Middle Fork Trail

Middle Fork Trail is a remote out-and-back from the Middle Fork Trailhead to Redwood Meadow: about 13 miles each way, or 26 miles round trip. It starts in low foothill chaparral and climbs into mixed-conifer forest before reaching a grove of giant sequoias. Treat the full route as a backpacking trip; most hikers should split it over two days, and overnight travel requires a wilderness permit. Panther Creek, roughly 3 to 3.5 miles in, is the first legal campsite. The popular shorter outing turns back there at about 6 to 7 miles round trip; it reaches the falls, not the grove.

The trailhead is reached by the dirt Middle Fork spur off Buckeye Flat Campground Road. If that road is closed, park at Hospital Rock and walk in; that adds less than two miles each way.

The trail drops from the access and crosses an unbridged creek within the first few yards. This is the crossing most likely to require wading even at modest flows, and high water can make it impassable. The route then climbs along chaparral-covered hillsides. The tread is broad and maintained through the early section, but shade is limited and summer heat can be severe.

Views open over the Middle Fork valley toward Castle Rocks, Moro Rock and the Great Western Divide. The most distinctive photo is from the open hillside: leave some dusty trail in the foreground to show the climb, with Moro Rock or the Divide rising beyond it.

After about four miles the path gets brushier, passes mixed broadleaf woodland and descends to Panther Creek. The creek is deep; hikers often use stepping stones, but this crossing can be dangerous at high flows. The largest waterfall sits below trail level and is hard to see from the path. A smaller fall shows through the trees, and another small cascade lies far below on the Middle Fork. A flat wooded campsite just beyond the creek has a view into the valley.

The route keeps climbing beyond Panther Creek toward Mehrten Creek, about six miles from the trailhead, and Buck Creek, about nine miles in. These are among the few places with flat ground and breaks in the brush. Farther on, mixed conifers replace the foothill vegetation before the trail reaches Redwood Meadow at roughly 13 miles. The lower route crosses Granite Creek, which can be dangerous during snowmelt; an upper alternative uses a bridge and easier crossings.