| WILSON
MEADOWS TRAIL - U.S.F.S. #512
TRAILHEAD: Section 7 T42N,
R9W
Elevation 10,000', at the juntion with Lizard Head Trail
TRAIL END: Section 1 T41N R10W
Elevation 10,400' at edge of Wilson Meadows
ACCESS:
Take Lizard Head Trail #505 for the first 1 1/2 mile. After
climbing the first set of switchbacks up though as pens you reach a
trail junction. Lizard Head Trail is to the left.
Wilson
Meadows goes straight to the west.
LENGTH: 1.5 miles or 2.5 KM
RECOMMENDED SEASON: late
June to late October.
AMOUNT OF USE: light
DIFFICULTY: easy
U.S.G.S. TOPO MAP: Mt.
Wilson
SUGGESTED USES: hiker, horse;
motorized/mechanized travel prohibited in designated wilderness areas.
CONSIDERATIONS:
This short spur trail leads to lush meadows popular with sheepherders
in the summer and hunters and elk in the autumn. Good
sheltered
campsites with water are available along the trail and at Wilson
Meadows.
TRAIL DESCRIPTION:
From the Lizard Head trail junction the Wilson Meadows trail heads
west, gradually climbing up past a small pond and open meadows.
Then the trail takes a rolling traverse across several boggy
clearings in conifer forest. It crosses several small, muddy
drainages without bridges. After passing a large campsite on
the
left, the trail comes into the open by a dark mud/clay shoulder.
Follow the clay ridgeline down and watch for a post marker on
the
right. The trail ducks in and out of open forest, working its
way
down into the headwaters of Wilson Creek. After dropping down
several clay shoulders and grassy benches, the trail once again passes
through the woods before reaching a campsite at the edge of
Wilson Meadows. The trail ends here.
Sunshine Peak,
Lizard Head, and the Blackface Ridge loom above the meadow.
Wilson Creek drains the meadows to the north, down a steep
and
rugged drainage, without a trail. The Lizard Head trail
traverses
the wooded saddle above the meadows to the south, leading from
Blackface to the Cross Mountain trail.
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