TopaTopa Lodge Camp with a Summit of Hines & Cream Puff

TopaTopa Lodge Camp

Okay it has been entirely to long since my last post. Work, family functions and a few other things have had me sidelined for a bit. I thought it would be nice to come back with a bang so here's a big one that's been on the list for sometime now. What's that you ask ? Well how about another forgotten Camp in the LP, would you expect anything less from me ?

From my data collection I have not seen TopaTopa Lodge Camp appear on LP Recreation Maps since 1972. (Though I am missing some years) I imagine sometime very shortly after that it was removed from the Forest Service inventory. The Camp did make appearances in some of the earlier maps dating back to the 30's. Notice it pictured above in the 1969 edition. (Click image to enlarge). According to some of Craig R Carey's earlier writings the Camp was once a staple destination for local Santa Paula and Ojai folks that frequented the Last Chance Trail. While there are multiple ways to reach the Lodge, with daylight being scarce now, if we were going to have any chance at taking down Hines and Cream Puff in the same day as well our best option was gonna be from Nordhoff Ridge Road. Driving up this route from Rose Valley Campground requires a permit from the Forest Service. You can pick them up at the Ojai Ranger district office and reservations can be made up to 2 weeks in advance. 4 wheel drive is required. The Locked Gate is accessed from Camp Site #2

Rose Valley Campground

From my recollection it was about a 10 mile drive along the steep, narrow, rutted dirt road to reach the far Eastern Gate that begins the Red Reef Trail, it was here we parked the car to start our proposed loop. When driving up from Rose Valley keep to the left at the multiple junctions, within a half mile from the destination you Pass Elder Camp to your left. While the road is in fairly good shape the beginning climb is the worst, I had to make two attempts at one particular bad section. (basically a well shit that didn't work lets back down this spot and try again).

Elder Camp

Park in the turn out here adjacent the gate.

Notice the sign above referring to the junction with Last Chance Trail in 2.5 miles, I don't think that is actually historically correct. That junction in reality was 21W20 the short Connector trail that dropped down between Hines and Cream Puff to gain the Last Chance Trail. Technically speaking from this location the LC Trail starts along Red Reef much closer. (approximately one mile in where the trail climbs to the northern terminus of the bluff.  If none of that made sense scroll back up and take another look at the 69 map. Ignoring the Red Reef trail for now walk back down the road from which you just came in a very short .1 of a mile there is a well defined spur trail that climbs up to the southern end of the Bluff. You gain about 900 feet elevation in .8 of a mile to reach the Top. While not far distance wise it definitely gets the blood pumping and takes the chill off the morning air. Once atop the Bluff take few minutes have a seat on the stone bench and enjoy the incredible views.

Great lookout from TopaTopa bluff

Once you have had your fill continue east along the Bluff in less than 500 feet hang a hard right south and onto the Last Chance Trail 21W09. No sign marks the trail but it is fairly easy to make out. I can tell you right now I was expecting far worse than what we got. For a trail that receives little to no maintenance the first 1 to 1.5 miles was pretty uneventful and easy to follow. Yeah there is some tight brushy spots but nothing really to complain over, bonus you get a real nice perspective of upper Santa Paula Canyon, Hines, and the Topa Topa Ridge toward the tower.

How beautiful is that ?

Along that first 2 mile section I was pondering why more people don't attempt this loop considering the current trail conditions, eventually I got the answer. That smooth sailing I spoke about earlier  ends in a brush fight for the last 1 to 1.5 miles into TopaTopa Lodge. You can pick up bits and pieces of the old trail however it's basically a pick your own path through thick Ceanothus, Manzanita, Chamise Etc, Etc. I'm sure you get the point after popping out and into the Lodge my face looked like I had been in a cat fight. 

Jeff and Reece coming down one of the nicer of the bad sections

There are 3 main tributaries you will cross that come together up here to form the Main Santa Paula Canyon watershed, all 3 had enough water to filter with the best water coming from the Connector just North of Topa Topa Lodge. I have included the waypoints on the google map below and as well in the downloadable GPX & KMZ files.

Arriving at the Lodge we really didn't need to do much the Camp was in pretty good shape. We stood up one of the 2 Ice Can stoves that had fallen over and left a brand new camp shovel, courtesy of LT. I wasn't given permission to use his full name but you know who you are and thanks brother for the generous tool donation. If you're reading this lets get out there soon. The Camp has a nice sized fire ring with cooking grate. While maybe not the most glamourous of places as it sits in a rather exposed location the condition of those Large stoves are amazing, I can never get enough of these forgotten Camps. If you haven't been I suggest you go.

