According to just about everyone there are "illegal" trails in Joaquin Miller Park and that they are a continuing problem. This would be any tail that is not named and signed. People who have used the park for years have seen (and used) these trails since the park was formed in the 1920's. This series of photos shows several of the illegal trails in the Upper Redwood Grove.

A wide hiking trail leads down the hill from Skyline Boulevard towards the Sequoia Bayview Trail. Because there is not a clearly marked trail path, people tend to walk and ride almost at random. This has resulted in the lack of plant undergrowth you see here and slowly but surely, over decades, these practices make the trail wider, eroding understory brush and plants. Motorcycles created many of the trails in this area in the early seventies and by over eighty years of off-trail hiking.

This trail leads from a picnic spot West of Redwood Glen between Orchard Trail and Big Trees. It passes the American Legion historical marker before hooking up with Big Trees. This is another example of a"grandfathered" trail that has been in existence for over thirty years. Slowly, but surely these trails become an accepted part of the park.

Heading down to Orchard Trail from the picnic spot above, this (short) illegal trail is fairly steep and has the added problem of crossing the streambed before connecting with Orchard. This is a classic example of a "shortcut" trail that hikers create when they can see that there is a quicker way to get where they are going than using the existing, proper, trail. A small, split rail, wooden fence with a "Vegetation Restoration" sign would go a long way to solving this problem.