McKeon Ponderosa Loop Trail
The
McKeon Ponderosa Loop Trail is a nice 2.3 mile, all season trail
that starts at White Oak Flat near the end of the paved section of
McKeon Ponderosa Way. The
elevation ranges from1680 to 2240 feet. Park
or walk to White Oak Flat and continue down McKeon Ponderosa Way about a tenth of a mile. On the
right will be a trail indicated by a Foresthill Trails Alliance sign. Continuing down this trail will start you on
the loop. About a quarter of a mile into
the walk, you will pass an old cabin and at the 6/10th mile mark you
will be in a meadow. 
Turn right (west) at the trail intersection to continue toward the
middle fork of the American River.
After another 4/10th of a mile you will see an old water tank
on your left, possibly left over from the old water bottling company that
worked in this area. A little further
down the trail you will arrive at the intersection of the loop trail and
McKeon Ponderosa Way (now a dirt road). This is a place know to some of the locals as
“Hangman’s Tree” and has a nice picnic table with a great view of the
American River Canyon. To continue back to White Oak Flat, turn
right (north) on McKeon Ponderosa Way, and after another 1.1 miles, you’ll be
back where you started. Turning left at
the intersection of McKeon Ponderosa Way and the loop trail will lead down to Ruck-A-Chucky, about 2.5 miles away. This is a nice extension to
the loop trail, but beware, you will have to walk up about 1500 feet of
elevation in about 3 miles to get back!
The trail is lightly used and open to
hikers, equestrians and mountain bikes and is considered to be an easy to moderately
difficult trail. Things
to see and do – views of the American
River
Canyon, wildlife, picnicking and
relaxing. Things to watch out for – poison oak and the
last part of the trail is a little steep.
