A Walk Down Dover Canyon Road from Vineyard Drive

Dover Canyon Road is one of my favorite walks. I normally park by the cemetery on the corner of Dover Canyon Road and Vineyard Drive and walk to the bridge. That is one mile one way with a climb of 113 feet. The walk begins at the Willow Creek Cemetery. When you get past the cemetery, the road looks like this if there has been rain recently. If not, this part of the walk may be hot and dusty and the meadows brown.


The day I took these photos was March 28, 2011, and it was a year we had rainfall and there was water in the creek running along the road. You can enlarge any photo by clicking it.

Eventually the road curves and takes you into a more forested region where you will find more shade in summer.

This is where the trees begin to get really interesting. The Spanish moss on most of them can make you think you are in an enchanted forest. 

Finally after going through the forest and maybe past a horse farm, you will reach a small flat bridge. From it you can see the creek flowing through the forest. 

I have never gone past the bridge. The road does not go through. I believe it ends in private property. You can also find Dover Canyon Road going north off Highway 46 West. I have a friend that lives at that end, but the two parts of the road do not connect. This is a walk I really enjoy in the spring or winter when the weather is still cool and there is a chance the fields are green.

Related articles

• Jack Creek Road in West Templeton
• Exploring a Small County Road

Jack Creek Road in West Templeton

One of my favorite walking routes is along Jack Creek Road in West Templeton. It runs from Highway 46 West over Jack Creek, past Jack Creek Cellars, and around the bend until in places it parallels Highway 46 West until it ends at Vineyard Drive to the east. As you enter from 46 West you will pass a forested area. If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you will actually see 46 west to the far right with trees on both sides.

I usually park near the entrance to the left along a frontage road. Then I walk across this bridge over Jack Creek. Sometimes it even has water in it.

You can already see that this walk will take you past some large oak trees. One of them is not too far along the road after you have crossed the bridge. It is draped with Spanish moss, as are many of our oak trees here

As you continue on your walk you will  soon pass Jack Creek Cellars and its vineyard and tasting room. Remember, you can click any photo to enlarge it.

Shortly after you pass the vineyards, the trees are farther apart and the road curves. You will then pass some fields and an occasional house. It is here you have the best view of the mountains on the other side of 46 West.


From here to Vineyard Drive there will not be much shade as the trees get more scarce by the road. The closer you get to Vineyard Drive, the more houses you will see. You know you will be getting into that section soon when you see these trees ahead. From a distance they look like one large tree, but this is what you see up close. We did this walk in late afternoon, so it appears my shadow left its mark.

Which part of the road do you like best?

Exploring a Small County Road

Miner's Lettuce Growing in Tree Crevice

Today I stopped to explore a place I've always wanted to photograph. I just never knew where to park that was not on private property. On the way from Paso Robles to Templeton today I discovered there was a public road where I could park and walk in. Time was limited, but I still got some photos. What I was delighted to see was an abundance of Miner's Lettuce. It was even more fun seeing it grow in the tree.

In fact, there was Miner's Lettuce everywhere along the road. I took the liberty of picking some of it and taking it home for salad tomorrow, since it didn't look as though anyone would care. I've never tried eating it yet because I've never been able to find it where it was not growing next to poison oak.  As you can see, there is plenty of it here. It is supposed to be very tasty.

As I continued down the road, I found myself with forest on both sides. The road is called Ambush Trail, which I thought was interesting. It's supposed to lead up to a vineyard. I wanted to explore more, but I was pressed for time. I will go back the first chance I get. I want to find out if it connects with Twelve Oaks Drive at some point. I love exploring the roads less traveled.

For more information about Miner's Lettuce and other edible weeds, see

Foraging California: Finding, Identifying, And Preparing Edible Wild Foods In California (Foraging Series) by Christopher Nyerges. It's the best book I've seen on recognizing and preparing California wild foods. It has all my favorites.