Trip Report - Red Hills ACEC, 2/3/18
Hike day dawned unseasonably warm for early February. The beautiful weather brought out a mob of
50-70 hikers to the trailhead! After a
brief orientation by Bureau of Land Management volunteer ranger Patrick
Congdon, the crowd quickly separated into more intimate clumps of 5-10 hikers
and dispersed along the trail. We were a
little early for the Red Hills’ claim-to-fame, the wildflowers. Instead we appreciated the geologic features (serpentine
rock, ultramafic soils, etc.) and plants which have adapted to this
nutrient-deficient environment (Foothills pine, Buckbrush, etc). While each group mayhave taken a slightly
different route with varying hike lengths, we all started at the North
Serpentine Road trailhead and walked along Horton Creek for a time. Some traversed the hills to South Serpentine
Road and looped back up to the starting point.
Some lingered on the Nature Trail studying the panels. Some saw a fox!
Here's a link to the Bureau of Land Management's information page on the Red Hills ACEC:
Hike day dawned unseasonably warm for early February. The beautiful weather brought out a mob of
50-70 hikers to the trailhead! After a
brief orientation by Bureau of Land Management volunteer ranger Patrick
Congdon, the crowd quickly separated into more intimate clumps of 5-10 hikers
and dispersed along the trail. We were a
little early for the Red Hills’ claim-to-fame, the wildflowers. Instead we appreciated the geologic features (serpentine
rock, ultramafic soils, etc.) and plants which have adapted to this
nutrient-deficient environment (Foothills pine, Buckbrush, etc). While each group mayhave taken a slightly
different route with varying hike lengths, we all started at the North
Serpentine Road trailhead and walked along Horton Creek for a time. Some traversed the hills to South Serpentine
Road and looped back up to the starting point.
Some lingered on the Nature Trail studying the panels. Some saw a fox!
Here's a link to the Bureau of Land Management's information page on the Red Hills ACEC:
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