Whetstone Mountain Hike

Headed to Whetstone Mountain Trail for a quiet day hike away from the crowds and fires. Despite it being a nice (60-70s) Saturday in early August, we didn’t encounter a single other person. The condition of NF-7030 and 7020 may explain that though. Plenty of potholes and loose gravel made for a bumpy ride to the trailhead. Our non-4 wheel drive SUV managed but slid on the steeper sections. Definitely recommend a high clearance vehicle for this one. The signs were worn and hard to read unless you knew what number you were looking for. Plenty of parking space for cars. The signage was torn/water damaged so we were glad we’d brought a map & hike details. Within a few minutes of hitting the trail, we were wading through waist-high rhodies and other plants, and our pants and shoes quickly got soaked by heavy dew. But to be fair, the clouds were full and low, and it was around 8:30am. A handful of short switchbacks warmed us up and pretty soon we were at the junction with Whetstone Mountain. We skipped the summit trail with the intention of hitting it on the way back. From here to the junction down to Silver King Lake, there were plenty of switchbacks and inclines to get the thighs burning and heart pumping. Fallen trees courtesy of wildfire have made this section of Bagby Springs Trail #544 tricky but not impossible to traverse. Unstable trail conditions and washouts made us turn around a bit short of Silver King Lake. We returned the way we came and were greeted with clear skies at the saddle area we passed coming in. It was a peaceful and tranquil spot to enjoy a quick lunch. We never made it up to the summit of Whetstone but will certainly return on a drier day to take in the sights.

Overall, this trail seems to see very little use which is not necessarily a bad thing but something to be aware of. In terms of wildlife, the only show came from the grouse our dog accidentally flushed from the shrubs. Otherwise, it was a peaceful walk in solitude.