John J. Audubon Loop Trail

Went to John J Audubon trail on December 26, 2020 only to find out that it is closed for renovations. It is not clear when the renovations will be completed.

Having found Hawn State Park full, I came back to John J. Audubon loop trail because I have some bizarre relationship with this one; it’s a mental challenge more than a physical, due to several spots where (even with using AllTrails) there’s a lot of guesswork about where the trail is. I took Bidwell Creek Rd from HWY T for a few miles until a dirt road appears on the right (just past Lenz Rd). Parked my car on Bidwell Creek Rd and walked maybe a mile down the dirt road to a well-marked trailhead. Decided to go counterclockwise as 2 hikes ago I remember the end being a real b**ch. Trail was easy to follow in this direction for the first 9 miles or so. Beautiful fall day. Some rolling hills and a few steep rocky parts kept it interesting. Saw 6 wild turkeys doing their thing. Trail was nearly completely dry, which was nice as I’ve been there in ATV-torn mud pit season and this time, though the trail had deep, deep tire tracks in places, the ground was solid. Wouldn’t be my choice of a place to hike after a period of rain. I’d remembered from a previous hike here how the trail crosses a few roads but not directly across (sometimes it’s a good 15 minute trek in one direction or another), so I was prepared for those spots. Nearing the 10 mile mark, I began to think the challenges I had before with getting totally lost for stretches at a time weren’t going to happen this time. Then, zowie! The Bermuda Triangle area of the trail hit and I was utterly screwed for a decent 30 minutes. (Tip: I was told after that if I put my phone in airplane mode and used with the AllTrails map that I’d downloaded and was using that my GPS troubles would’ve been fixed.) I had a great armadillo encounter while stepping my way through an unmarked, thick area. That park I liked. (It hopped like a rabbit!) And despite those moments when you start strategizing what you’ll do if you truly are still trying to find you way out past dark, it’s always good to be hiking and experiencing whatever the trail offers up that day. I’m determined to go back and do this trail a third time: early start, airplane mode tip, and plenty of patience to navigate through those several, lengthy unmarked sections.

Great trail out in the middle of nowhere. No facilities or improvements at this one. In fact no sign identifying the trail at all. The path itself varied from well marked to nonexistent. Make sure to bring good navigation along. The AllTrails app was excellent. Not a whole lot to see although the trail did cross water several times and featured a pair of miniature waterfalls. Did not see anyone for the entire 12 miles. The biggest problem with this trail aside from the poor maintenance was the UTV use. Several sections of the trail were destroyed from off road vehicles. Had to choose between forging ahead through the mud pits or scrambling through the woods for several sections.

I'd done this trail before (11.5 miles and 5h 49m) and didn't particularly *love* the experience then. (Think- poorly marked trail, long stretches of not being on a trail at all, battery ran out on phone w/GPS, and trail sections that crossed multiple roads but picked up several hundred yards one way or another.) So you know what seems like a good idea? LET'S DO IT AGAIN! Haha. What? I think I felt like this trail handed me my butt on a platter and I aimed to go and reclaim some of the dignity lost. This time, GPS started me in an unmarked section of the trail and led me through an ATV-torn up section of mud and sludgy holes and discarded beer cans and completely washed out trails. I finally gave in and turned back to my car- the whole hike this time clocking in at 2.3 miles. Ok, John J. Audubon Loop Trail, you win.

Sections of trail peter out, so you are just following your maps/GPS. There are beer cans everywhere within a mile of each of the road crossings.