Transition Time Hike of the Roy Rodgers Loop at the Loafer Creek Area of Lake Oroville

Manzanita, Arctostaphylos sp.

Date: March 2, 2024
Place: Lake Oroville State Recreation Area, Oroville, California

Coordinates: 39.533829, -121.446375

Length: 5 miles

Level: mildly moderate

 

On the beginning of March I traveled to Oroville to prepare the hikes I had planned to take my family hiking group on in April. After a stormy day at the North Table Mountain Preserve I returned to the Loafer Creek campground at the Lake Oroville State Recreation Area, where I had passed a stormy night sleeping in my car. I woke up to a chilly but calm morning. The rain was gone, at least for the time being, and I was eager to get on the trail I had planned for that day. After breakfast I drove down to the lake's marina where the Roy Rogers Loop trailhead was. I also wanted to take a look at the swim beach of the lake - the beach was closed for the season, but I was surprised to see that the lake's level was fairly low. It was almost the end of winter and there has been good rains - apparently the water was being released, possibly to make room for the expected snow melt later in the season. 

Lake Oroville's Swim Beach

One of the first things I noticed when I started down the trail was a plum tree in full bloom. It probably was a cultivated tree but it was gorgeous, and it smelled really nice too. 

Plum

I chose the loop trail to hike today for its length and level of difficulty that would fit my family hiking group, but the main focus of this trail would be the the wildflowers that were expected to carpet the area in a month's time. A decade ago I hiked a small portion of this loop with my family. It was spring time then, and I remembered how beautiful it was, with all the wildflowers and the birds. Now it was too early in season for any significant wildflowers display, but I was eager to see the area regardless.

My hike as captured by my GPS

On my very first steps on the trail I heard a familiar sound from above. It was the sound of cranes calling. I looked up and could barely see high in the sky the movement of these majestic birds.  It didn't take long for these gray-colored cranes to vanish into the gray clouds. Soon their calls dimmed as they cranes moved north. Soon after I heard the call of a single crane - he may have been left behind and was trying to reconnect with them. He too was too high for me to take a photo, and soon his call vanished as well. I hope he found his group or otherwise made it safely to his destination.  

Roy Rogers Loop Trail

My hike started with a mild ascend up the hill and into the forest. The forest had been damaged by fire - how recent, I do not know, but it was not of late - there was some recovery already.

It was interesting and also uplifting to see new life rises from death. The nook of the charred burnt tree provided a nursery pot for seeds that fell into it to sprout.

I expected this place to be full of wildflowers in April, a month away still, but I was glad too see some lovely early spring bloom already.

Western Buttercup, Ranunculus occidentalis

I didn't walk particularly fast but it didn't take long for me to get a high view of the lake. Lake Oroville is a human-made reservoir, and has the "tentacled" shape common to human-made lakes that didn't have eras to smooth into a round shape typical of natural water bodies. What I was looking at below me was such an "arm" of the lake where a creek that feeds into the basin is raised into a wide canal by the artificial flooding of the basin.

Lake Oroville

The clouds continued to gather and soon it started to drizzle a bit. Thankfully the wind was light and not as strong as it was on the previous day at the North Table Mountain Preserve. I think it also had something to do with being on a hilly terrain inside a forest.

The trail undulated down toward a small creek. he flow wasn't strong but it did form a cute looking cascade. I love the sound of running water. 

Close to the creek were more wildflowers, most of them at their earlier stages of bloom. I expected that by April the wildflowers would light up the entire forest there.

Turkey Pea, Sanicula tuberosa

I was there near the end of a good rainy season and, as expected, there were a lot of mushrooms popping out all around. Most of them I didn't recognize and haven't really tried to either. Mushroom identification I leave to experts.

On  the way uphill from the creek I saw some more wildflowers, including a few fawn lilies. Fawn lilies are early bloomers, and when I do see them, they often come in large patches. Here were only two or three individuals, but I was happy to see them nonetheless.