Me showcasing the new shovel that Reece lugged into Camp

Great view from Camp looking down the canyon

Finding the Camp was great but the day was far from over we still had 3 big uphill slogs to attend to before we could rest our feet back at the car, with the first segment being to continue the last 1/4 mile along LC to meet up with and climb the last mile (give or take) of 21W20 back up and onto Red Reef . In a nutshell from the Lodge you can figure about 1200 Feet elevation Gain up to the ridge. Getting over to the connector from the lodge is a little tricky, if you stick to the old trail proper it will weave you rather nicely through the thick surrounding brush. If you don't, well then plan on a lot of unnecessary bushwacking. Surprisingly the Camp is well hidden, you can't really see it at all from the connector, which would explain why more folks dont bother trying to attempt a visit. Really the best view down on the Lodge from the top is from Cream Puff see photo below, brown flat patch in the middle is TopaTopa Lodge Camp.

View down from Cream Puff onto TopaTopa Lodge

Looking east at Hines Peak from 21W20

View from Red Reef looking back down 21W20

Again here as before if you are diligent in following the old trail climbing the connector proper is not to bad. I will say it is easier to access the lodge from the North rather than from below. I suspect those upper trails get much more use. From the ridge we hung a right headed North east and in less than a Half mile we were at the Sign pictured below which is precisely where you want to begin climbing the spine of Hines.

Front view

Back Side looking better than the front.

The trek up Hines is short but steep. You reach the top only to find out it is a false Summit and you must go a little farther. The Views from the summit proper are not as good in my opinion as the false one as they are more obstructed by brush. Make your way to the outskirts and you will find much better photo opportunities. A summit register can awaits as does a USGS Survey marker. I believe this one is a sierra club HPS Hike.

Hines Summit Register

Down there lies the Sespe

Killer view down Santa Paula Canyon & SP Peak

Reece skiing down hines

After Hines we stopped for a bit of lunch out of the wind and recharged our batteries up next would be Cream Puff. We now preceded west along Red Reef back toward the connector this time passing it. In .7 of a mile we reached the entry for Cream Puff. As you can see from the photo below the hike up is similar to Hines a little shorter but definitely no less steep.

Cream Puff is an SVS Peak (Seldom Visited Site). From my knowledge John Wilson (Pine Tar) and crew placed 10 of these SVS register cans in remote corners of the Los Padres. Last one I encountered was atop Cedar Peak along the Thorn Point Ridge. This Summit has no name on maps. Why it got the label Cream Puff I have no clue, but I bet my friend Kim Coakley knows.  

Views from Cream Puff

Looking back down onto the Red Reef

Back down off CP we just continued westward the last few easy miles of  RR 21W08 to complete the loop back to the Car. Not the longest of days with the total mileage being only 10, however definitely well earned. The register on Cream Puff talks about completing the Topa Triple, where one starts hiking from the bottom of Sisar road up to the bluff then onto Hines and Cream Puff. So maybe one can consider this the Topa Quad, we didn't hike up Sisar but we added the Lodge and extra miles along the LC to make up for it. 

Download GPX File

Download KMZ file

Last Chance Camp (For real this time)

