Sacramento River from what is believed to be the site of an old homestead, on the Yana Trail, near Perry's Riffle, in the Sacramento River Bend Recreations Area, with Linda Finkel on the trail. April 19, 2020. Photo by Susan Libonati-Barnes.
The Yana Trail offers archaeology, animals, and wonderful wildflowers, all on a relatively flat trail on the bluff above the Sacramento River, in the Sacramento River Bend Recreation Area.
Paintbrush, Castilleja sp., on the Yana Trail near Perry’s Riffle, Sacramento River Bend Recreation Area, on April 19, 2020. Photo by Susan Libonati-Barnes.
On Sunday, April 19, Linda Finkel and I walked a 2-mile portion of the Yana Trail (while observing proper social distancing, of course). From the parking lot at the trailhead, the trail drops almost immediately into a small stream drainage (look for yampah in the streambed), climbs out, and intersects the Yana Trail. We went left.
Venus’ comb, Scandix pecten-veneris, on the Yana Trail near Perry’s Riffle, Sacramento River Bend Recreation Area, on April 19, 2020. Photo by Susan Libonati-Barnes.
The glorious open oak savanna has scads of wildflowers, including Ithuriel’s spear (Triteleia laxa), wild hyacinth (Dichelostemma multiflorum), white hyacinth (Triteleia hyacinthina), fiddleneck (Amsinckia intermedia), and lupines.
Blue oak woodlands on the Yana Trail, Sacramento River Bend Recreation Area, near Perry’s Riffle, on April 19, 2020. Photo by Susan Libonati-Barnes.Ithuriel’s spear, Triteleia laxa, on the Yana Trail near Perry’s Riffle, Sacramento River Bend Recreation Area, on April 19, 2020. This is the flower that you can see dotting the landscape in the photo above. Photo by Susan Libonati-Barnes.
I like to hike this area in a semi-loop, taking lower (closer to the river) trails back to the trailhead, after turning around at the “Appaloosa gate” structure. This is a popular trail for horsefolk and walkers, both.
The “Appaloosa gate” on the Yana Trail, Sacramento River Bend Recreation Area, near Perry’s Riffle, April 19, 2020. At this point, turn around and head back, choosing the lower paths for a different experience. Photo by Susan Libonati-Barnes.
To get to Perry’s Riffle, take the Jelly’s Ferry exit from I-5 south of Cottonwood, go east, and turn right onto Bend Ferry Road. Follow the twists and turns until you reach the trailhead. -Susan Libonati-Barnes
Granary tree on the Yana Trail, near Perry’s Riffle, Sacramento River Bend Recreation Area, on April 19, 2020. Acorn woodpeckers gather whole acorns to store for winter food (they eat insects in summer). They drive whole acorns into tree trunks, wedging them so tightly that squirrels cannot get at them. A granary tree is defended by a whole group of woodpeckers. Photo by Susan Libonati-Barnes.
