Return to Comanche Bluff Trail

User: JJohnjacobsen - 2/13/2018  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3stars Difficulty: 3stars Solitude: 4stars
Distance: 5.00 Miles Duration: N/A
confusing
User: jimmy peace - 8/20/2016  [View Log Page]
Rating: 2stars Difficulty: 1point5stars Solitude: 4point5stars
Distance: 3.20 Miles Duration: N/A

this trail becomes confusing.. it seems to disappear, ... on the southern half

did the upper part
User: jimmy peace - 8/7/2016  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3stars Difficulty: 2point5stars Solitude: 4point5stars
Distance: 2.80 Miles Duration: N/A

it was a hot hike,  next trip i do the lower hike , lots of poison ivy tho

Pretty bridges, interesting wildlife, but problematic after a rain
User: plectrudis - 1/18/2016  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3stars Difficulty: 3point5stars Solitude: 3point5stars
Distance: 9.50 Miles Duration: N/A

This was a nice, long trail with some pretty, forested bits, but we went astray right after crossing the Hoxie Bridge (take an IMMEDIATE right, even though the trail also continues straight ahead).  Also, lots of little temporary springs had sprung to life, so parts of the trail were a muddy mess.

On the plus side, there is a good bit of shade, the many bridges that cross little runnels and ravines are neat, and there are mile markers every1/10 mile (starting after the Hoxie Bridge :-(  ).  The park staff were very helpful--as they had no maps on hand, they drove out from the main office 15 min away to bring us some.

But the biggest drawback was at marker ~2.7--a big slough kind of thing crosses the path, and we couldn't find a way around it. You can follow what looks like a utility right-of-way up to a Jeep track, so we did that for a while, but it never rejoined the trail proper, and there was a lot of shooting going on (from hunting, not drug deals gone wrong), so we gave up and turned around.  This area was also thick with litter washed in with the rains, unlike the rest of the trail, which was quite clean.

Even so, it made for a good, long hike (especially with our wrong turn after the HB), and all the up-and-downing through the ravines gave us quite the workout.  Also, we saw 10 white-tailed deer, and a big black boar went crashing through the forest about 40 feet in front of us.  Much excitement.

Enjoyable
User: Eveline - 11/7/2015  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4point5stars Difficulty: 3stars Solitude: 4point5stars
Distance: 2.00 Miles Duration: N/A

We started at the free trailhead on FM 496 and walked northeast over the Friendship bridge, past the juncton with campsite #45 and on for quite a way.  I estimate that our out and back was 2 miles.

solitude!
User: crocodile235 - 5/2/2015  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: 5stars
Distance: 6.00 Miles Duration: N/A

My dog and I started at the alternate trailhead and took the trail 3 miles to the Fox Bottom Primitive Campground.  The trail winds in and out of small wooded areas, but spends much of its time in meadows with tall grasses and wildflowers.  In places the trail was almost entirely obscured by grass, but common sense plus occasional trail markers made it impossible to get lost.  I did not see any cow patties or snakes.  The driftwood has been cleared off the trail.  I did see a fair amount of poison ivy, but it was *mostly* outside the trail zone.  Although it was a gorgeous day, we only saw one person on the trail.

We spent the night at the campground in blissful solitude - no one else around other than a few folks going by in small boats.  The campground was quite overgrown and had poison ivy around its edges.  The chemical toilet was full of trash and unusable.  There are two short trails from the campsite that provide access to the San Gabriel River, but one of them has a deep drop-off such that it is pretty much impossible to climb back out of the water after you swim.  My dog jumped in and couldn't get out - I jumped in, gave him a hefty shove onto the bank, then realized that I couldn't get out either!  Ha.  Luckily the other river access location is quite a bit easier to climb out of.  That one is still a fairly good drop-off, though, which makes filtering water a bit of a balancing and stretching exercise. 

Only person in the park
User: Sunshinedog - 11/8/2014  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4stars Difficulty: 2point5stars Solitude: 5stars
Distance: 3.50 Miles Duration: N/A

this is not a difficult hike and it is quite lovely with the bridges.  Except the first bridge was closed, they are replacing all the slats.  Did not hike the entire trail- got a late start.  But will be back in a few weeks to hike the entire trail.

