Hikes over 10 miles seems like a harder to find category, so Tiffany and I were happy to find this trail in the Folsom Lake area. To reach the Darrington Trail drive up Salmon Falls Road (from either direction on Green Valley Road), go over Salmon Falls bridge, past Skunk Hallow parking on the right, and use the 2nd parking lot on the left. This is a fee or state park pass lot.
On the hike I recommend the AllTrails subscription, which Tiffany has. We would have been lost on this hike without it. This is a very enjoyable and scenic hike in the Fall. I imagine it would be very hot in the summer. We spotted this trail when we put the kayaks in at Skunk Hallow mid-summer, but it looked far too dry and unshaded. It turned out to be such a beautiful hike that we added a new category to our reviews.
Note to photographers: I rate this hike very high for photography, but I love shots of dead trees. Regardless, it’s a good spot for bird, wildlife, and landscape shots.
| climb | 5 | mostly rolling hills, but a couple big climbs. |
| shade | 3 | Wouldn't recommend this hike in the summer. |
| Trail | 2 | Not marked well at all. We would have been lost without AllTrails. Also, fairly rocky at times. |
| Crowds | 2 | We saw people the first mile or so at the start and end. Otherwise very quiet. |
| Noise | 2 | Wonderfully quiet. May get boat noise in summer. |
| Wildlife | 7 | Saw deer and lots of birds. |
| Photography | 9 | So many old trees! Also some interesting old bridges, birds, deer, river. |
| Scenic | 8 | Surprisingly beautiful hike, because from Skunk Hallow it looks very dry. |
