Sawmill Trail - 2.95 Miles Round-Trip

White Ranch Park supports nearly 20 miles of well-maintained multi-use trails that stretch through open grasslands and mixed pine forests. The Sawmill Trail begins at the West Access Trailhead and leads to the Sourdough Campground, continuing a short distance to its abrupt conclusion at the Mustang Trail.

Though primarily used for campground access, the Sawmill Trail offers convenient connections to the Rawhide, Belcher Hill, and Mustang trails for lengthier routes through the Park.

The Sawmill Trail begins on the south side of the parking lot and glides gently down a grassy meadow on narrow singletrack. It merges with a graded service road (.42 miles : 7,425') and continues south to a ridge and the Belcher Hill Trail split (.65 miles : 7,462').

The Sawmill bends sharply west and levels across a hillside to the Sourdough Campground and spur for Campsites 11-14 (1.05 miles : 7,570'); a few steps ahead is the spur for Campsites 15-20 (1.15 miles : 7,590').

The Sawmill Trail narrows once more beyond the campground and undulates with greater intensity above a deep ravine to the south. The hillside above is busy with an attractive collection of wildflowers, rocky outcrops, felled logs, and tree stumps. Views south and west improve as the trail nears its end at the Mustang Trail junction (1.47 miles : 7,608'). For a longer more varied trip, consider returning via the Mustang and Belcher Hill trails. These form a nice loop through varied terrain with excellent northerly views on the return.