If you have been following my blog then you know back in March I found what I thought was the only two different sites that over the many years have been associated with the fabled Last Chance Camp. In my previous post I detailed the route in from lower Santa Paula Canyon and the many attractions one can find along 21W09 (The Last Chance Trail).  If you missed that write please see it here: https://christopherplord.blogspot.com/2019/03/last-chance-camp.html. Weeks later I was still relishing in my victory over finding the camp when I got served up a big dose of reality from KC. Turns out I missed the original site by less than 100 feet. His pictures of the large boulder and the original ice can stove indicative of the camp were proof. My heart sank, all the hard work I put in, I couldn't believe it. How the hell could that have happened. I've studied just about every old map of Last Chance going back decades and I thought I had thoroughly searched the area of where the original site should have been. I even found a piece of that stove at the lower spot I had labeled site #1. At the time it seemed like a slam dunk, case closed. (All the while though I did wonder a little why I never found a large boulder directly on any of the sites I was at). There was though a large rock really close to what I labeled site #2, it was surrounded by thick brush so just assumed that was probably the one others had made mention of in the past. KC sent a waypoint I examined it on google earth, it was in the middle of a brush choked creek drainage that I had walked within feet of. The camp could not have been there. I plead my case had a little back and forth with him on how I found part of the stove and probably just missed the boulder. Picturing the area in question in my head was hard to grasp how I could have missed The main Camp. KC was gracious but in the end he held strong on the fact that he believed I missed the target, and deep inside I knew it as well. I slept horrible that night. I hate getting things wrong. It is not easy to get to Last Chance and back in a day but I knew that was exactly where I was heading. We were all set the following day to try another summit attempt on Cayetano. My compadres got a last minute text saying change of plans were going back to Last Chance. One more time I pulled up google earth inserted my prior track and all the relevant camp waypoints I had made on the last trip. Pulled up KC's pictures and started to line up the surrounding mountain features in the background of his photo versus google earth close ups and that's when it all came together. I noticed a small flat on the west side of the drainage where the old trail crosses the creek to head toward Hines Peak. Zoomed in and all be damned if the mountains features didn't line up perfect. All the the maps had it wrong. Every where I have ever looked showed last Chance Camp on the east side. All my sacred 1960's Rec maps WRONG. Over the years I can easily imagine now how countless folks would have never found this main site. The maps lead you directly to what I had labeled site #1 and site #2. Lackluster spots with little fire rings. If you were just going  up from the lower Santa Paula Canyon and back you would have no reason to even attempt to try and cross that brush filled creek and the views are somewhat restrictive. If you didn't go out of your way trying to see across you could easily never spot it. I won't go into detail again of my route in this time but I have included a map below, my new GPX track for download and of course the new photos of the original Last Chance Camp. Total mileage for the day came to 18. The Fog was thick and made navigation exceedingly difficult but we got it done.

Last Chance Main Camp at this site you find a large rock fire ring, couple old McLeod tools and a very weathered Ice can stove. 

That infamous large boulder indicative of the original camp

The brush surrounding the Camp has made a healthy comeback since the Day Fire

Camp overview with Reece Pictured above.

A look down onto the fire Ring

The Creek located about 25 feet from the Main site was flowing

I'm now of the opinion that my photos above show the original Forest Service Last Chance Camp and that Site #1 and site #2 on my first outing were most likely either overflow spots or later guerrilla sites set up by others who came through the area. The only bit that still troubles me besides every map having it located in the wrong spot is that the door of the old ice can stove was found down on the lower site #1. Why would someone drag just the door of the stove over there from the main Camp. You would think they would have drug the main body of the stove and left the door. Possible conclusions could be that there was at one time 2 different stoves. One at each site, or maybe the original site was the lower one and they drug the stove main body up to "The New Main site." I  may never know for sure but I am satisfied with my new current assessment and grateful for the help of the more experienced and knowledgeable folks like Kim, Craig, Mark and Bryan who have continually made themselves available to assist me on my journey's into the Los Padres.

The older site register can is rusted badly and in bad shape, water has damaged the entry's. We sealed it back up as good as we could and positioned it back in the ice can stove where we found it. Some of the papers might be salvageable if the next camper takes the time to properly dry them out in the sun. However the site now also has the new register can pictured below.

New Can hidden under the boulder

#1 "Lost In The Lost Padres" site Can with $25 dollar REI Gift Card

I will now from time to time be leaving these baby blue "Lost In The Lost Padres" site register cans pictured above at hard to reach and seldom visited sites in The Los Padres. (Those in the know, yes I did steal this brilliant idea from Pinetar's SVS cans). I hope it will encourage others to keep trying to visit the forgotten places and not let the memory of these historic sites fade away. While it is true some of these areas can be very challenging to access one can't help but feel a great sense of pride and accomplishment after putting in all the work and arriving at the destination. I left a $25 dollar REI gift card in this first can placed here at Last Chance Camp for the next person who visits to use and enjoy. Below is a few more photos of the days adventure.

Almost stepped on this gopher snake across the trail and apparently there be big bears in this part of the forest.

Looking down toward the Punch bowl

Ever so beautiful Jackson Hole

Eric navigating up the steep grassy ridge 

Santa Paula Creek

 

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Last Chance Trail

Santa Paula Canyon Lower Falls Along the Last Chance Trail

The beauty of lower Santa Paula Canyon with all its many crowd pleasing attractions for hikers is definitely no secret. What's not to love about big waterfalls, stream side camps, swimming holes, and mostly year round flowing water. Weekends here in the lower Canyon can and do get busy especially once weather warms. For me the thought of crowded places especially in the wilderness is normally a deal breaker. Luckily here one can easily escape into a truly wild and remote Backcountry by just venturing a few miles further up the main Canyon and onto the Last Chance Trail (21w09). Most visitors to the Last Chance seldom venture past Jackson Hole and traffic noticeably slows even before that after the Punchbowl and Cross Camp. Why you might ask, well simply put the trail is a mess and no longer maintained. To the hardy off trail adventurer seeking seclusion this is fantastic news, to the average traveler who wants a defined path not so much. Of course the trail status was not always this way. In the past one could easily connect all the way through to it's northern terminus at the Red Reef trail (21w08). See the 1969 Los Padres National Forest visitors map pictured below. (Click on photos to enlarge for better viewing).

