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Walking up a Dirt Road: Worman’s Mill to the Lone Sequoia

Just a pretty blue sky day to get out on nearby dirt roads up to the Lone Sequoia for some exercise. Then those little white puffy clouds started showing up . . .

Where: Sierra National Forest
Distance: 11.14 Miles (but you can go shorter or longer)
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Elevation Range: 3,417′ to 4,427′
Elevation Gain: 1,135′
Date: January 25, 2022
CALTOPO: Hiking From Worman’s Mill to the Lone Sequoia
Dog Hike? Maybe

A weak frontal passage was forecast to come through, cooling us off a bit and it was the perfect weather to walk this south facing dirt road. I started my walk across from where Worman’s Mill used to stand, parking off the road in a wide spot at the intersection of Road 601 and Worman Road, and making sure I wasn’t blocking anyone. We headed up Worman Road which turns into N-6S24.

Even though that front hadn’t passed through yet, the morning was a bit frosty. Oak leaves on the ground were completely white with frost, providing a bit of a frame for views of Nipinnawasee, Ahwahnee and Oakhurst.

We continued up the road, mostly dirt, but with occasional strips of old asphalt.

The road led us through standing tree skeletons from the 2018 Oak Fire, started on September 22, burning about 360 acres before it was contained.

The road soon approached the area that I call “The Notch.” I named it that because it is a lightly lower “pass” between two slightly higher points. I always look forward to views once I top over this high point. Would I see snowy mountains when I make the curve?

The snow level had receded quite a bit since our big December snowstorm but it was still a pretty view.

There was a smidge of snow left in shady spots along the road.

About 1 1/2 miles later I reached the Lone Sequoia Trailhead. There is a vault bathroom and a few picnic tables here. The bathrooms were open in case you were wondering. And we couldn’t resist taking a picture by the sign.

We walked through the picnic area on the road, then it splits into one way roads for a short distance. As soon as these two one-way roads meet back up, that is where you will find the Lone Sequoia on your right, next to the small creek.

The Lone Sequoia isn’t a really big tree by Giant Sequoia comparison but it all by at itself at this lower elevation of about 4,400′. Even though it is a smaller one, it is hard to get a good picture with all of it in the picture.

As we walked over to the Lone Sequoia, I noticed several really big round mushrooms, just starting to poke their way through the ground.

We walked through the snow to get over to the base of the tree, taking some pictures of course.

Me By the Lone Sequoia (Photo by Gail Gilbert)

It is amazing that such small cones provide the seeds for these really big trees.

We headed back the way we had come in, spotting a couple of clouds as we came over “The Notch.” Then we could see a bank of clouds starting to pour over Deadwood.

As we wound our way back, white puffy clouds were becoming more prevalent in the blue sky.

By the time we reached the car, the sky was completely covered in clouds and the temperature had dropped. I think we timed our adventure perfectly in order to get back our warm cars and home in that cooler weather.

We didn’t see a single person on our adventure to the Lone Sequoia area but you can expect to see 4-wheelers and motorcycles on this road. You can easily drive to the Lone Sequoia from where we started or from the Fish Camp side off of the Miami Motorcycle Trail sign, Road 6S24, if the road is in good shape. That varies with the snow and road conditions though. It is about a 4.2 mile walk from that point if you choose to walk in from that point.

Dog Hike? Maybe

This could be a good dog hike if your dog is a good fit. The road is lightly traveled by vehicles so you would need to keep an eye open for a vehicle coming around one of the curves. I would imagine in the summer that you could run into a rattlesnake out here also. This is mountain lion country, along with other wildlife that you could encounter. There were a couple of areas with running water on my hike but it probably dries up in summer, so you would probably need to pack dog water.

Doarama:

What is a Doarama?  It is a video playback of the GPS track overlaid on a 3 dimensional interactive map. If you “grab” the map, you can tilt it or spin it and look at it from different viewing angles. With the rabbit and turtle buttons, you can also speed it up, slow it down or pause it.

Worman’s Mill to Lone Sequoia Doarama

Map and Profile:

CALTOPO has some free options for mapping and here is a link to my hike this week:  CALTOPO: Hiking From Worman’s Mill to the Lone Sequoia

Worman’s Mill to the Lone Sequoia Topographic Map

Worman’s Mill to the Lone Sequoia Profile

Sources:

Dubel, Zelda Garey, To Yosemite by Stage, Zulu.com, Third Edition, 2011.

Greene, Linda, YOSEMITE: THE PARK AND ITS RESOURCES; A History of the Discovery, Management, and Physical Development of Yosemite National Park, California, U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National Park Service, September 1987

Bears Yosemite National Park

In the Heart of the Sierras by James M. Hutchings (1888)

Snow Plants U.S. Forest Service

Prior Blogs in this Area:

Walking up a Dirt Road: Worman’s Mill to the Lone Sequoia April 28, 2020

Walking up a Dirt Road: Worman’s Mill to Pilot Peak April 22, 2020

Walking up a Dirt Road: Worman’s Mill to O’Neals Meadow April 15, 2020

Walking up a Dirt Road: Worman’s Mill to Sunny Meadows April 10, 2020

Walking up a Dirt Road: Worman’s Mill and Beyond March 31, 2020

In Search of the Lone Sequoia February 13, 2015

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