Merced River Trailhead

Richard Townsend

There are many ways you can hike this trail. If you park in the lot at Briceburg beside highway 140, you can hike as much as about 18 miles round trip, or any shorter distance by turning around as soon as you want. There are three campgrounds and several toilets along the way. The trail follows the Merced River and the first 5 miles are accessible on foot, bicycle or by car. There is a parking lot beside the highway and a second smaller lot across the suspension bridge. Or you can drive along the 1-lane dirt road. There are several smaller parking areas along this road. After about the first 5 miles there is a locked gate, and room for a few more cars to park. On this visit we parked at this gate and walked along the river. The trail beyond the gate starts out wide like the prior section. After a mile or so it narrows to a footpath with more obstacles along the way, including a few large rockslides, but these are easy to climb over. Eventually you come to an intersection where the North Fork of the Merced River meets the Merced River. Here you will have to go to the right as there is no longer a bridge across the North Fork. Once you make this turn the trail becomes narrower and steeper. A few sections are a little sketchy due to their steepness, loose gravel, and the drop-offs on the left. Not terrible, but not for young children either. After roughly a mile and a half on this section you will come to several small-medium cascades. There are a variety of rocks to sit on and relax, enjoy the scenery and have a snack. We did this hike in early February, a great time to do it in the cool weather and when the newts are active. This trail has very limited shade and would be very hot in the summer. March and April are great times to visit as well to see lots of wildflowers. I thoroughly enjoyed this hike and would highly recommend it!

Jean Claude Roget

Amazing place

Loyal2MySoil

Go out and see for yourself I’m not gonna spoil the series of “life” for u

Loyal2MySoil

Go out and see for yourself I’m not gonna spoil the series of “life” for u