French Gulch Trail

The French Gulch Trail is a 5 mile loop near Applegate Lake that is fine… but is really a poor substitute for the Payette Trail.

Driving

– It is a 50 minute drive from the I-5 Phoenix exit. That is exit 24 so head towards Phoenix and then, turn right on Highway 99 for less than a mile and turn left on South Stage Road towards Jacksonville.  There’s a quick jog right and then left on Griffin Creek Road and then South Stage turns into California Road as you drive through Jacksonville.
As you emerge from Jacksonville you are on Route 238 heading to Applegate. It’s rural. It’s nice.

Keep an eye out for Upper Applegate Road in about 10 minutes. You’ll turn left at a city called Ruch, but you aren’t going to see a city, you’ll just see a grey real estate/school building. So turn left and you have 20 minutes on Upper Applegate Road driving along the Applegate River. Some roads split off, but head toward Applegate Lake and Applegate Dam.

Turn left onto the road on top of the dam. French Gulch Road. In less than a mile you will see the Fench Gulch Parking lot on your right.

Parking

– Paved and official. Dozens of lined parking spots but no restrooms or water.

Hiking

– The first mile is along the shoreline until you hit a 5 way intersection. The two trails off to the right create this insane loop involving a steel cable and no real purpose. Watch the video. I declare it…”Not Worth Doing!” Instead, at that 5 way intersection take the hairpin turn to your left where you will head uphill for half a mile to the Dagelma trailhead. It has 6 foot tall poison oak much of the way. I know. We should turn around BUT…

When we get to the Dagelma trailhead at the top we cross the parking lot and head downhill towards the lake and quickly there is an intersection. Take the right fork on Prospectors Loop. There are some blowdown challenges so just persevere and continue downhill for about 1.5 miles and you’ll hit the Payette trail that runs along the lake. Turn right.

You are now heading back towards the French Gulch trailhead along the Payette Trail. Within a half mile you hit that crazy 5 way intersection so plow on through that for a mile-ish and you are back at your car.