New Melones 4/20-22, 2017

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Wandering Daisy
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New Melones 4/20-22, 2017

Post by Wandering Daisy »

I have the route from Sacramento to Yosemite Valley via Hwy 49 memorized! Having coasted down Carson Hill and crossed the bridge over New Melones, I have never stopped. I did a bit of research on the internet and decided to spend a few days with a “trailer” trip. We were trying to figure out near-to-town places where we could take the grandkids camping and since they all love bicycling, New Melones seemed a good shot as it is loaded with short mountain bike/hiking trails. Be warned, this is not a mid-summer destination (without a boat) due to the heat, but a great place for the cooler shoulder seasons.

We reserved a campsite at Glory Hole (north of the bridge) and were pleasantly surprised that this campground accepted senior passes and exceeded our expectations. It was nearly empty, clean, a great camp host, the grass lush green and the reservoir a sparkling 81% full and rising one foot per day! And only an hour and half drive from home! Weather was perfect- about 70 degrees. After setting up we walked around the campground. Hubby drove me to the trailhead for the Carson Creek and Tower Climb trails. I spotted huge fish roaming up and down the shoreline. The camp host said that the Chinook Salmon were spawning and not biting; I think that is what I saw. I reached the road and called Hubby who picked me up. In the evening I walked the dog and checked out more campsites. The two north loops were closed for Herron nesting. I walked along the road and saw plenty of Herron. The walk-in sites at the north end of the loops were particularly beautiful.

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Campsite at Glory Hole

Next day we hiked the Buck Brush Loop, dropping 40 feet to the waterline and fished the shoreline on the way back. We heard loud thrashing in the water which turned out to be huge fish. We spotted more and more. Unfortunately, I stupidly forgot to pack my fishing gear and license, so could not fish. All Hubby caught was one small bass, nevertheless, a nice lunch.

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Fishing on the Buck Brush loop trail

After lunch we decided to drive up Hwy 4 to see where how far it is plowed. It was supposed to be open to Lake Alpine, but the last 2 miles were closed. I took the dog and walked down the road. A crew was clearing out the drive to some large building and blocked the road. I turned around and did not get to see Lake Alpine. The road-cuts through the snow were from 10-12 feet high. We then drove up to Bear Valley Ski Resort, which was still operating. From the parking lot you can look north to Molkulmne Peak and see the snowline. As we drove back down the road, the snow became patchy at about 6,000 5,000 feet.

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Hwy 4 a mile west of Lake Alpine

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Mokulmne Peak from Bear Valley Ski Resort

Next morning we drove over to Tuttletown, the other large campground area on the south side of the bridge. This area has more trails bit we thought the campgrounds at Glory Hole were nicer, as well as less crowded. We hiked the Herron Point loop trail which had more trees and shade than the trails at Glory Hole. Both Glory Hole and Tuttletown have large marinas and boat ramps. Boating seems the best way to really see the reservoir with its complex arms and little coves. However, all the fishermen in boats were fishing the shoreline. We found that fishing from the shore was not that bad, just had to drop down 40 feet in tall grass on steep slopes. We left at after lunch and drove home.

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Herron Point Trail at Tuttletown
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AlmostThere
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Re: New Melones 4/20-22, 2017

Post by AlmostThere »

I grew up ten minutes from Melones - glad to see the area is still green. Your husband's fishing was typical of the luck we would have even when we used a boat. :>

Did you go visit Mark Twain's cabin
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Re: New Melones 4/20-22, 2017

Post by Wandering Daisy »

No, we did not visit the Mark Twain cabin. I had thought that Mark Twain was a young fellow when he lived there. Pictures of him always show him as an older man. We definitely plan on going back again and will spend more time looking at the historical stuff and wine tasting. There were tons of vineyards in the area- I had not realized that this was a wine region.

It was just so great to see the high water in the reservoir after such dismal levels the last few years. The grasses were at peak green but show drying on the sunny slopes. There were not many wildflowers; not sure if the bloom is already over or there just are not many there.

I was impressed with the trail system. Very nice, most short but you could string together several for a good day's hike. I always like to discover new areas to go to during the winter or spring. It reminded me of Henry Coe Park. Internet reviews indicated some rattlesnakes and torantulas but thankfully we saw neither. Only a few mosquitoes out (that is sure to end soon) and just a few ticks. Biggest problem were the corkscrew stickers that we had to pull out of the dog's fur every night.
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Re: New Melones 4/20-22, 2017

Post by rhyang »

Beautiful ! Time to head out there with the kayak and a few rods. Thanks for the lovely pics.
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Re: New Melones 4/20-22, 2017

Post by rhyang »

Thanks for the tip. I had a good time kayak fishing. The only large fish I saw were some pretty large carp, but they are legendary among fly fishers for difficulty. I also brought an ultralight spinning rod and a few trout lures, but it's a gigantic lake and I mostly explored the areas near the creek arms (Angel and Mormon Creek). The CG host at Glory Hole was super helpful and found me a nice quiet spot.

The one thing that got on my nerves at times was the quantity of motor boats, jet skis, etc. but it is almost May and it probably got into the low 80's. I got up early to fish this morning and was astounded at the line of boats at Glory Hole, so I went to Tuttletown instead. A little bit calmer there, at least until noonish. I did see another yak, some folks on SUP's and so on when I got back to the ramp around 2-ish.

Paddling is kind of a newfound hobby for me -- I really enjoy moving smoothly across the water, watching hawks soar overhead, observing herons hunting, etc. in addition to looking for fish, and this lake had lots and lots of interesting places to explore. I'd planned on going sometime this winter, but we know how this winter turned out :)

By the way, the tarantulas we have at low elevations in CA are generally invisible until late summer / early autumn, when the males go a courtin' :) They are cool to see, and not at all hazardous unless you pick them up and harass them. Google should pull up all kinds of cool articles on them. I've seen them at Coe and various other spots in the Diablo and Santa Cruz mountains, and even once while driving up to Mineral King.
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