Sierra Fawn Lily, Erythronium multiscapideum

What was blooming in large numbers were the shooting stars. They too are early bloomers, and at the time of my hike there, they seemed to be at their peak bloom.

Henderson's Shooting Star, Primula hendersonii

The trail reached a higher plateau and leveled off, and the drizzle stopped. There were fewer wildflowers there so I picked up my pace.

Roy Rogers Loop Trail

The planned loop trail was about 5 miles and I wanted to complete it reasonably quickly because I was planning to drive back home that day. There was one more trail I wanted to check out and I originally planned to stay for another day of camping and hike it on Sunday but a special event at home had caused me to alter my plans.

Roy Rogers Loop Trail

I was expected to soon cross one of the side access roads north of the Loafer Creek unit. I didn't see the road yet but the trail started descending in that direction. As I was turning the curve I noticed two large toms marching ahead below me. I paused and followed them with my camera. After some observation I noticed that the toms were bringing up the rear of a large flock of turkeys that were walking slowly up the hillside, pecking at the ground as they went. With puffed feathers and raised tails, the Toms followed their flock, slowly driving them further up the hill and away from the trail.

Wild Turkey

I crossed the road and immediately behind it I found the Brooks Orchard Picnic Area. It would have been a good spot to stop for a short snack break but the drizzle had resumed and I went on with my hike, hoping for another good spot in which to sit and eat later on. Right behind the picnic area were large Manzanita bushes, all in full bloom, looking like fluffy clouds.

Manzanita, Arctostaphilos sp.

 

The trail continued south through a slanted meadow of early grasses. A few buttercup were blooming there but nothing else. The drizzle intensified to a mild rain for a few minutes before easing up again.

Meadow

I didn't mind the rain itself, but the trail became very soggy and partially flooded. I needed to be careful not to skid in the mud.

Roy Rogers Loop Trail

Once again in the forest among the trees I saw a lot more fungi. Some of them created really neat structures on dead logs and branches. These wood-eating fungi are essential to the forest's health, decomposing the dead and releasing nutrients back into the ground to be reused by vegetation.

Turkeytail Mushrooms

The rain ceased and I moved on at a quicker pace. I crossed another small creek and found myself in a more open area where the trees were lower and more far apart. There were more fungi there too, including the slimy-looking bright orange "witch's butter" fungus.

Witch's Butter, Tremella mesenterica

The fores on the east side of the Loafer Creek area comprised of more oak and laurel trees and less pines. The oaks were large and impressive, and their trunks were coated with a thick and lush layer of moss.

Roy Rogers Loop Trail

Some of the oaks too seemed to be damaged by fire, although the forest as a while seemed intact. It could have been that the damage was caused by isolated hits of lightning that didn't develop into a forest fire. The dead trees here too were an excellent substrate for fungi.

Trees for connections with other plants as well. I anticipated seeing and was happy to find the warrior plume plants blooming. The warrior plume is a saprophytic plant that connects with other trees' roots for its own benefit. Whether the tree benefits from that too, I do not know.

Warrior's Plume, Pedicularis densiflora

The next creek I crossed had a low boardwalk bridge across it, which was good because that creek was a bit stronger and deeper than those I had crossed earlier on my hike.

The composition of the forest changed again - now the dominant members of the forest community were manzanita bushes. They are dubbed bushes because they tent to have multiple woody stems rather than a single, central trunk. The manzanitas I saw there however, were as large as trees.

Roy Rogers Loop Trail

Another slimy fungus caught my eye. It might have been a witch's butter of a different color variant, or a relative of the orange witch's butter. I don't know. The iNaturalist app identified it as a Leafy Brain fungus.

Near the creek bloomed more shooting star flowers and this time I could get a nice, close up photos of these lovely spring heralds.

