Peppermint Creek Falls LbNA #15291
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Add Location| Owner: | Adoptable |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | May 25, 2005 |
| Location: | |
| City: | Kernville |
| County: | Tulare |
| State: | California |
| Boxes: | 1 |
| Planted by: | PenGwen  |
|---|---|
| Found by: | PeterK |
| Last found: | Aug 21, 2009 |
| Status: | FF |
| Last edited: | May 25, 2005 |
This is a three season letterbox as the Forest Service will close the road during the winter.
It has taken us three years to decide whether or not to plant a letterbox at this location due to the potential hazard and the number of stupid people that have died here. The area is not a driveby, nor is it a good spot to bring dogs and small children. The hike to the letterbox is fairly short, but it is certainly not flat. The steep hike down involves some boulder scrambling, but Don who hates tall buildings, bridges and airplane rides has no difficulty with this hike. As long as you stay away from the top of this falls you should not be in any unusual danger. The Falls has about a 150 ft drop and is pretty spectacular. We would give it a definite 10 during spring runoff.
From Kernville head north 27 miles on Sierra way to a right turn onto road 22S82 just about ½ mile past Johnsondale. This road will go to Camp Whitset, Lloyd meadows and continues to the raft staging area for the ”Forks” run on the upper Kern. You will pass Camp Whitset and a cutoff road that heads up to the Western Divide Hwy (see other letterboxes in the area). Along the way you will have some great views of Sentinel Peak, Elephant Knob, Dome Rock, and the Needles.
After you have traveled 11.3 miles you will come to a green metal pipe gate with two yellow wheels at the top. Stop and back up about 0.1 mile to park in the widened road, then walk toward the gate with the wheels. About 50 yards before the gate with the wheels you will find the former entrance to a dirt road, blocked to vehicles by a row of about 15 3 feet high rocks. Walk down past the rocks on the heavily eroded dirt road. After 300 steps the road levels out at a brown sign with various of the common official posters regarding fire safety, etc.. Turn left at the sign and continue to follow the dirt road, keeping left when it splits. This will lead after about 600 more steps to a turnaround parking / fire place area with a rock that has a tree tree growing out of its middle top. From it head down the trail ...."
DO NOT LEAVE YOUR VEHICLE AND RUN DOWN TO THE CREEK TO COOL OFF!
IF YOU DO HAVE CHILDREN OR DOGS WITH YOU THIS IS THE TIME TO KEEP THEM UNDER YOUR CONTROL!
In the turnaround area find the knob of rock with a tree growing out of the top and head down the trail just to the left of this rock. This part of the trail is probably the steepest and with the pine duff can be the most slippery. When you get to the mazanita bush that seems to be blocking the trail turn to your left away from the falls.
DO NOT CONTINUE GOING TOWARD THE FALLS, MAKE SURE YOU TURN LEFT!
Keep going down slowly as you will have to continuously keep looking for the trail down amongst the boulders. When you get down and are nearly parallel to the bottom pool, you should be standing on a large flatish boulder that tilts slightly towards the creek. While sitting on this boulder you should have 4 pine trees at 150 degrees and one large fir tree at 200 degrees, and several smaller pines to the right of that tree with the falls behind them.
Look for a protuberant, balancing rock at 125 degrees, and then a flat squared off rock ½ way between the protuberant rock and the creek. The letterbox is hidden near the top of the flat squared rock in a crack covered by a flat rock.
From the spot where you have been sitting look down the creek approx. 300 feet to where the creek makes a sharp left turn and goes into the bushes and trees. Head to the inside of that turn to the end of the top part of the rock formation. If you look back up this formation you will be looking at the next level of rocks about 3 ft high, then to the next level (the flat squarish rock) about 4 ft high that has a very big crack going from top to the bottom. The letterbox is hidden under a flat rock in the top part of this crack.
When we planted this box the Kern River was running about 7000 cfs and I believe Peppermint Creek must have been 500 cfs. It was bigger than we have ever seen it!
In the summer time when the falls slow a bit, the bottom pool is great for taking a dip, but not today as there didn’t seem to be a pool.
You could retrace your driving route to the cutoff road to the Western Divide road and hit the Anniversary/Western Divide, Dome Rock Overlook, Dome Rock, Leprechaun, and Cup of Joe letterboxes.
When researching our clues please be aware that when previous searchers list “ATTEMPTED” on the clue sheets it may reflect more on their abilities as finders than indicate whether the box is viable or not. We do monitor our clues and boxes pretty well and appreciate the notes written to us by those that find or attempt our letterboxes.
