The ranch is a beautiful, rugged, historically rich stretch of land that is an absolute gem. Nestled in the foothills outside of Coarsegold, Ca, the ranch is a stone's throw away from Yosemite.

I was there in the dead of summer during a pretty serious heat wave, and was still able to enjoy my time. The property offers a river, that runs 10 months out of the year, and is a great place to cool off at. There is also a small pond that is good for morning fishing (catch and release!!) and a midnight row on the boat. If the weather was a bit more mild, I would have experienced more of the endless hiking opportunities on the land. 1000 acres is a lot of space, and there are a number of trails that criss-cross the property.

The camp itself is very new and still early in the evolution of the facilities. What this means is that the camping is primitive, and you will need to bring in everything you need (including water). The landowner, Pat, has been ravenously working to add necessities to the property, as fire extinguishers, first aid kits, and rudimentary maps are all available to anyone camping. There are also plans to add some sort of shower/rinsing area, but at this point they are not available (the river was fine for me)!

The Sites - The first set of sites are located shortly after you enter the property are pretty simple and mostly a home base. There is area to set up quite a few tents, but there isn't a ton of shade, so bringing an additional shade isn't a bad idea if there are a group of people coming. Beyond this first site the road gets a bit iffy for anything less than a high-clearance vehicle. I am sure that this dirt road would require 4wd at some points in the year, but was definitely doable in a 2wd vehicle with decent ground clearance during our visit. The dirt road is about a mile or so and can be hiked (mountain bike would be fun) to get to other features of the property that are tucked back. This road is the main way to get down to the river, pond, and other areas of the property.

While there is a section of the road that can probably be handled by most 2wd trucks/suv's there is also parts of the property that are 4wd only. The road back to the pond and up to the big lookout are pretty gnarly and require a vehicle with reliable 4wd. My subaru forester wouldn't have a problem with the grade, but the ground clearance in some sections are questionable (at best)!

We took the 4wd road and camped at the pond (can also be hiked in, like any other area of the property). We wanted to do some early morning fishing so the pond made the most sense. It's not a pond I would swim in, but I liked the sounds of the frogs and bugs when sleeping by the pond. Mosquitoes were kept at bay with a couple applications of bug spray, but it wasn't really an issue for us (I wore shorts the whole time). Going out on the boat at midnight, during the full-moon was pretty awesome and I highly suggest it.

Overall, I really liked my time at the ranch, despite the 100+ temperatures. I could only imagine what this property would like like in spring and late fall, as it was already gorgeous during the summer. The gold mining history was/is an added bonus, and the additions that Pat (landowner) is making, will help adding some of the amenities that some people require. I will definitely be coming back to the ranch!