1969 Los Padres National Forest Visitors Map - Showing TopaTopa Lodge Camp, Last Chance Camp and 21w20

Speaking of connecting all the way through upon closer inspection of the 1969 map 21w09 passes through Last chance Camp and TopaTopa Lodge Camp (Both of these abandoned by the Forest Service in the mid 70's) and eventually crossing through TopaTopa Bluff before terminating at Red Reef 21w08. Notice near the junction with TopaTopa lodge a small connecting trail 21w20 that heads north bypassing the bluff and connecting further up onto Red Reef. Whats really interesting (to me at least) is all the different variations of trail labels at this junction you can find over the years looking at different Maps.(I have looked at quite a few. Currently in my collection are LPNF Maps from the 30's,50's,60's,70's,80's,90's and 2000's) With current ones having no mention of 21w20 and just showing Last Chance Trail running straight through between Hines and No name peak also if showing up at all most times labeling the western junction portion though TopaTopa Bluff -"The Last Chance connector trail". It leaves me to ponder what was the original route of the true Last Chance 21w09 and what the was the actual Connector trail section. (See below current Nat Geo Map and California Trail Map as a few of the many examples I have found). Though in most cases I tend to agree with the older maps and would likely conclude that the 1969 map has it correct. Which is the same as the 1967 map not shown here. On another exciting note a big trip through the forgotten portions of the Santa Paula backcountry is in the works for this spring to travel to TopaTopa Lodge and the upper last Chance area From Bluff Camp.

2016 Nat Geo Map - Shows no TopaTopa Lodge Camp and no western trail through TopaTopa Bluff

Current California Trail Map - Shows no TopaTopa Lodge Camp and western junction through TopaTopa Bluff labeled as The Last Chance Connector Trail

Without boring you to much here let me get to the agenda for the day behind this post. If you haven't noticed already I find the history of the Los Padres fascinating. Travelling abandoned trails and finding forgotten trail camps seems to be my jam and hitting Last Chance Camp has been a must for me for some time. It checks all my boxes, abandoned by the Forest Service, remote, rarely ever traveled, appears and disappears from maps through out the years, lacks current Forest Service Camp Surveys, doesn't get much love on Hike Los Padres. I could go on but I'm sure you get where I'm going with this. Basically in a nut shell its really difficult to reach especially as a day hike and just flat out appears that  nobody really goes anymore. According to Gagnon it was slated to be removed by the forest service between 1974-1975. Heading in I did not know what amenities the camp originally offered but I did know from a 2016 report there was a rock fire pit and an old stove and as always before any new area trip into the LPNF I cross check my data with what Craig R Carey has written in his book Hiking and Backpacking Santa Barbara & Ventura. Craig's manuscript provides a priceless wealth of knowledge that should be a must read for anyone who frequents the Los Padres and he's straight up just a good dude who has helped me countless times. 

Trailhead begins here At the entrance to Thomas Aquinas College

Now down to business here's how the days events played out. Joined with a new friend Reece and my good Pal Jeff we convened  at 6:45am in the Parking area just north of the entrance to Thomas Aquinas College in Ojai off of Hwy 150. Additional parking turnout is found southwest of the entrance as well. See Google Parking Map Note school grounds are private property and no parking is allowed. The trail through the East Fork and Main Fork of Santa Paula Canyon starts here on the pavement as seen in my google parking map link and the photo above.

Stay to the right here at the  Hiking Trail sign

Santa Paula Creek

Reece in the early stretch of the canyon along 4N03

Begin by following the road around the southeastern edge of the school grounds and through Ferndale Ranch and the Recuerdo Properties. The road eventually terminates at three oil pump jacks. (About 1.2 miles). From here continue up the Canyon along the old 4N03 road. (Mostly along the North Bank of the creek). In the past floods have caused major destruction to this section however the trail is  relatively easy to follow. Granted it is littered with various re routes and spur trails leading up the canyon. If you have been following  the trail correctly at around 2.6 miles cross the creek to its southern bank and follow the trail up along the old road until finally making your way down to Big Cone Camp. (3.3 Miles).