Please contact placer directly or through the LBNA chat list regarding status rather than unofficial databases. Up to date status can only be ascertained from placer as other information services will not have current data. The placer does not appreciate listing information about this letterbox on unauthorized information services.
It has taken us three years to decide whether or not to plant a letterbox at this location due to the potential hazard and the number of stupid people that have died here. The area is not a driveby, nor is it a good spot to bring dogs and small children. The hike to the letterbox is fairly short, but it is certainly not flat. The steep hike down involves some boulder scrambling, but Don who hates tall buildings, bridges and airplane rides has no difficulty with this hike. As long as you stay away from the top of this falls you should not be in any unusual danger. The Falls has about a 150 ft drop and is pretty spectacular. We would give it a definite 10 during spring runoff.
From Kernville head north 27 miles on Sierra way to a right turn onto road 22S82 just about ½ mile past Johnsondale. This road will go to Camp Whitset, Lloyd meadows and continues to the raft staging area for the ”Forks” run on the upper Kern. You will pass Camp Whitset and a cutoff road that heads up to the Western Divide Hwy (see other letterboxes in the area). Along the way you will have some great views of Sentinel Peak, Elephant Knob, Dome Rock, and the Needles.
After you have traveled 11.3 miles you will come to a green metal pipe gate with two yellow wheels at the top. Stop and back up about 0.1 mile to park in the widened road, then walk toward the gate with the wheels. About 50 yards before the gate with the wheels you will find the former entrance to a dirt road, blocked to vehicles by a row of about 15 3 feet high rocks. Walk down past the rocks on the heavily eroded dirt road. After 300 steps the road levels out at a brown sign with various of the common official posters regarding fire safety, etc.. Turn left at the sign and continue to follow the dirt road, keeping left when it splits. This will lead after about 600 more steps to a turnaround parking / fire place area with a rock that has a tree tree growing out of its middle top. From it head down the trail ...."
DO NOT LEAVE YOUR VEHICLE AND RUN DOWN TO THE CREEK TO COOL OFF!
IF YOU DO HAVE CHILDREN OR DOGS WITH YOU THIS IS THE TIME TO KEEP THEM UNDER YOUR CONTROL!
In the turnaround area find the knob of rock with a tree growing out of the top and head down the trail just to the left of this rock. This part of the trail is probably the steepest and with the pine duff can be the most slippery. When you get to the mazanita bush that seems to be blocking the trail turn to your left away from the falls.
DO NOT CONTINUE GOING TOWARD THE FALLS, MAKE SURE YOU TURN LEFT!
Keep going down slowly as you will have to continuously keep looking for the trail down amongst the boulders. When you get down and are nearly parallel to the bottom pool, you should be standing on a large flatish boulder that tilts slightly towards the creek. While sitting on this boulder you should have 4 pine trees at 150 degrees and one large fir tree at 200 degrees, and several smaller pines to the right of that tree with the falls behind them.
Look for a protuberant, balancing rock at 125 degrees, and then a flat squared off rock ½ way between the protuberant rock and the creek. The letterbox is hidden near the top of the flat squared rock in a crack covered by a flat rock.
From the spot where you have been sitting look down the creek approx. 300 feet to where the creek makes a sharp left turn and goes into the bushes and trees. Head to the inside of that turn to the end of the top part of the rock formation. If you look back up this formation you will be looking at the next level of rocks about 3 ft high, then to the next level (the flat squarish rock) about 4 ft high that has a very big crack going from top to the bottom. The letterbox is hidden under a flat rock in the top part of this crack.
When we planted this box the Kern River was running about 7000 cfs and I believe Peppermint Creek must have been 500 cfs. It was bigger than we have ever seen it!
In the summer time when the falls slow a bit, the bottom pool is great for taking a dip, but not today as there didn’t seem to be a pool.
You could retrace your driving route to the cutoff road to the Western Divide road and hit the Anniversary/Western Divide, Dome Rock Overlook, Dome Rock, Leprechaun, and Cup of Joe letterboxes.
When researching our clues please be aware that when previous searchers list “ATTEMPTED” on the clue sheets it may reflect more on their abilities as finders than indicate whether the box is viable or not. We do monitor our clues and boxes pretty well and appreciate the notes written to us by those that find or attempt our letterboxes.
Please contact placer directly or through the LBNA chat list regarding status rather than unofficial databases. Up to date status can only be ascertained from placer as other information services will not have current data. The placer does not appreciate listing information about this letterbox on unauthorized information services.