Fifteen intrepid hikers headed for the backcountry of Grant Ranch County Park on July 16th. We all met at the Smith Creek CDF Fire Station at the base of Mt. Hamilton, then proceeded up the Foothill Trail and south on the Manzanita Trail for a 3-mile round trip. The weather cooperated, and we had a comfortable stroll through oak woodlands and grass meadows. From our halfway point, we could see the backside ridge top of the various Villages Hillside trails and Transmission towers.
The second part of the hike was along Smith Creek, a bucolic shaded trail of 1.5 miles round trip. We all returned to The Villages safe and sound before 2 pm.
