Afternoon History/Geology Hike on the Old Spanish Trail

This is a moderate afternoon walk/hike on the Old Spanish Trail in Blue Diamond, Nevada. We are meeting at 1:00 PM in front of the general store near the Cottonwood Station restaurant. We will walk a few hundred yards to the Cottonwood Spring where Captain Fremont and Kit Carson stopped in 1844 on their circumnavigation of the Great Basin. After visiting the spring we will go to an overlook where we can see the Old Spanish Trail, pretty much as it looked from 1829 - 1848, when mule and horse caravans went back and forth from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Los Angeles. Then we will walk for 1/2 mile along the trail, stopping to see a Miocene landslide deposit. The trail is steep in places. Total distance is about 1.0 miles. We will be back to the cars by 4:00 PM. Try not to park too close to the restaurant, if possible, so patrons can park.

Level: Moderate(Moderate due to steep trail)