Wabena Point Tahoe National Forest

September 6, 2017

Despite having lived around here for most of my life, I never have driven all the way between Foresthill and Soda Springs.  There is a 25-mile unpaved section of unknown quality.  My new Outback and I will explore part of it today, up to an historical site that I have read about.

On Soda Springs Road

Although it is graded, the route proves rougher than expected.  Admittedly I am taking it easy on my new car with an average speed of only about 10 miles per hour.

This is the turnoff

The other end of the Palisades Creek Trail is up north, near I-80.  The signposts are just as dilapidated up there.

I probably will have the parking lot to myself

There are no readable instructions around here; so I set out in a promising direction, which doesn't get me very far.

Dead end

My map suggests that I must cross the creek bed eventually, and that does work out better.

There are a couple of footprints over this way

Oregon Checker-Mallow
Anderson Thistle

An old two-track is heading in the right direction; this is good.

No tire tracks on this one

The road morphs into a barely discernible trail

I find myself in a grove of ferns and a few late-season flowers.  The route is becoming ever more faint, however.  In fact, I presently lose track of any semblance of a road or trail; so naturally I resort to my standard tactic of bushwhacking straight up through a manzanita patch for a hundred feet or so.

At least now I can see the presumed objective over there

In short order I do encounter a roadway.  Perhaps I had merely missed a switchback somewhere.  In any case, it leads right up to the top of the near ridge.

Snow Mountain, 8014'

Aha!  That looks like my destination — Wabena Point

This path has seen plenty of use over the years

Upon reaching the promontory, I immediately head around to the left and beyond it to some cliffs, assuming them to be likely spots for some native art.  It is clear that many other hikers have come this way, even though scrambling down the steep scree slope is difficult.

The rocks are beautiful, but there are no etchings

Lots of color, though

The little white dikes are fascinating

Well, I'm not going down any farther, because this scramble is hairy enough already.  I climb hand-over-hand back to the top, planning to stop and have some lunch.

Looking southwest

Hello!  What's that down below, in the bottom of Royal Gorge?  I recognize it from research on the elusive North Fork of the American River.

Wabena Falls are more than half a mile below

I can get a closer look, at 11× zoom:

This is why I go hiking

I long had assumed that I never would see those falls.  There was a trail down to them at one time, and the Forest Service even installed a bridge down there; but the route has been virtually unused for so long that much of it is overgrown to the point of being nearly impassable.

Starting back

On the way off the point I encounter some interesting rock formations:

It almost looks as if a mason laid some bricks here

Wait!  Before leaving I'll try one more shot, with my backup camera:

Wabena Falls at 30× zoom

Tinker Knob and Granite Chief in the distance

This time I'll stay on the road

Beautiful
Different

This route never does retrace any ground, which means that it's a different road than what I used earlier.  It should do the job, however.

Yep.  Back on the main road
Success!

§: Well, I didn't manage to spot any petroglyphs; but there was an unexpected bonus in the view of Wabena Falls, which made the trek worthwhile.

• Trailhead: Palisades Creek Trail, 17 miles east of Foresthill on Foresthill Divide Road to Robinson Flat, then 11 miles on Soda Springs Road (high clearance required).
• Distance: 3 miles
• Elevation: 6280' to 6680'
• Hikers: none
• Rating: 5

Scenery
Difficulty
Solitude
Adventure

IN CONCLUSION

This story isn't finished, though; for I must confess to an oversight that still confounds me.  It seems that I was so busy looking at the seeming masonry handiwork that I failed to notice what was all around it — petroglyphs!

The images are faint, and the panel has been all but destroyed by attempts to 'repair' it

Somehow, I did not recognize the formations until I was able to view these photos on my computer.  Perhaps it is time for that cataract surgery that I have been putting off.

UPDATE

In March of 2022, I was contacted by the president of Friends of Sierra Rock Art (FSRA) , who politely asked that I remove the trail map that is routinely featured in every hiking journal, citing the area's cultural significance and the reality of ever-increasing vandalism.  This startled me, because drawing a little red line from a trailhead to a prominent lookout point had not been perceived as an item of concern.  In fact, it never would occur to me to provide much in the way of directions to any vulnerable historical site — that is, unless the information already existed on numerous internet sites, which it does.

In light of that fact, why the FSRA has elected to make a system-wide issue of this little page is unknown.  What about the numerous other ostensibly reputable blogs that feature marked maps or detailed site directions?  Why have those outfits not been confronted?  Their pages have been around longer than mine.

It would have been perfectly sufficient to have been sent a simple note saying, "Hey Ted, would you please delete the map to Wabena Point?  We know you will understand."  That would have been the end of the matter.  Instead, I was apprised of the potential legal consequences of a failure to comply; and that saddened me.

I'm the guy whose website avatar is a scale-model representation of an actual petroglyph, fergodsake.  Petey's presence graces all of my web pages, including this one.  (Moreover, Petey himself was vandalized more than seventy years ago; that's why his left arm is too short.)

In any case, the offending trail map has been removed from this page.  Now, you must pick and choose your own way along the route — that is, if you can manage to locate the signed Forest Service trail.

And while we're on the topic of preservation, what about the well-meaning albeit misguided folk who applied the cement to the Wabena panel?  Artificiality and distortion do not equate to conservation.  That is reminiscent of an incident over at Arches National Park in Utah in the 1950s, wherein the 'brains' of the outfit seriously considered encasing Delicate Arch in plastic so as to preserve it.

All that having been said, I hasten to reassure everyone that organizations such as the FSRA have a tough job and are essential to the preservation of historical artifacts; I most certainly am 'on their side', being a lifelong champion of such endeavors since before most of those people were born.

I also maintain that the typical high-elevation hiker is not a vandal; such problems arise elsewhere.  I would like to think that no one choosing to read my hiking journals is prone to environmental destruction.

Finally, one undeniably good thing has come of all this.  It is proof-positive that someone actually is reading my stuff!