Hidden Wonders: Valley's best kept secret

Just an hour’s drive east of Porterville sits one of the area’s most beautiful, hidden wonders of the Porterville area — a park filled with rushing white ribbons of water, musical waterfalls, huge Redwoods, Giant Sequoia groves, abundant wildlife, green meadows, scented pines, colorful flowers, archeological mysteries, historical monuments, hiking trails, and numerous camping and fishing sites scattered throughout.

The area — Mountain Home State Forest and the adjacent Balch Park — is referred to by many locals and visitors who frequent the parks as the Valley’s best kept secret.

“We love it here. This is the best place in the state,” said Jim Ashe of Paso Robles as he fished at Hedrick Pond on June 30. “We try to come up at least once a year. I’ve fished and camped in many places — there’s no other place like this. Don’t tell anyone this place exists or it won’t ever be the same.”

Ashe referred to Hedrick Pond where he fished, but there are many such places on Mountain Home.

Stories on the Balch Park Pack Station and Hidden Falls ran in The Recorder on July 26 and July 30 but there are many other sites worth exploring.

Moses Gulch

If you are looking for one of those places that only the locals seem to know about — with amazing scenery, no crowds and no fees — Moses Gulch is one of them. The campground is surrounded by big trees, plenty of ferns and numerous wildflowers. White ribbons of rushing water can be seen hitting rocks along the clear Tule River as scattered splashes of lavender, orange, and white colored flowers dot the area. The gulch — a narrow gorge with a stream running through it — is sandwiched into Moses Mountain.

There are several secluded, and free, campgrounds in the area lining a loop road. At the end of the loop is the beginning of the River Trail Loop. The path to the north side follows alongside the river, eventually leading to switchbacks on the canyon slope. It passes through some fallen Sequoias, which have carved steps in them, and arrives at a floodplain, with big boulders. There, two other paths intersect it — one leading back to Hidden Falls, and one leading to the edge of the river gorge, overlooking the beauty of Hidden Falls. The original path returns to Moses Gulch Campground. The Black Mountain Trail is also near the campground and offers nice white water spots on Kern River.

“We heard about this place on the internet,” said Stepan Martirosyan of Southern California, as he camped June 30 by the river with two friends. “It’s special here — trees, river, everything we need. It is really awesome. There’s no cell phone service so it is really relaxing. We originally thought of hitting several places but we love it here. We don’t want to go anywhere else.”

Sunset Point, Indian Bathtubs, Enterprise Mill and Hercules Tree

Located two miles west of Balch Park is Sunset Point Picnic Area. The area is most known for their rock basin depressions — often called Indian bathtubs — in the granite bedrock. There is a self-guided tour of the area, which is believed to date back 8,000 years.

There is parking in the front of the campground and a short walk past the restrooms leads to the rock site.

Though still a mystery, several tribes of Indians are believed to be responsible for the strange wonders.

The Yaundanchi tribe of the Yokuts, the Tubatulabal, and the Balwisha tribes of the Paiutes, also known as the Mono Indians, all frequented the Mountain Home area, when Mountain Men and miners first arrived in the 1850s.

The smaller indentations in the rock are believed to have been caused by Indians grinding seeds and acorns. The larger indentations — the Indian bathtubs — may have been used to process food but their exact origin is unknown.

Not far away is Enterprise Mill, which was operational from 1897 to 1901. The site mainly consists of sawdust and a few historic Giant Sequoia stumps. There is no digging or removal of any material from the area.

A Giant Sequoia tree — known as the Hercules Tree — is also near by. Hercules has a room carved into it that is large enough for people to walk around in. A dark sticky sap covers the ground of the room and condensation water drops drip from the ceiling of the room. A sign states that the room was carved by turn-of-the-century local rancher, Jesse Hoskins. At one point, the room was used as a small gift shop. The tree, which has been hit by lightning and has a large burn scar, still continues to grow.

Mountain Home Guard Station

For people who would rather not camp in tents, the Historical Mountain Home Guard Station, located near Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest, is available for overnight rental from May 15 to November 15, weather permitting. There is a 14-day maximum rental period.

The 900 square foot cabin has one bedroom, a bathroom, a living room, and a kitchen with a service porch. Flashlights are needed as there is no electricity inside the home. It also has a propane hot water heater, cook stove, refrigerator, and a panel-type heater. In addition to the tables and chairs, the cabin has two twin bed couches, a queen bed, a twin bed and a roll-away bed. The cabin sleeps six adults but there is plenty of room for tents or cots outside. Outside the cabin, a fire ring barbecue and a picnic table can be found.

Campers should plan on taking all necessary food and condiments, sleeping bags, bedding and pillows, bath towels and all toiletries, as well as flashlights, camera, and insect repellent.

Situated at the 6,000 feet level at the base of Giant Sequoias and pines, the home was built in the early 1930s and was once home for Forest Service fire patrolmen. In 1964, the Forest Service no longer needed it. Between 1965 and 1997 it was used to house California Division of Forestry personnel.

Reservations for the cabin should be made through the National Recreation Reservation Service (NRRS) 1-877-444-6777 or www.reserveUSA.com.

Cabin entrance instructions will be given with a permit.

For complete directions, maps and brochures to the Mountain Home State Forest, and all of the above mentioned sites, contact the Western Divide Ranger District at 539-2607. Their office is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and is located at 32588 Highway 190, in Springville.

Contact Esther Avila at 784-5000, Ext. 1045, or eavila@portervillerecorder.com.