GeoCache GCT2AR via the old Charcoal Road Trail

Time to put all this exploring and hill shade map knowledge to the test and see if I can link up a series of old roads and trails to do some GeoCaching.

According to the county park web site, lower Table Mtn. trail, which would be the normal access to this area, was still closed. So I made use of the old roads and trails I've been exploring to find this cache. Also got to check out a bit more of upper Table Mtn. trail to the point it crosses Stevens Creek Branch C.

The GeoCache is located between the Table Mtn. hiking trail and upper Charcoal Road:
https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GCT2AR_wheres-the-bbq

This route also has the advantage of eliminating 2 crossings of Stevens Creek, which at the time both were fast and deep.

I'm finding more of these old trails and they all seem to have similar routing. They'll start off following along the side of a creek up a canyon. Then at some point, they'll start ascending a ridge, going straight up, until they join in with another road or trail. There are almost no switchbacks, no grade reversals, no drainage cuts like modern trails have. I suspect these are very old trails, likely from the pre-contact days.

USGS National Map Viewer w/ Hill Shade layers:
https://apps.nationalmap.gov/viewer

More to come...
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