your car early on Sunday with the option of doing a day hike without your backpack to another place you’d like to visit . There are of course many other options. Enjoy!

Manfred

P.S.: This year I will actually be out there with a group of friends who wanted to go camping together.

 

 

[Justin Mckinney]

Thanks Manfred for your advice. I was late in the game for the permits, so I could only get Friday and Saturday night camps in The Mustang zone. My friend and I will probably do long trail hikes through the other zones to check them out as we meander back to the Mustang zone camps.

[Manfred]

Hi Justin,

It will still be fun. Within the Mustang Zone you have 5 special zones that will be crowded like crazy where you can’t camp – Purple Lake, Kingbird Pond, Mustang Pond, Orestimba Corral and Jackrabbit Lake where you can’t camp. With proper map reading skills and some cross-country hiking you will still find a good spot. Take a look at this map snippet. I marked a big flat area SW of Mustang Pond that has reliable nearby water that I also marked. It is not too far from the trail and you are out of sight from the masses in your own private, personal spot. Enjoy!

[Justin Mckinney]

Thanks Manfred !! That’s great. Our first night is at Will’s pond and Saturday night  is at Mustang zone . That spot you’ve pointed out should be perfect.

[Manfred]

You are welcome! Sounds like you got a permit for Will’s Pond for the first night. That is another special zone within the Mustang Zone.. It will most likely be crowded. You will see, when you arrive there. It will be interesting to hear your impression afterwards between the two campsites.

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