Description:
This is a hidden treat of a trail. Below the 26.5 mile marker parking area, join the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) just to the east. Proceed N as the PCT dips into a shallow ravine and, after several hundred yards, joins the road to Oasis Spring. Continue on the road through a chaparral forest of mainly mountain mahogany. To the east is a stunning view of Storm Canyon and the desert below. The road soon deteriorates into a path descending in tight switchbacks through dense live oak and bay laurel, ending at an old pumphouse. This was the original water supply for several Laguna camps and cabins, as well as the Forest Service Fire Station. Note the bigleaf maple and grape vines, not usually found here, which were probably planted near the pumphouse caretaker's residence. Note: this trail is not managed as a Forest Service trail. It is not marked or maintained.