Frog Pond Trail
 
 

The Hike:

The Frog pond trail hike takes you through oak woodlands to a small pond.  The pond is said to have some very large frogs living in and around its shores.  Some say this hike is strenuous, but it really is nothing compared to the Blue Ridge Trail.  I think it is a great hike with a variety of fabulous views of Cortina ridge, Glascock mountain, and some stunning blue-oak woodlands.

The hike starts the same as the Blue Ridge Trail.  You cross the low water bridge of Rayhouse road (a.k.a. road 40), then follow the road to your right.  After you pass by the stone barn and stone house, you will see the trail on the right side of the road.  Turn right off of Rayhouse road and begin the hike up to the pond.  The trail is 5 miles long, and lassos around, forming a nice partial loop.  One of the best short hikes in the region.  If you are there on a hot day in early summer, take a dip in the frog pond.  Click here to hear a recording of a vocal frog by the pond. (Sam Bledsoe recorded this during one of our hikes.  This was actually recorded at the frog pond, so what you hear on the page, you will most likely hear on the hike!)

Distance: 3.5 miles round-trip. Total elevation gain of 660 feet.

How to get there: 

From Yolo county, Woodland and Davis, take Highway 16 up the Capay valley.  Once you pass the town of Rumsey, you begin to enter the Cache Creek Canyon.  The road will narrow and you will be driving with the creek on one side and the canyon walls on the other.  When you see the Cache Creek regional park sign on your left, turn into the parking area.  This is the lower park site of three that Yolo county runs as park of Cache Creek Regional park.  You can park in the parking area, or at a number of pullouts on Rayhouse road, before the seasonally-closed gate.  Walk down Rayhouse road, past the gate, down to the low water bridge. Cross the bridge and continue along the road until you pass the stone barn and stone house. The trailhead will be about a tenth of a mile past the house, along the road.

Photos
  view of cache creek from trail   blue ridge view
     
  cottonwood near frog pond   rayhouse road low water bridge
  trail   a frog at the pond
  cache canyon from trail   view of frog pond
  oak woodlands   view of blue ridge
  having lunch    
       
       
Map (.pdf file)
 
GPS track (.gpx format)
gpx file