User: Jessica.Preston - 12/15/2013  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3stars Difficulty: 2point5stars Solitude: 4stars
Distance: 3.20 Miles Duration: N/A
West end not as nice
User: texaskdog - 3/6/2011  [View Log Page]
Rating: 2stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: 4point5stars
Distance: 5.00 Miles Duration: 1 hour, 45 minutes

We took the eastern part before, so this time we hiked form the Hwy 496 entrance to the west.  The western part is not well labeled as we hit a fork, to the right ended in the lake, to the left hit a jeep trail which we followed.  According to this map somehow we would go down the middle.  Eventually we saw some pink ribbons and turned off the jeep trails but that seemed to end too.  According to the map here that was the right way.  Eastern half is definitely the nicer half of the trail, but you can hike west til the 2nd crossing, about 15 minutes west of the hwy 496 entrance.  Good luck finding the scout camp.

Hiked from Alternate TH to Primitive Camp
User: rrtex1 - 2/12/2011  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3point5stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: 2stars
Distance: 5.50 Miles Duration: N/A
Family started at Alt. TH and headed west on trail from parking lot. Trail is well marked and well groomed. About .75 miles down trail came across a brush fire that was being put out. Trail is great but becomes littered with debris from last years flood. After we got to the ponds on the road portion of the trail we lost the trail completely due to flood debris and overgrowth and just followed river until we found camp. Camp is very nice with big trees and nice open grass. We will go here to camp in the future. When we left we followed the road all the way out which was not as scenic but was a bit shorter than following the trail. Saw lots of hawks, cardinals and other birds. Had a good time.
User: cmbarrick - 5/31/2010  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: 4stars
Distance: 2.00 Miles Duration: N/A
Nice trail
User: c1seachelle_and_dogs - 5/8/2010  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: 4stars
Distance: 2.50 Miles Duration: N/A
Went with family and dogs. We loved it. Narrow trail that is over grown, but that's nature. Saw only one person for 2.5 miles. Could see campsite at one bridge.
One of my favorites!
User: texaskdog - 1/10/2010  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4stars Difficulty: 3stars Solitude: 5stars
Distance: 5.00 Miles Duration: 1 hour, 40 minutes

Went in January, saw 2 groups of people in 2 hours.  Great variety, the bridges are cool, you are close to the water.  Didn't make it all the way to the end.  If you come from the east, when you get to the gate and driveway you have to go across and reenter the other gate to keep going.  This is a cant-miss!  Drive over the dam afterward.

User: Daniel N - 11/7/2009  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3stars Difficulty: 4stars Solitude: 5stars
Distance: 4.00 Miles Duration: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Fox Bottom Primitive Campground
User: narpigeon - 9/5/2009  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4stars Difficulty: 3stars Solitude: 5stars
Distance: 3.00 Miles Duration: N/A

I thought the trail was perfect, difficult to follow and required quite a bit of back tracking. Due to this I believe most would not return. That is exactly why I am going again. The trees are in poor shape because of the lack of moisture. There was a lot of cows towards the campground. I heard a group of coyotes during the evening. The campground is well maintained and has a nice toilet. There needs to be peat moss available to compost. There is also a nice smoker grill. I made a map of the path I took to find the campground and it is available here.

User: johnbivona - 2/22/2009  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3stars Difficulty: 3stars Solitude: 4stars
Distance: 7.50 Miles Duration: 4 hours, 15 minutes

This is a nice half-day hike with medium difficulty.  The trail is not well marked, especially during the last mile near the primitive camping area.  Stay on the beaten path and you should eventually get to the campsite.  I was amazed at the amount of drift wood and plastic trash that has accumulated around the trail area during periods of high lake levels.  Be on the lookout for deer and hogs as you approach the last 1/3 of the hike!

good thing I like bridges...
User: hikingfreak - 12/7/2008  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4stars Difficulty: 3stars Solitude: 4stars
Distance: 9.00 Miles Duration: 4 hours, 30 minutes

I wasn't sure if I hiked the entire trail but it was a great hike either way.  I did get to the area with the birdhouses, and walked at least  a mile and a half past that on the jeep trail until the high reeds were surrounding me.  I saw a deer on the way out and 5 armadillos and 2 hikers on the way back.  The solitude was wonderful.  I didn't have to pay a fee to get in Taylor Park, but that might only have been because the gate was up and no attendant was on duty today.

