PSA: Took me 4 hours to find a water source on the Lost Coast Trail

I swear I read every guide and still missed the seasonal creek at mile 7, ended up backtracking 3 miles to a cow pond. Has anyone else been fooled by a map that shows 'perennial stream' that's totally dry in June?

2 comments

2 Comments

davis.noah1mo ago

Hiked that same trail in July and spent two hours chasing a creek that was just a dry gully.

wood.eric1mo ago

Man @davis.noah that is the most frustrating thing ever. I did a hike in Utah last spring where the map showed a nice little stream crossing but it was just cracked mud and dry rocks. You end up walking an extra mile off trail hoping you'll find some water and just get stuck in a wash with nothing but dust. Those trails that promise water features but don't deliver are the worst because you plan your whole route around them.