Deer Creek Hills hiking trail, Sacramento County, California

Warren&LauraW, KarenS & I went hiking at Deer Creek Hills. We took a docent-led Geology Hike from Sacramento Valley Conservancy.

Deer Creek Hills - Road map, topographic map, satellite map and pdf map.

• PDF map: Deer Creek Hills Trail Guide - Sacramento Valley Conservancy.
• Map book: California Maps - Atlas & Gazetteer by Delorme, 2008.

• Online map user instructions. Click and drag to reposition this interactive map.
• The tool on the left zooms in and out. Point on the red markers to see the names.
• Map=roads. Satellite=satellite map. Terrain=3D shaded topo map. Topo=topographic map.
• Full-Screen online map - Deer Creek Hills.



Coordinates - landmark (marker).
N 38.51876 W 121.10075 - Latrobe Rd junction Stonehouse Rd (A)
N 38.52356 W 121.09513 - Creek crossing (B)
N 38.52675 W 121.08719 - Trailhead (C) (elevation 210 ft)
N 38.53222 W 121.08513 - Oxbow Pond (D)
N 38.54135 W 121.08148 - North Pond (E) (elevation 300 ft)

Hiking at Deer Creek Hills

The hike began under cool and somewhat windy conditions with a clear blue sky. As the day progressed it warmed up, the wind died down and we got some nice feathery clouds in the sky. I used my homemade sports energy drink to stay hydrated while hiking. The trail took us up a branch of Crevis Creek past Oxbow Pond (vernal pool) to North Pond, looping back via a more easterly trail. Along the way we learned about the Salt Springs Slate - rocks with layers turned almost vertical that make very unique outcroppings at various places along the trail. Our large group was joined by a number of docents, so we also learned a lot about the human history of the area and the natural history of some plants and animals in the area. Throughout the day we saw lots of raptors soaring overhead including a bald eagle and some turkey vultures.

Doubleclick on the photos to see the large size image - use the back button to return.

More photos: 2012-02-25 Deer Creek Hills, Sacramento County.

On the way home

We stopped for a midafternoon bite to eat at Magpie Cafe (1409 R Street #102 Sacramento, CA 95811). I got a pulled pork sandwich that was quite excellent. One of their specialities is a potato salad made with purple potatoes. At first glance it looked like a sponge that was used to clean up some spilled paint, but once you took a bite the taste was great. These purple potatoes have greater nutritional value than the typical white potato because the purple pigment acts as an antioxidant.

Additional information:
• Hiking, Biking & Camping Trip Reports & Photos - BRT Insights.
• Hiking Trails in California - Davis Wiki.
• Digital Camera: Canon PowerShot A490. Photos edited with IrfanView and GIMP software. Video edited with Windows Movie Maker and YouTube tools.

Tags: hiking, trail, Deer Creek Hills, Sacramento County, California, Sacramento Valley Conservancy.