Big Cone Campsite #1 

Big Cone Campsite #2

Big Cone Site #3

Big Cone Camp is set on a large Flat surrounded by oaks and of course it's name sake Big Cone Douglass furs. This is a pretty spot with excellent views of the lower falls. As you can see from the above photos Campers were here as we passed through. This tends to be one of busiest of the Camp locations in this canyon. I noticed three sites with fire rings and camp grills. There may have been a fourth site but I did not want to be poking around and disturb any of the residents. So after a couple quick photos we were on our way. 

 Myself and Reece looking up the falls and then a shot from the top looking down

 After leaving Big Cone follow the trail a short distance downhill to the East Fork Santa Paula Creek. You will need to cross the creek here to pick up the junction with Last Chance Trail to the North (our intended route) and The badly damaged East fork trail to the east. It is also here you have access to the very popular lower falls I spoke of above. Being here bright and early we had no company however on the way out swimmers and sun bathers galore. 

Guerrilla site before Cross Camp

In less than .2 miles after crossing the East Fork you come to this little Guerrilla site pictured above. Complete with large fire ring and good flat spot for tents, which could prove to be useful as an overflow from Big Cone Or Cross Camps. I must say following along this whole lower section of Last chance is absolutely gorgeousness and you quickly realize why people flock here. The views up and down this canyon are stunning and make for excellent photography. 

View down Canyon toward Big Cone

Jeff after navigating the stream crossing at Cross Camp

Photo courtesy of Reece at https://www.instagram.com/lospadreslostboy/

At just under the 4 mile mark is Cross Camp. Another busy location due to its close proximity with the infamous Punch Bowl. The name comes from a cross that is carved into a nearby rock. (See above photo). Once again we encountered some campers here so quickly made our way through as quiet and quick as possible. Pictured below are the 3 sites with 1 and 2 being the first encountered, site 3 is accessed after crossing the Creek. 

Cross Camp Site #1

Cross Camp Site #2

Cross Camp Site #3 sits atop a flat above the creek

Some switchbacks and more climbing after cross will continue to lead you up the main fork of Santa Paula Canyon. Being that we have had such a great water year we were treated with views of numerous seasonal water falls. Also the Wild flowers were in full bloom. 

Great seasonal waterfall

Reece in the lupine Field

Had to post this one

Despite all the beautiful surrounding distractions I felt we were making good time so we decided we would make another quick stop at Jackson Hole Camp. The location of Jackson Hole has been a source of frustration for many hikers and Backpackers as multiple map sources have it's location completely wrong. To access this camp at about 5.4 miles in there will be a small unmarked spur trail to your east that leads you down to the camp. Spur Trail -  N34.46340° W119.05770°  While here I observed one really nice main site with rock benches and huge rock kitchen grill set up. I have seen reports of another site possibly across the creek however we did not spend the extra time looking for it. This was my favorite Camp of the day. Easy access to the creek, lots of shade and seclusion and I just liked the setup. I definitely plan to return and stay the night. Camp - N34.46310° W119.05656°

Spur Trail leading to Jackson Hole Camp

Jackson Hole Camp

Back out and on the main trail after leaving Jackson hole for a short distance the old trail completely vanishes in the thick brush however you can avoid this section by going off trail around more to the west side which completely skirts that little mess and as a bonus leads you through some great wild flower viewing. 

Jeff following the old trail out of Jackson Hole Camp

What makes Jackson Hole Camp even more special is how close it sits from lower Jackson Falls and Jackson Hole. This set of waterfalls is spectacular and way less crowded than the lower falls. In fact you are most likely to have this place all to your self. 

Lower Jackson Falls

Jackson Hole

Looking down on Jackson Hole

Jackson Hole is as I mentioned before about the place most people stop and for good reason. From this point on you must rely on good route findings skills to stay on the trail. The old trail from Jackson hole skirts the west side of the creek bed, however we found that section to be rather bushy in places so it was much easier to just drop into the creek and boulder hop this short stretch. After about .4 miles of this at the junction of the main fork of Santa Paula creek to your left and an unnamed drainage to your right is where you begin to climb the ridge between the two canyons. (6.5 mile mark). The next mile sucks, it's a big climb, hot, steep and exposed. You can make out the trail fairly well in some sections and in others it is non existent. If you know the exact route just do your best to follow the trail and pick the path of least resistance. Or better yet just download my track at the bottom and follow that. The saving grace here is the views of course are outstanding and the brush is only knee high. 

