Survey of Lake Calavera loop

[I hiked over Mt Calavera and around Lake Calavera in preparation for
monthly hike on the last Saturday in June]

June 14, 2010

I'm going to explore Calavera Lake

I leave home at 7:00 AM and arrive at the trailhead [Carlsbad Village Dr
and College Blvd] at 7:43 AM

the distance from the Carlsbad Village Dr exit from I-5 to the trailhead is
3.3 miles [according to my truck odometer]

coordinates at center of parking area are N 33 10.079 W 117 17.709
[10-079-17-709]

elevation 368 feet

I set out at 7:50 AM mileage 0.00

90-679
84-639

at this point, I have to turn around and go back to get my water!

my odometer reads 0.19, but I reset it to 0.00 and leave again at 7:57 AM

I hold off calling lat-lon until I am past the place where I turned around

56-590
35-575
9-575
978-523
949-493

9-941-17-480-A four-way trail junction, L and R appear to follow the power
lines, and there's a trail marker that seems to say go , so I go SA

929-465
940-413

9-932-17-365 T intersection with a paved service road, I turn R per Schad's
instructions

distance here 0.43

871-303 pavement ends

833-292 stream crossing now completely dry

787-282

9-783-17-274 unmarked trail to L [actually, it is signed, but the sign is
hidden by foliage]

mileage here 0.62

628-228

this is apparently not the path that Schad described, I should have turned L
at that last junction

however, I want to see where this goes

505-227 a faint social trail sharply to the L

446-223 apparent triangle of trails with one leading to L, I head L so that
this can be shown accurately

436-212 T intersection, to L apparently goes up to a water tower, I turn R

421-224 T intersection with the road that I was on

connect the place that I turned L with this place [446-223! 421-224]

I turn L and continue

a small dilapidated structure to my L, which I photograph [46902]

352-232
330-227 two dirt roads to my L, and the pavement begins on this road

I go through a pipe gate, on L is a sign future site of high school

9-307-17-218! 1.15 miles, the trail emerges on a street, a major arterial that
makes a right turn here [College Blvd and Cannon Rd]

there are no street signs here, but the area that I came through is signed as
The Foothills Coastal Sage Scrub Habitat Restoration Program Project

end of this part, I go back the way I came

I have dropped my instructions and maps, but I'm fortunate enough to find them
again [lying on the road] on the way back

back at the place where I should have turned L

9--793--17--276 [change to 9-783-17-274 to match previous reading]

Now I see the interpretive bulletin board, it is almost completely hidden
behind vegetation

I turn R and go through a pipe gate, which perhaps should be used as a
landmark

797-234

803-206 side trail to L, which I think is the one intended, it is
heart-pounding, the one SA is not heart-pounding, so I turn L

813-205
836-205
866-203
903-214
928-198

the trail here is sort of a double trail with an eroded area in the middle

there are a lot of mountain bike tire tread marks on this trail

Schad is right, it is a very difficult ride!

998-155 the trail passes through a small saddle point, but keeps ascending

10-30-17-128 2.09 miles the trail emerges on the remains of a dirt road that I
have seen before on a previous trip [L leads to Calavera dam], I turn R and go
very steeply up to the summit

29-111
35-100

36-95 a very steep shortcut to my L, but I shoose not to take it

I continue on the road, or remains of a road, to the R

28-97 another single track to the R, it must be another of those informal
trails that Schad noted

8-101! the trail contines SA but narrows, I turn L and go steeply up to the
summit [L is actually a shortcut, and the summit is false]

2--97 it is a false summit, if I'd stayed on the road, I could have gone around
it, I pick up the road again

2-85 I turn sharp R to check out the part of the trail that I missed

985-89
980-112

back at the place where I turned L to go up to what I thought was the summit
[8-101!], I go back up the shortcut

back at the place where I turned sharp R [2-85], back on the main trail

36-65 the other end that steep shortcut that I didn't take is to my R

45-29
63-13
67-992 small social trail to my L, I continue SA on the well-beaten path
71-980
59-955 I'm still on the trail, there are trail signs here
66-946
91-949

10-101-16-958-B the summit 2.50 miles 9:10 AM, I stop here to rest and eat my
snacks

the elevation at the summit is 515 feet

9:18 AM, I head down the other side of the mountain

I think it's the way I came up on my previous visit

101-923

I follow a steep, but well-beaten path

109-903
117-885
115-862
123-840
130-832

10-136-16-771 2.73 miles T intersection with a dirt road, and the trail that I
was on is signed simply as a trail

there's an interpretive bulletin board here with no bulletins on it

I turn L

161-774

10-166-16-770 junction of trails, there are signed trails L, R and SA, I go SA

174-755
191-726
203-708

10-217-16-704 signed trails to L and R, closed trail SA, I turn R

252-689
275-670
286-666 signed single track trail to my R, I continue SA
314-646

331-637-C a tree, a little shade, and a small stream crossing with a little
bit of water

346-634 confusing confluence of trails, so I turn L and follow the widest one

348-664 a fairly good-sized trail to my L, I keep R

369-662 I turn L and go down to a stream crossing

I think I've been this way before

383-676

380-681-D crossing over a slightly larger stream on a tiny bridge

398-701
425-718

I keep L and go around an area fenced off with orange plastic mesh

431-739
446-752! this is also very near some power lines

since I've already surveyed this part, I stop calling lat-lon

I continue along the shore of Calavera Lake opposite Calavera Mountain

at 3.86 miles I come to the utility road, 10-239-17-243, to the L is a road
leading to the dam, to the R is a road leading to another entrance on Tamarack
Rd, I continue SA to get back to the trailhead as Schad recommends

this road is paved

153-294
63-292
48-294
25-311

there are manholes on this road, marking it as a sewer line, and the manhole
covers are marked "made in India"

3-345

correction, not a sewer, but a storm drain

982-363
960-369
933-366! previously encountered junction, end of this part

I turn R to go back to the trailhead the way I came

mileage here 4.27

10:13 AM 4.68 miles, back at the parking area, end of this part of trip

I survey Tamarack Ave from one intersection with College Blvd to the other

then I survey Lake Blvd as far as Oak Riparian Park, which is at Ridge Rd

10-226-17-581
224-580
212-531
185-466
172-409
209-335
229-305
258-292
296-297
332-295
404-238
435-232
473-261
484-290
473-390
446-432
429-455
424-505
709-634
749-493
793-436
807-391
804-301
725-149
711-116
699-983
695-945
689-902
658-871
635-830
629-783
639-535
636-289
635-217

parking lot at Oak Riparian Park N 33 10.594 W 117 16.150

the park is next to a creek and there is a trail on the other side of the
creek

I don't know how far downstream the trail goes, perhaps it goes all the way to
Lake Calavera