Millerton Marina Trail

This trail is on the Fresno side of Millerton Lake State Park. To get there from Fresno take Hwy 41 or Blackstone Ave. to Friant Road. If you take Blackstone it becomes Friant Road. Just as you pass through the tiny town of Friant Millerton dam is directly in front of you, which you will pass on the right. The road winds up the hill then as you top out it bends to the left, the entrance to the park will be on your left a couple hundred yards ahead.

After you enter the park ($3 fee per car) take your first left to go to the dam/courthouse parking. Actually the first left takes you into the employee parking for the entrance station but it isn't marked so go to the next "marked/signed" left. It will take you back to the dam, along the way it will fork stay left as this is the way you will be riding. It's no big if you go right because you will end up in the same place. It is also the easy way around the only hill you have to climb. Just stay on the road till it ends. The first parking area on your right will be the Historical Millerton County Courthouse, built in 1867. The next, if it is open, is the dam parking. The lake is always low in September as you can see in this picture of the dam. It has been closed since 9/12/01 and I don't know when they will open it to access to the public. The courthouse parking is nicer anyway, it has restrooms.

This is where you will start the ride (N36 59.7224 W119 41.8693). Head back down the road you came in on. You can either climb over the hill or go left just before it and ride against traffic to get around it. Just climb over it, it's the only hill on this ride and it's paved. Even climbing this hill the total climbing on the ride is only 450'. The heat will get you before the climbing. ;-)
When you get back to the entrance road make a left. You will pass by a road on your left that goes to the boat ramp then in a short distance the road will turn to the left. Just after the left make a right into the day use dirt parking/picnic area and then immediately go left onto the single track. This parking/picnic area is an optional starting point if you want to make it a shorter ride.

This single track takes you to the marina. There aren't any decisions to make other than a couple of spots you may want to walk. One is when you get close to the marina where the trail makes a hard right behind some large rocks. What you don't see is that it climbs up over some rocks. It will do this a couple more times right after this and then things calm down the rest of the way to the marina. There will be one more small climb just before you get to the upper marina parking area. A little further down the parking lot is a restroom.

As you go back you will see the entrance to Sky Harbor where there is another trail. It is much more difficult than this one so practice on this one for awhile before you take it on. I have done this ride from the courthouse parking to the marina and back in 40 minutes and 35seconds. That is not including a 2-3 minute break at the marina parking area. I would like to hear other people's time for this one. I would think the guys I did the Shuteye Trail with would best that by several minutes. Send me your times and I'll post them here.