Distance: 2.2, or longer!

My rating: Hard to strenuous

Talk about a workout. Do you want a shorter, but challenging hike that’s close to Fresno? My go-to is always Pincushion. It’s about 25 minutes away in the foothills surrounding Millerton Lake. There are a lot of options with this hike – you can make it a shorter 2.2 mile out and back trail, you can turn it into a ~4.5 mile loop, or you can add on miles upon miles on the San Joaquin River Trail.

Whatever route you take, make sure you have WATER.

Drive to Table Mountain Casino, turn  onto Sky Harbor Dr., and follow it until it dead ends at a day use park. I usually park in the road, as the park is seasonal and I tend to do this in the cooler months when the gate is closed. Walk to the guardrail near the bathrooms, and take the uphill trail. You’ll soon come to a livestock gate – just push and it will easily open. No need to fiddle with locks or latches.

Let’s start with the shortest option. Just go up. The first half mile is the milder uphill section. The trail will then split. Take the harder uphill option to the right and let the fun begin.

The hill is steep and seemingly never-ending. You’ll get to the top of a hill, only to find that you go downhill slightly and lose some of the elevation that you worked so hard to gain. Stay right again at this next split.

Back up you go. There are a few right-hand trails to take that are a little easier to reach the summit. I always stay left and take the rock scramble. It’s MAYBE class 2.

What a reward to stand on top, see the mountains, and feel the breeze.

Watch your step on the way down. The sand can make your foot slip out from under you.

Here’s where you have a few options. You can go down the way you came for the 2.2 mile hike, or you can tack on more distance.

That 2nd main split will now be on your right, only a few tenths of a mile down from the summit. Take that for a few milder rolling hills.

After about a mile, you’ll be at the trough of a hill by a pole sticking out of the ground. Cut left here.

This short section will spit you out at the San Joaquin River Trail. Go right for close to 15 miles of trail winding along the river. It eventually ends at the San Joaquin River Gorge in Auberry. I haven’t taken on that trek, yet.

Go left to get back to you car for a ~4.5 mile loop. In about 1.5 miles, you come across an intersection. Go straight across, and you’ll eventually join up at the bottom of the start of the big hill climb. Another .5 miles puts you back at your car.

I’ve only seen cows along this trail. It wouldn’t surprise me if there were other animals out there, though…