Walthier and Stiles Landing Whitewater ?'s

[Screerider]

Ferry crossing for early man? Ancient alien ports of entry?

[zippetydude]

Huh?

z

[Hikin_Jim]

I think he's talking about some spots over on the Whitewater River near the SGW. I think he's asking if anyone knows the history.

HJ

[zippetydude]

Hi Scree. I'm assuming this is a parallel thread to the one on the San G board. I don't know where the original name came from, but there was an old remnant of a cabin back there until not too long ago. It's almost completely gone nowadays. The wash I was talking about is the way you went up from Whitewater.

The old road I mentioned has an interesting story behind it. If you take the PCT on past the crossing of the Whitewater river where it begins to head east you'll see a trail crossing it perhaps a mile past the Whitewater crossing. If you look carefully as you follow the trail, you can see it's the remnant of an old dirt road. That road was originally plowed to make it possible to access the land up that canyon so that a developer could sell parcels (something on the order of 30-40 acres each as I understand it). Turns out that there wasn't enough market for the parcels to sell and the land was eventually bought by a conservancy group that did not want it ruined. Thank goodness.

Anyway, the road continues all the way to the wash, but is mostly a single track trail now. It becomes more evident as it drops down toward and eventually into the Whitewater drainage. Kinda just disappears there, but it's fun to follow up to that point. Some hunters I ran into out there told me there's a very nice waterfall only a mile or two farther from where the road hits the wash. I was in shorts and it's very overgrown at that point, so there ends my knowledge for now. Hope that helps.

z

[Screerider]

Zip knows the spot.
Looking for history.
I believe the PS hunting club was up there along with a couple mineral claims and cattle grazing nearby, but I'm not sure where the name "Landing" came from.
Another question.
Does anybody know if the Millard trail is accessible by South Fork?

[Hikin_Jim]

I think the road that Zip is talking about can be seen on this map snippet:


I've drawn a green line along the road Zip is referring to. I've also circled Wathier and Stills Landings. The road, and it more or less can be discerned as a road, albeit overgrown, continues to the wash NE of Catclaw Flat. The road peters out a bit here down to a somewhat overgrown trail, takes a hard right, and traverses into the wash. I've circled the spot where the road hits the bottom of the wash. The road decays from this point on down but is still more or less followable. There's a trail shown leading more or less due south. I haven't been able to find this trail, but the terrain is more or less traversable. One has to detour around brush and such.


It's really interesting country over there (to me), but it's nothing like the woodsy greenery of the SGW proper. No trees to speak of or anything like that.

I've seen photos of waterfalls coming out of the SGW into the Whitewater River, but those are only going to be scenic on wet years in the spring.

HJ

[Screerider]

If I come out of Mission, passing by the PCT, there's a road that goes through a hot little canyon, out through catsclaw, then up the side of the hill that points towards Walthier. It dead ends above the drainage. The waterfalls I know of are in Hell for Sure and North Fork. Nothing really in Middlefork. Don't now about South fork.

We are talking about the same road. I've gone that way several times. Just not real familiar with the Stiles Landing side or SF to Millard. I have came down Eastfork into Millard. Anyways, I kind of know the area. Just not the full history.

Stiles Landing

[Hikin_Jim]

Nice. Got more pics?

HJ

[backpackpack]

The truth is out there...

[doo DEE doo dee DEE doooo]

[scottmac]

From WW Preserve, we went up river past Stiles to Wathier and returned via Catclaw. Awesome little trip. Ask Ranger Jack at WW Preserve about his trip to Gorgonio from the Preserve.

A few images from a couple of different trips and cameras ...


Looking west at Stiles from river.


Everything is bigger up there.


South/Middle fork from above Wathier.


South/Middle and North forks from above Wathier.


Looking west over Catclaw towards San Gorgonio from old road switchbacks (which head to the PCT).


Nice view of the area from the Nob.