Another seasonal waterfall past Jackson Hole

Nice views climbing the ridge

Another small waterfall in the distance

At roughly 7.5 miles in and after leaving the grassy slope the uphill grade starts to become a little more gentle. Here in the higher region is where it is most important to follow the old trail. While You will get some easily navigated open patches you also have to contend with thick head high Manzanita, and the likes of all the other devilish shrub that the Los Padres dishes up. Miraculously the Trail still cuts a nice path right through, by staying diligent and paying close attention you can get through this section unscathed. 

Gaining the upper Ridge

Long gone is the Trail sign here atop the ridge 

Pictured above at the 7.75 mile mark is whats left of the old trail sign. I love these old relics and hate when I find them in this condition. Hopefully someone that reads this can comment with a picture of what that sign once said. Even better maybe we can get this replaced someday Hint Hint LPFA .

Hines and No name Peak

Canteen full of water along the ridge

Not long after the sign you get your first good look at Hines and No name peaks. Travel from this point on is easy. The ridge is wide open. Strangely up here we found a Canteen completely full of water, not far from some really big mountain lion tracks. I'm hoping someone just dropped it and forgot it. I expected this trip to be long and difficult, what I did not expect was another damn mystery which is exactly what I got. At 9 miles in we happened upon a fire ring on a nice Flat. I thought hmm that's weird Last Chance Camp should be up ahead another .2 mile as shown on most maps. Then we noticed a few old stove parts lying around and I now fully started to consider that this might be it and the maps may have been wrong all along. Although this site had no shade it was really neat, situated  between 2 drainage's both with flowing water and a small waterfall mere feet from camp.

Last Chance Camp Site #1

Jeff climbed above the Camp and got a nice overview photo of Site #1 also in the other shot is possible evidence that this site may at one time have had multiple rock fire rings

 Creek and the small waterfall flowing from the east through Site #1

For good measure we decided to go that .2 mile further where we had originally planned and investigate and I will be damned if we didn't come upon another little site right where the maps and Intel indicated. This Number 2 site wasn't much, it consisted of a very small fire ring and a pile of old fire wood someone collected. The camp sits maybe 10 feet  away from a seasonal flowing creek. No shade and enough room for maybe 2 tents. Upon first impression I immediately knew I liked the first site better.

Last Chance Camp Site #2

 Pile of wood someone collected and the creek at Site #2

Finding The camp was not my only mission of the day. I also wanted to complete a current wilderness camp survey for the Forest Service, however now I was feeling unsure about which site was actually the original. In all my research I had never heard of 2 different sites at Last Chance. My instinct was immediately telling me not to trust the maps or any of the online sites. Unless somebody dragged the stove all the way over to site #1 I figured it had to be the original. But at the same time who knows I could be wrong. Anyways I pondered it all night and the next day, in fearing my write would be wrong I reached out to someone much wiser than myself  and sure enough he confirmed for me that Last Chance has been associated with 2 different recognized sites and the stove parts we found at site #1 were probably indicative of the original. While he could not 100 percent be sure, that was enough for me to confirm my same suspicions. Since the trail was abandoned in the 80's current records are no longer very accurate, this once "possibly" great camp is now an afterthought. So armed with all that I decided to not pick one over the other but to declare it as Last Chance Camp Sites 1 and 2. For some reading this you may be thinking who cares but The Devil Is In The Details and I hate getting things wrong or signing my name on bad information. After we sat down for a nice lunch it was back out the way we came. About 19 miles was our days total. You could shorten this a little if you don't stop at Jackson Hole camp. The whole way in is uphill, this is a long day and a strenuous hike. We hit the trail at 6:45am and returned to the car at 6:15pm. As always I have included a map and GPS/KMZ file for download. If you use my track keep in mind the stats are only for the way in. Like a dummy I paused my GPS once arriving at Last Chance and forgot to start it up again on the way out. While the camp is not ultimately glamorous I can at least confirm it still exists and I'm stoked we found it.
* UPDATE SINCE THIS WRITING I HAVE RECENTLY RETURNED TO LAST CHANCE CAMP AND FOUND WHAT I NOW BELIEVE TO BE THE ORIGINAL FOREST SERVICE SITE PLEASE SEE THE UPDATED POST FROM 04/20/2019 HERE AT THIS LINK: 
https://christopherplord.blogspot.com/2019/04/last-chance-camp-for-real-this-time.html

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