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Abandoned ROW's- Pickering Lbr. Corp.
Author: Tom Moungovan
Date: 06-10-2007 - 21:21
There have been a few readers on this forum that showed some interest in the old Pickering Lbr. Corp. operation out of Standard, CA. This last weekend I spent in the woods courtesy of Jack, Stan & Scott Botfield who had relatives working for Pickering.
There is one wooden trestle remaining on the Pickering. It is about a 7 mile hike from Beardsley Dam on the south side of the river. Parts of the ROW are quite easy to hike over & parts are starting to get pretty grown over. The old warnings to watch out for rattlers are still valid as we heard several & saw one. If you have 4WD, you can drive into West Tunnel Creek around Mile 37 & then continue up the grade. It's about 3 miles to the last remaining trestle, which is starting to lean a bit & has its approaches gone. To get by it, you have to pick your way down to the bottom of the gulch & then back up the other side. It's still an impressive structure and hugs the edge of a granite bluff. Nearby is the old site of Sandbar water tank. The remains were just tossed over the side & are still visible down the hill on the river side of the ROW. 44 years later, there's still a dark stain in the dirt from where the hogger would oil the engine while the fireman filled the tank.
If anyone has a real interest in this logging line, this would be a fine place to visit.
Yes, it can get quite hot in that canyon, so pick the right time of year.
There is one wooden trestle remaining on the Pickering. It is about a 7 mile hike from Beardsley Dam on the south side of the river. Parts of the ROW are quite easy to hike over & parts are starting to get pretty grown over. The old warnings to watch out for rattlers are still valid as we heard several & saw one. If you have 4WD, you can drive into West Tunnel Creek around Mile 37 & then continue up the grade. It's about 3 miles to the last remaining trestle, which is starting to lean a bit & has its approaches gone. To get by it, you have to pick your way down to the bottom of the gulch & then back up the other side. It's still an impressive structure and hugs the edge of a granite bluff. Nearby is the old site of Sandbar water tank. The remains were just tossed over the side & are still visible down the hill on the river side of the ROW. 44 years later, there's still a dark stain in the dirt from where the hogger would oil the engine while the fireman filled the tank.
If anyone has a real interest in this logging line, this would be a fine place to visit.
Yes, it can get quite hot in that canyon, so pick the right time of year.
Abandoned ROW's- Pickering Lbr. Corp.