Ford Canyon Upper Trailhead

I’m very surprised that the Centerville trail commission has signs claiming this trail despite the trail’s rough status. The first 100 yards is very well maintained. There are some picnic tables along the North bank of the creek. After that you find yourself scrambling up and down a trail that isn’t much more than a deer trail. Just below the firebreak road the trail completely disappears and you're left scrambling up a sandy embankment to get up to the firebreak road. The second half of the trail to the first waterfall is in good condition and well traveled despite “private property” signs - mixed signals here. The first waterfall is large and impressive. The section from the top of the first waterfall to the next falls is more of the same kind of animal-trail-like hiking along the side of the creek. While it’s navigable it could be a real pain in the summer when the underbrush is in full force. Right now (mid-April) is good in those terms. Oddly at the very beginning of this section some trail maintenance has been done - after that it's just short of bushwhacking. This trail could really stand to have some basic trail maintenance / building done because the second waterfall is quite nice. Some people have climbed up beyond this point to the left. I climbed and scrambled for 20 minutes over some very sketchy areas only to get cliffed-out and eventually to find another way down to the creek at which there appeared to be no trail. Even if there is a waterfall beyond the second (which I do not believe there is after my investigation) it’s not worth breaking your neck over.

The trail is very poorly maintained, full of poison oak, ivy, and rattlesnakes. We were sprayed by a skunk and saw 3 others. I would stay away from Ford Canyon