Garwood Dam Trail

From Douglas Spring Trailhead, stay on Douglas Spring for about 0.2 mile, then turn right onto Garwood Trail. Follow it to Carrillo Trail and turn left; the last stretch climbs steeply to the dam. This is a network of connected paths, so keep the dam as your turnaround and retrace the same corridor.

The route crosses several washes and alternates hard desert ground with softer sand. Rocky, eroded stretches have deep ruts and a few steps; the steepest measured grade is 28.4%. The park survey counted 15 ruts deeper than a foot, totaling nearly 700 feet, and found the path narrows from about 28 inches to 18 inches in places. It is rough walking for the mileage, not a smooth stroll. Water in the washes is seasonal, so don't plan on it as a supply.

Nelson and Josephine Garwood bought 450 acres here in 1945, and Nelson began the dam in 1948 to store water from Wildhorse Canyon for their home. Masonry, steel and poured concrete went into the work in stages. Gravity fed two 20,000-gallon holding tanks through an eight-inch filtered intake; sediment eventually filled the reservoir. Look closely at the concrete for the texture left by its plywood forms.

The direct hike ends at Garwood Dam. Carrillo continues beyond it toward foothill switchbacks, a ridge and Little Wildhorse Tank; the park's separate dam-and-tank outing is a 6.4-mile loop that returns by other trails. Do that only if you want the longer circuit.