Car Shuttling Sect A

[fredmugs]

My partner and I planning to hit the trail at the border starting Apr 3rd for two weeks. It looks like we can shuttle a vehicle up the trail and do 20 mile days with me hiking SOBO. I was wondering if anyone can recall if you can leave a car along the road for a day hike. Here's our tentative itinerary:

Lake Moreno campground. No brainer for parking
Burnt Rancheria campground.
Sunrise trailhead
Hwy 78 Julian
Montezuma Valley Rd S22
Hwy 79 Warner Springs
Chihuahua Valley Rd
Hwy 74 Paradise Cafe

We may or may not backpack the 38 miles from Paradise Cafe to Fuller Ridge depending on the snow conditions.

Any info is appreciated. Thanks!

[sbhikes]

Are you planning to shuttle sort of day-by-day? I did a little of that when my boyfriend wanted to hike the trail.

I parked near the Border Patrol station in the morning and hiked with him from there a few miles down the trail. Then moved the car to just outside Lake Morena and hiked SOBO to meet him. We stayed near Lake Morena that first night.

The next day I drove to the bridge over Cottonwood Creek and parked there. I scrambled down the hill and hiked SOBO until I met him. Then we hiked together up toward Mt. Laguna. Then I ran back down to Burnt Rancheria (that's the one that's closed, right?) and hitched a ride with a trail runner. Lots of people were parked there. He drove me back to my car and I drove my car to the hotel at Laguna. Then I hiked SOBO to meet my boyfriend again and we stayed at the hotel that night.

The next morning I moved the car to that Desert View picnic area, I think that's what it was called. I hiked with him for a while, then ran back to the car and moved it to Pioneer Mail and just waited for him. I said good-bye there and went home.

I know you can park near the trail near Scissors Crossing on Highway 78 just where the trail crosses. I've parked there to pick people up before. You can also park near Barrel Springs and near Warner Springs near the school or fire station (can't remember which.)

[fredmugs]

Thanks! Yeah - we want to slack as much as possible. I know there are lots of places to stash a car on the AT but since the PCT is so wide open I didn't know if there would be parking spots or not.

[sbhikes]

I wouldn't rely on parking a car at Chihuahua Valley unless your car is 4wd. I have heard that it's a really tough road to drive. But it is drivable. I remember seeing a jeep there when I came through. I don't remember what Montezuma road was like.

[Halfmile]

Lake Morena Campground - has a parking area at the PCT trailhead across the road from the campground at the corner of Lake Morena Dr & Lakeshore Dr. It's not obvious but apparently this is two parking areas. Once a county employee told me the west lot (near the trees) was part of the county park and required some kind of permit or use fee. The other more open lot apparently is not part of the county park and requires no permit. No signs explain this and I have never heard of anyone being ticketed and I'm not sure this is true, but I moved my car 30 feet anyway.

Mount Laguna - I use the Red Trailed Roost parking area about 1/4 mile S of Burnt Rancheria CG on the other side of the highway. You will need a Forest Service Adventure Pass for parking. The Mt Laguna store sells them if you don't haven one.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/cleveland/passes/

Sunrise trailhead has a large parking area with an outhouse.

Hwy 78 (Scissors Crossing) you could probably find a spot to park at Scissors Crossing, but better parking is about 3/10ths mile NW on Hwy S2 on the right as you go toward Warner Springs in a large unpaved area. If you park at Scissors Crossing don't park on any vegetation, as the State Park rangers sometimes ticket for that.

Hwy S22 is near Barrel Springs has a parking area about a 200 yards north of the spring at the hwy.

Warner Springs - I have parked several times at the resort in the employee parking lot. You check in the resort and sign a liability waver and they show you where to park. Double check with the resort; I don't think the change in ownership has changed this, but don't know for sure. If the resort doesn't work out, the parking area by the first crossing of hwy 79 (where the fire station used to be) is pretty small. At the 2nd crossing of hwy 79 is a larger parking area about 200 yard west of the PCT.

Chihuahua Valley Rd - don't know

Hwy 74 - Has a parking area just north of the highway.

-Halfmile
www.pctmap.net