Henderson's Shooting Star, Primula hendersonii

I continued southward, getting closer to the main entrance road to the Loafer Creek unit of the Lake Oroville State Recreation Area. Eventually the forest changed again to be of more pines with an occasional oak or manzanita. For the time being the weather remained on the drier side. 

Roy Rogers Loop Trail

Other things that get efficiently decomposed by fungi are animal droppings. The animals don't absorb everything to the last mineral in their guts and their feces have plenty to offer to the fungi. Mushrooms sptouting out of horse droppings was a common sight on that trail. 

Mushrooms

I crossed yet another creek. I expected that most, if not all of these little brooks would be dry within the month. I don't know how significant is their contribution to the lake's level. The main feeder into the Lake Oroville Reservoir is the big feather river that drains from the Sierra Nevada.  I loved seeing these little brooks on my hike. 

I paused by a large manzanita bush and stroked its smooth, beautiful bark. I've heard manzanita and madrone (they are relatives) being referred to as "refrigerator tree", and the latin name of manzanita reflects that trait - the smooth, thin parked wood is cool to touch, even in the heat of summer. 

Manzanita, Arctostaphilos sp. 

The forest thickened a bit as I approached the main access road. These were all oaks now, of a deciduous species I didn't recognize. They were all winter-naked still, and their gray look combined with the gray sky gave the forest a bit of an eerie feeling. 

I reached the main access road of the Loafer Creek unit of the Lake Oroville State Recreation Area. I didn't linger there, just crossed the road quickly and continued south on the trail. It didn't take too long and two horse riders passed me, nodding to me as they passed. They were the only humans I've seen on this hike so far. 

Roy Rogers Loop Trail

The trail descended mildly into a narrow valley. I crossed another creek then I came upon a spur trail leading to the group campsite. In my plans for the family hiking group trip for April we were to stay at that campsite, so naturally I walked down there to check it out. 

I stayed at the group site for about half an hour. Other than the time it took to look at everything and take photos for the group I also found the campsite, which was vacant, to be the perfect place to stop for a lunch break. Eventually, well rested and sated I walked bak to the loop trail to resume my hike. 

Roy Rogers Loop Trail

The trail curved a bit westward and continued descending. Along the way I saw some fallen trees that dropped recently, perhaps even by last night's wind. AT the end of that trail was a flat gravel area - it was the access road to Saddle Dam, a dam that formed the Miners Ranch Reservoir, a separate, and much smaller body of water than Lake Oroville. 

Saddle Dam

I walked on the dam for a little bit and looked south at the water. I saw a couple of grebes floating lazily but they were too far for me to take any photos. 

Miners Ranch Reservoir

 

Then I looked at the view north. There I could see the houses at the outskirts of Oroville. Between the dam and the edge neighborhood was a low valley that for some reason was named, "Deadman Ravine". The valley was lovely green and I guessed it would get very colorful with flowers later in the season.

I stepped down from the dam and crossed the little creek that formed from the water seeping under the massive gravel dike. A closer look confirmed what I saw from above - there were no wildflowers blooming there yet.

At that point the trail split into two. The Roy Rogers Loop continued more west but there was also the Deadman Ravine Trail that cut directly north through the Horse Camp. The paper map I had didn't show a connection between the trails and the Roy Rogers Trail fork would add another half a mile - not a problem for me but might extend it beyond the comfort of a group with children. I pondered that for a few moments, until a local dog walker walked down the trail and told me that the two trails to connect at the horse camp. Reassured, I took on the Roy Rogers trail branch.

Roy Rogers Loop Trail

While earlier on the trail the deciduous trees were completely bare, here I was seeing oaks that were already budding out their new spring leaves. Not all of them - just a few early risers here and there.

Oak, Quercus sp.

Along the trail I found another early blooming bush - the buckbush. This species usually gives off a strong scent, but the individuals I saw had only a faint fragrance. Perhaps the rain dampened the smell particles.

Buckbush, Ceanothus cuneatus

I got close enough to stick my nose into the flower clusters. I love the smell of the blooming buckbush, and the delicate, lace-like look of their flower clusters.

