This small portion of the Western States Trail brings you from Michigan Bluff over to Deadwood and is a difficult 12.8-mile out-and-back trail that leads to the ghost town of Deadwood.
The hike begins by heading down El Dorado Canyon along moderate grade trail. At the bottom of El Dorado Canyon is footbridge that crosses El Dorado Creek. Immediately after the footbridge crossing, the trail ascends once again at a similar grade toward Deadwood.
Upon reaching Deadwood, the trail will flatten out a bit and shortly after hikers will reach an old Deadwood cemetery sign. The town of Deadwood was founded in 1852 after gold was discovered nearby. After all of the gold dried up, everyone moved out of the area, and now all that's left is the Deadwood cemetery.
Pets
Dogs are allowed if leashed and their waste must be carried out by the hiker.
Parking
Hikers can find parking at the coordinates provided. The lot is not very large, but this is not a very popular hiking destination.
For more trip details, check out this NorCal Hiker blog post.
Explore our Appalachian Trail (AT) section hikes
Mt. Katahdin, MaineExplore our Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) section hikes
JMT/PCT Duck Pass Trailhead to Vermillion Valley, CaliforniaMyHikes is an independently-owned platform aimed to make exploring public trails easier for everyone. MyHikes has no investors, no shareholders, and no goal to profit - we share trail data for the fun of it and put a ton of time tracking, writing about, and publishing new trails each month.
But it takes money and a lot of time and effort (including espresso shots) to run the site. Our content is and always will be free to use, including interactive trail maps and elevation charts, pictures from the trail, and dope points-of-interest like vistas, overlooks, waterfalls, backcountry campsites, abandoned structures, and more...
So we simply ask that if you find our content helpful or useful when planning your outdoor excursions that you consider making a small donation to help keep our lights on.
You can become a Supporter* (*MyHikes account required) when donating to unlock perks. Or you can Donate without an account.
Either way, thanks for checking out MyHikes and have a great hike!
- Dave
Founder /
Admin