I haven't done much in the Upper Big Tujunga area. I've been helping restore the Alder Creek Trail, and some of us hiked the Strawberry Trail out of Colby Bridge. But that's pretty much been it. So on Tuesday I took Cecelia to explore Lynx Gulch.
My planning consisted of checking CalTopo and noticing that the fire road leads to an old trail that leads to Gold Bar Mine.
I then checked aerial imagery which showed a good road. The trail, however, looked overgrown but maybe manageable. Being curious, I wanted to see if we could reach the mine.
The 4N18.2 road gate was unlocked, so we were able to drive to the Gold Bar Mine Trailhead, which is only 1.2 miles from Upper Big Tujunga Road.
- At the trailhead for Gold Bar Mine.
The trail is unsigned and overgrown. Its condition progressively deteriorates, to the point of being completely covered with brush or washed away. Ultimately we lost the trail and simply scrambled along the west bank of the gulch, pushing through moderate to heavy brush, trying to follow animal tracks.
- Looking up the east branch of Lynx Gulch.
We were about halfway to the mine before giving up. This was only a casual exploration and we weren't ready for full-on brush warfare. I only had a hand saw for thick stuff and was breaking small branches by hand. Once the trail disappeared, I figured we would need a more committed and prepared effort to bushwhack the remaining distance of a half-mile or more.
- Looking north up Lynx Gulch.
The gulch looks like it narrows considerably and becomes a bashfest along the water course. One should probably wait until winter storms clear out the creekbed, then try it.
Also, I don't even know if the mine is accessible. Has anyone tried this before?
