Wightman Fork
This is a great trail which is easy to access from Jasper, a short 3 miles away. It is designated "non motorized" and maintains a pristine feeling unlike many area trails which are heavily used by off road vehicles.
Continue West on Road 250 for roughly 3 miles until you see the cattle pen on the left. There is an open field here which I believe is National Forest and an ideal place to park for the hike. Someone please correct me if I'
m wrong about this.
The Wightman Fork trailhead starts near the cattle gates on Road 250. You can see the trailhead forking to the right with an obvious "ROAD CLOSED" sign. Dont be alarmed, this translates to "Road closed to motorized vehicles" and is a designated forest trail for foot traffic.
Here is a Google Map link:
Wightman Fork Trail Head
The hike starts a bit steep for the first mile of which it is switches back steeply over loose broken stone. This section of the trail is the most difficult but not prohibitive in any way.
Further, the trail becomes grassy and green with large stretches of shade. There are streams, beaver ponds, wild flowers and even abandoned gold mines to be enjoyed on this hike.
Tread carefully and keep an eye on the road and you will notice large patches of wild strawberries. They are small but sweet and delicious.
Just As many other trails in the area, this area are often used by hunters in the fall so be safe and wear some orange!
pretty sure back in the mid 90's we were able to drive our 4wheelers up this road. maybe not...
this trail goes clear to Summitville if you're up for it. About 6-7 miles if I remember correctly.