Sunday, August 8, 2010

God's Bath, Sonora, CA









    (GOD'S BATH CLIFF - HOW FAST AND HOW HIGH?)

34 comments:

  1. I went swimming here in October of 2005 and this is an amazing swimming hole. It is in my top 3 in Sonora and within a 25 mile radius of it.

    The high point to jump in is about 20 feet depending on how high the water is. Near that high point is a pit (the radius is only about 4 feet or so if my memory serves me right). Once you jump into this pit you can swim under a rock bridge (all underwater) to get to the main swimming hole. It can be scary if you are not comfortable.

    Across this high point is a vertical face you can run along. It is difficult to get to this ledge if you are tall and/or fat because the ledge is narrow and cramped. It is best to do this when your swim trunks are still dry. My first try I fell off and bruised my butt because it is near the very shallow part, which drops off dramatically into an unbelievably deep abyss.

    The waterfall has places to sit behind it. It is a lot of fun to swim through the waterfall and sit there for a while. It is loud.

    All in all it is an amazing swimming hole and I recommend it to everyone. You have to plan when you are going. The water can be too high or too low depending on the last storm upstream. It can also be too cold depending on the date or time of day because the sun cannot always get between the those hills. When I first jumped in I was not warned and the shock of the cold pushed all the air from my lungs.

    *BEWARE: After me and my friends parked on the bridge we had a short hike. Only problem is the trail is lined with poison ivy. Be careful and make sure you know how to recognize it.

    I only have pictures from a film camera. So I can't share our shots. It'd be easier for people to see the pit I am talking about because I cannot describe how amazing it is.

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  2. Thanks for your comments. I agree!

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  3. how do you get to this spot? no one really has clear directions. i have been to candy rock in avery near sonora is it close to that?
    does anyone have clear directions to give?

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    1. Sorry its a secret. I wish they never published in that book :(

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    2. Yeah it's secret because what you don't see in these photos is on the way up and right there at God's bath on the rocks they can reach flatlanders have put ugly graffiti all over the rocks with typical penis, poop and garbage themes. Plus they break glass bottles, toss aluminum cans, cigarette butts and lots of other trash all over. People who love the place always pack trash out from the asshats who come up from the city and it's a pain in the butt. Why these people seek out beautiful places to destroy can be difficult to understand.

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  4. does anyone know how to get here? its not on the map of directions that is listed...

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  6. this is a joke i went found nothing many people on the internet with many stories no one willing to give clear directions none the same and hostil locals made for a day of driving for nothing

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    1. locals are hostile because the place has been trashed by visitors who have no respect for nature or others and most likely little self-respect. Cigarette butts, graffiti and other garbage including broken glass. You can pack your full 12 pack of beer in for 30 minutes of hiking but can't carry them out empty? Human garbage. Stay in Stockton. I love good graffiti, don't get me wrong. But this is total trash and in an inappropriate place no true artist would dream of defiling.

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  7. Go to sonora ca, take toulumne road to buchannon and take bucannon all the way to the second bridge ( green) you can hike down the mountian, there are ropes down the steap mountian and hike 3/4 mile hike up stream.

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    1. This is about as accurate as you can get, I've only been there because my friend who took me grew up in the area.

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    2. it's about 1/2 mile down the mountain before you get to the right stream. It's an offshoot of the main river which branches. If you drive over 5 miles you've gone too far.

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  9. Their is a reason why people won't disclose the location to Gods Bath, 7Pools, or lady bug lagoon! People don't leave the area as they found it! I'm not local to the area, but have been going there since the 80's!

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  10. Used to be one great swim. Unfortunately, it burned down/was heavily damaged in the rim-fire. not much left. :(

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  11. this is one of those gems that you learn to get to via locals or friends that have been there.

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  12. Its a beautiful place. Grew up here and as mentioned....the Rim Fire destroyed the natural beauty of the area.

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  13. IMPORTANT NOTICE!!! My friends and I made a trip to Gods Bath YESTERDAY and traveled all the way from San Francisco, to find the last 3 miles of ROAD IS CLOSED FOR construction until DECEMBER 2018. The fine if you drive on the road is $5000. According to a park ranger it is a 3 mile (walk) to the swim holes from the nearest place you can park outside of this safety area, but we didn't come prepared enough to do that (shoe wise).

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    1. How come no one has mentioned this before? Seems like a lie

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    2. True story bro happen to me but we walked a mile and half before someone stopped us nd said go back hoprfully its ready this summer perfect spot to hang out at...

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    3. Closed (permanently?) now due to even more fires in the area, doesn't look like it will open anytime soon. (As of August 2018)

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  15. A lot of people are littering, leaving their beer cans, beverages, picnic food, wrappers all along the trail as well as at the site. Please, if you do go, pack out everything you brought with you. Respect nature and keep this place beautiful. What you leave there will stay there forever, because this is a secret spot, there is no one that is coming to clean this place up. It is all up to you to clean after yourselves.

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  16. This is not hard to find like everyone says it is. Once you get onto buchannon road, you drive all the way until the second bridge you drive over. It is very far down the road and may feel like you have missed it or are going to wrong way but keep driving until you drive over the second bridge. Once there park on the side of the road, you will probably see other cars parked. Then you have to hike down the mountain with a rope (be prepared it is steep). Once down to the river, hike up stream about 20 minutes or until you get to the end. Once you are there you will know because it is the very end and has a waterfall.

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  17. Hey, can someone give me clear directions? Im trying to take my sister for her 16th birthday this year means so much to her! she beat cancer and this is on her bucket list!! if you can please help out. i understand a lot of folks litter but we are not that type. thanks.

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  18. Hey, can someone give me clear directions? Im trying to take my sister for her 16th birthday this year means so much to her! she beat cancer and this is on her bucket list!! if you can please help out. i understand a lot of folks litter but we are not that type. thanks.

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    1. Literally, use Google maps. Type gods bath california in Google maps and it gives the right location. Once you get there, people are walking down the path to the water and just ask for help if needed.

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    2. Literally, use Google maps. Type gods bath california in Google maps and it gives the right location. Once you get there, people are walking down the path to the water and just ask for help if needed.

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  19. Is the trail still closed due to fire? My girlfriend and I would like to go back since we haven't been in two years

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  20. California has no poison ivy. We do have poison oak.

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  21. PLEASE CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELVES and BE SAFE
    Been going here since early 2000s and recently due to the internet its location has been advertised and people from the city, like they tend to do, trash the place and get injured. Just this week two unprepared people were injured there and had to be air lifted out. This place is not lake and is dangerous. Please, if you go, pack light and bring a trash bag. We unfortunately can't keep the disrespectful people from coming out, but we can do our part to clean up after the children that can't clean up after themselves.

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