Garzas Canyon – Garland Ranch (Carmel Valley)

Yesterday I went to a different part of Garland Ranch. The other Garland Ranch trails I’ve been on have been right off of Carmel Valley Road. But for these trails you have to drive down Boronda Road.

I was really hoping that these trails would be runnable. Especially after my Soberanes hike. Did I blog about that? I don’t think so. But it was horrible. I was only able to run about one mile out of five. Anyway, these Garland Ranch trails (Garzas Canyon, Redwood Canyon and Terrace Trail), were awesome! Almost the entire 3.5 miles is runnable. Of course, I walked most of the steep uphill because I’m not conditioned for that. But I’ll be visiting again and I’ll see my performance improve. According to my Garmin, there was a total elevation gain of 909 feet.

The trail was wide and clear… except for lots of horse droppings. But it’s easy enough to dodge. I don’t mind sharing my trails with horses.

At first the trail goes up slightly in elevation and then goes down into the canyon. It was amazing! Within a few seconds I could feel the temperature drop. From comfortable-don’t-even-notice-the-temp feeling to wow-that’s-crisp-and-chilly feeling. It was refreshing. And the sound of the rushing water as I ran made me wish I had someone to share the experience with.

The only obstacles I met were four creek crossing on the Garzas Canyon trail. I wasn’t expecting to get my feet wet so it took be a while to cross. I really didn’t want to spend the next 2-3 miles running in wet socks. Here was my first option…

And second option…

I went with option #3…

Thank goodness the tree help up as I scooted across. It was wide enough to walk on but my balance felt really off.

Creek crossing #2…

I didn’t take a picture of the third crossing. Instead I said out loud “You’ve got to be kidding me!!”

And the fourth (and last thank goodness!) had a beautiful little pool of water.

Right after this last crossing, the trail turns sharply and ascends a bit up to this bridge over a DRY creek. Nice.

 Then I ran along another canyon. The sound of the water was gone and I could only here faint talking from other hikers far away. The redwoods were huge and beautiful and I’m sorry I forgot to take pictures.

Much of the trail from here was like this. Usually I get nervous running next to a cliff, but it felt safe here. 

My favorite plant! The maidenhair fern. 

There were a few sections that I felt compelled to walk. Like this downhill section with a sharp turn. 

 There was a gorgeous view of Carmel Valley along Terrace Trail. In person, you can see all the houses down there. What an amazing place to live!