Poorly maintained but pleasant
User: raediant - 10/25/2008  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3stars Difficulty: 3stars Solitude: 5stars
Distance: 8.00 Miles Duration: N/A

The trail was hard to follow at points, especially with so much leaf fall. I followed the car tracks beyond the trail turnaround for about 3/4 mile and found myself at a lake inlet dotted with birdhouses. Litter was all too common along the driftwood sites. Other than that, the hike was extremely enjoyable. If you enjoy photographing wildlife, bring a camera and be ready - I spotted at least six armadillos, a black snake, a few lizards, a hawk, a blue heron, and various smaller birds. The high degree of solitude was refreshing and occasional unobscured views of Lake Granger were lovely. I recommend the trail to hikers that enjoy a raw trail full of surprises.

This trail needs work
User: ANDYROOSKY - 10/28/2007  [View Log Page]
Rating: 2stars Difficulty: 3stars Solitude: 4stars
Distance: 3.00 Miles Duration: 4 hours, 30 minutes

This was a fun trail until you cross the first big bridge.  I went immediately right and the trail died out real fast.  So I went back to the bridge and then the trail took me into a camping area...after walking around for a while I found a small little nice trail that went alongside of the trail however it soon died out also.....I found a little playground that my child on and then we did the trail again....I was kinda disappointed...I think I will stay left of the camping grounds next time and I might pick up the rest of the trail....I only rating the difficulty so high because it was so hard to find the trail....no maps or anything...... 

Not the right time to hike this one
User: kstahnke - 6/24/2007  [View Log Page]
Rating: 2stars Difficulty: 1point5stars Solitude: 2point5stars
Distance: 3.20 Miles Duration: N/A
I've hiked this trail before but it has been a while. Right now, the trails are overgrown with poison ivy and trees have fallen over several spots requiring some cutting off trail. This can be a fun little hike, but I definitely didn't pick the right time to take it this time. I cut the hike short when I hit the western trail head and the trail followed a fence line and the trail was hemmed in with honeysuckle and poison ivy. At that point, I turned back because I'm quite allergic. I'm not dogging the trail, just advising anyone else thinking of heading out right now.
Nice and relaxing
User: sprucega - 4/21/2007  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4stars Difficulty: 2point5stars Solitude: 4point5stars
Distance: 5.00 Miles Duration: N/A
This was a great hike. It wasn't overly hilly -- though there were some hills -- and there were wildflowers everywhere. I'd recommend it to anyone at this time of year. FYI, it's easy to temporarily lose the trail at the first campsite. Watch for it on your left immediately after crossing the first metal bridge.
Had no idea it would be so cool...
User: LVX - 4/20/2007  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4stars Difficulty: 3stars Solitude: 4stars
Distance: 5.00 Miles Duration: 3 hours
We went out to Granger lake because we were looking for a geocache. We had no idea that it would be so cool. It was very wet and muddy but we didn't care.
Highly recommended for the more adventurous type.
User: lordvallsbyrd - 3/18/2007  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4stars Difficulty: 4stars Solitude: 5stars
Distance: 9.00 Miles Duration: 5 minutes
The Comanche Bluff Trail was quite an experience. It seems that the trail has been flooded at one part, or perhaps this is where the trail ends because the trail brochure did say that it was not complete. Regardless this problem of course would not stop us. After a ways of beating through the brush and a little trailblazing we were able to find a road that would lead us to the Foxbottom Meadow, which was absolutely beautiful.
Kinda Flat
User: jsr59jsr - 3/10/2007  [View Log Page]
Rating: 2stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: 4stars
Distance: 7.50 Miles Duration: 6 hours
Close to the water but a little dry.

Next