Sacramento County Highpoint Trip Report
Date: March 15, 2007
Authors: SueAnn Miller and Frank Price
Previous reports are still useful but iron gates mentioned are now all closed
and locked and often part of continuing fences. Having exited 50 at East
Bidwell/Scott Road driving north on East Bidwell, we took the first light off
Bidwell onto Ironwood Way. This is the avenue that winds around below the HP.
We continued to the next first left on Carpenter Hill road, the left again up to
the end of Branding Iron Court, which is now a fully occupied cul-de-sac.
We parked at the end of this cul-de-sac and walked around the iron fence that
encloses water tanks. One could take a course straight up from parking at the
entrance to the "E" development near the entry columns as this is probably the
course of an old track to the communications towers. We were soon on the track
and made an easy walk, slowed only by some good bird watching, to the BM in the
rock outcrop west of the north tower cluster. We had no sticky seed or
landowner issues. Flowers were already good this year and visibility was fine.
The old access road from the north is paved but has a closed gate so, after
returning to our car, we took a few minutes to explore other routes described in
previous reports. We saw several closed gates but Carpenter Hill Road continues
on to Broadstone Parkway, which leads around the north of Carpenter Hill.
A left turn there will lead to another potential access area. Broadstone Parkway
is also the second right turn off Bidwell. Approaching from either direction,
Serpa Way turns south off Broadstone and Caversham Way is the first left off
Serpa. There is a paved bike path that leaves off a corner of Caversham Way and
appears to take the course of the old road to the summit. This is the iron gate
mentioned by Scott Surgent, and Google Earth confirms the course. We did not
walk in from that end but it would be another easy access walk and there were no
signs along the street that discouraged parking (yet).
The area is developing quickly so there may soon be new connecting roads and
more private property to challenge subsequent highpointers but the hike itself
is easy.