Marble Caves Trail from the Top
Shasta-Trinity National Forest
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The upper end of Marble Caves Trail comes off Forest Arterial 14. (It used to be called Flume Gulch Road and is now Bear Wallow Road, but the only identifying sign is the brown trapezoid with a 14.) There's a small turnout for 2-3 cars near where it should be, but I parked in a large lot area at the intersection of the good road with a couple closed roads. (Not that you would know they were closed from the evidence on the ground. The one with the lot area has the smallest hump to show it is closed and although the other has a gate to lock, it was standing wide open.) Since this offers a shorter route with much less elevation change, I expected to see good signs of trail. After looking around a bit, the best I could do was some stomped down grass along a fuel break, so I followed that.
The August Complex in 2020 did this trail no favors. The fuel break I was following seemed to have little allowances for the trail that presumably goes along it. Then it started diverging greatly from where the trail should be and travel got even more difficult. Long trees crossed the thing. I made an attempt for the ridge line and was repulsed the first time by even more downed trees, but the second try worked. Walking was better there. Somewhere in the middle I should have passed trail, but there was no sign. I kept looking for sign. Something other than the various blue (freshest), yellow, and orange ribbons I saw marking different routes.
I made an excursion following some flags and found a bit of tread, but it was scruffy, discontinuous, and uninviting compared to keeping to the top. Not that it stays that way. It becomes steep and loose with bad footing. One set of blue flags broke off to the west while another steadfastly stuck to that horrible track slipping down the hill to the saddle I'd arrived at the day before. At the bottom, I looked back to where an orange flag was directing me to see a line of tread. A yellow flag lower seemed to mark where the map claims there is trail.
Then I looked for the continuation of the use trail I had followed down the hill a short way. It wasn't hard to find. It was so narrow along a steep hillside that I didn't always feel entirely comfortable on it.
It came to the marble I had seen from the trail below the day before. Some of it is quite nice.
A couple chains attached to the rock high above makes it clear this is a climber's trail. You can read about a lot of the climbing routes here, along with the less official access route. Apparently the climbers think this is particularly nice limestone, too.
I did not immediately find caves. That is still a tenth of a mile off according to the dot on the National Forest topo. There is evidence of the sorts of weathering activity that makes decorated caves.
I moved my way around the base of the cliffs as best I could, but it involves working down some steep hills and around large boulders all with vegetation getting in the way. The first climb described is called Poison Garden, presumably named for the prolific poison oak in the area.
I wasn't getting any closer and quickly ran out of want to navigate that steep hill full of obstacles. I turned back and walked back to the starting edge of the marble outcrop. Here, a fainter trail headed up the hill, or at least bear had been there before. I took the short, steep path upward to top out on the rock. Behind it, the land is easy to navigate plus now I was closer to the supposed cave location.
I had already despaired of actually seeing these "Marble Caves" at that point and sat for a mildly early lunch looking out at the view from the top. So close, yet not particularly excited to go on. Hum.
I continued on carefully. Poison oak got thicker as things got more interesting.
I found myself standing directly above the entrance, if the Forest Service maps it correctly. A chute with poison oak, maybe avoidable, looked like a way down, but nothing below really looked like it could be an entrance.
From that point, traveling along the top started to become difficult too. Steep erosion chutes separate some of the outcrops.
I headed back up toward the fuel break at the top, fully expecting to find a line of blue flags along the way as I reached it. I was not disappointed. Then I headed back along the path on the fuel break to find where I had turned wrong early on. The turn did hide a little bit.
USGS maps Marble Caves up close to the road just a little west of the trail as it tops out. I headed that way, past another thin trail that turns out to be more climbers trail accessing limestone. I wandered past to have a look out, but it really didn't look promising. However, there are clues it is just hiding behind higher dirt.
And the temperature for the day was a little more manageable.
*photo album*
©2024 Valerie Norton
Written 12 Oct 2024
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