Buckbush, Ceanothus cuneatus

I encountered another familiar bush on the trail - the poison oak, waking up from winter hibernation with fresh, red foliage.

Poison Oak, Toxicodendron diversilobum

After a good half a mile of walking on the open ridge west of Deadman Ravine valley the trail dipped again into the woods. This time it was a diverse mix of pines, oaks and other trees and large bushes.

Roy Rogers Loop Trail

Among the trees in that part of the forest were the California buckeye, already with their bright green coat of fully expanded spring leaves.

California Buckeye, Aesculus californica

The new generation of buckeye trees were also making an appearance with their large brown nuts sprouting and digging their taproot into the wet, soft ground.

The trail came very close to the horse camp and I could see a small foot path connecting the Roy Rogers Loop Trail I was on with the Deadman Ravine Trail that run through the campsite. These two trails would join at an actual trail junction a bit further north, and by cutting directly to the Deadman Ravine Trail at the horse camp I was saving about half a mile. 

Horse Camp

 

A blooming daffodil, clearly a cultivated plant that escaped into the wild, bloomed at the edge of the camp.

Common Daffodil, Narcissus pseudonarcissus

 

As I came over to the horse camp I startled a couple of deer from their grazing reverie. They looked at me, then turned around and walked away. I sat down at one of the campsite's picnic tables to drink and snack a bit.

Deer

From the horse camp I had about a mile left to complete the loop hike. It wasn't raining anymore but the wind had picked up and it was getting cold. I really wanted a hot beverage but I left my little stove in the car. Getting to cold to remain sitting any longer, I got up and resumed my hike, once again going into the woods.

I continued north. The trail undulated up and down but neither were very steep. thinking of the long drive awaiting for me still I tried to pick up my pace, but I kept stopping to check out interesting things along the way.

Turkeytail, Trametes versicolor

I crossed another shallow creek. The trail was really soggy on that part of the hike. Thankfully the soil there didn't form the kind of sticky, heavy mud that is characteristic of the East Bay. All of a sudden the clouds separated a bit and the sunlight came shining through. That was a nice surprise.

Roy Rogers Loop Trail

Below me, the trail was covered by manzanita flowers that fell during the storm. It looked a bit like snow.

Manzanita "Snow"

The sunshine illuminated selectively different parts of the forest. At some point it was a bunch of the glossy toyon berries.

Toyon, Heteromeles arbutifolia

Just before reaching the marina access road the trail delved beneath a thick canopy of oak trees. The sun kept shining but I was walking in the deep shade for a little bit.

Roy Rogers Loop Trail

On the other side of the marina access road was a grove of large, deciduous oak trees, all still bare of leaves. They looked quite impressive so I paused there for a moment, admiring these forest oldies.

A quick movement accompanies by a lot of chirping caught my attention. It was a small, hyperactive bird - a ruby-crowned kinglet.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

The last bit of trail was bypassing the large parking area. The sunshine that illuminated the last part of my hike was slowly fading away as the clouds converged overhead once more.

Roy Rogers Loop Trail

I made it quickly back to my car, which was the only one parked in that huge parking area. I pulled my stove out and made myself some tea for the road, then took off. In a perfect timing, the rain resumed as I exited the Loafer Creek area and followed me all the way home.

Marina Parking of the Lake Oroville Loafer Creek

 The Roy Rogers Loop Trail was a lovely hike. I'm sure it looked even prettier in April with all the spring wildflowers and the trees wearing new leaves, but the planned group trip didn't materialize and I was left with the memories of a lovely winter hike In a lovely forest. 

I had one more hike planned for this preparation trip but I had to get back home to attend an event on the following day. After the event was over I returned once again to spend another night at the Loafer Creek Campground so I could hike the Brad Friedman/Dan Bebee loop by the Thermalito Diversion Pool under the Lake Oroville Dam.