My daughter and I went out to check out Indian Springs Trail last Saturday. It is a singletrack access point to the High Lakes via Soda Ridge. It has been maintained by FOTHL from the top, but I had heard it had been maintained by some fire crews for practice from the bottom.
We were on little XR100's. The trail starts at the parking lot at Belden where the PCT also comes down to the canyon. The trails are literally 6 feet apart. The PCT is the concrete trail "leading to the left. Read that line again!
Apparently the PCT is/was closed during the fire last year, but unlike trails adopted by FOTHL and maintained directly after the fire in August, it seems the non-mechanized crowd has not made the same effort to maintain the PCT. So they use the OHV trail, which is maintained!
Anyway, the Indian Springs Trail is a singletrack, and not one for beginning riders. Not even a quad would fit on this trail properly. It is not so steep as to require heavy use of throttle. We just putted up the trail.
There is some poison oak near the bottom, but not bad. Also, the very beginning has some points you need to lift your bike a bit, and also a couple switchbacks (well built ones) that you have to do a 3 pt turn, which is always interesting on a dirt bike. The trail is in great shape, at least the first 1.5 miles up from the canyon. There are a few small burned trees that have fallen across, but a simple bow saw and/or some dragging got us on our way each time. Once the remaining middle section is cleared, it is also a great trail to do downhill on a mountain bike!
