Ghost Forest Trail

Dogs No Dogs

Features River/Creek · Views · Wildlife

The trail is narrow, with little room for passing hikers on the trail. There are several tributaries to Bridalveil Creek that you may have to rock hop in the spring if the water levels are high and there are more rocks and roots in the last quarter of a mile, making it important to watch where you are stepping. In the late fall, snow and ice can be found in the shady portions of the trail.

The trailhead for the Ghost Forest Trail is located in the Bridalveil Campground. Departing the end of the of the campground, the trail meanders along Bridalveil Creek for most of the way. The trail is wide at the beginning, being made up of mostly sand and gravel before it begins to narrow as you travel further into the forest.

The Ghost Forest Trail is fairly flat, making it an easy route through the woods. Around half a mile, a meadow opens up on the left hand side of the trail, where deer can be seen feeding in the early morning or evenings. From this point, the trail runs close to Bridalveil Creek for about a quarter of a mile before moving away from it. However, you can still hear the sound of the water making its way downstream. At .9 miles, the trail crosses a tributary that feeds Bridalveil Creek. This is tributary is easily crossed via a rock hop, but could be trickier in the spring as the snow melt feeds the creek.

From here, the trail begins to climb gently through an evergreen forest as it makes its way to the Ostrander Lake Trail. At a few points, the trail approaches the creek again and in certain places, its viewable below the trail. At 1.4 miles, the trail comes to a junction. If you continue straight, the trail continues its way toward Deer Camp and the Ostrander Lake Cutoff. If you turn to the left, the Ghost Forest Trail heads toward the Ostrander Lake Trail. The trail descends along a narrow track for about a quarter of a mile until you reach Bridalveil Creek. In the spring, this can be a difficult crossing due to the additional water from the snow melt. At other times in the year, this is an easy rock hop across the creek. The trail climbs away from the creek until it meets up with the Ostrander Lake Trail.

From here, you have several options. You can follow the Ostrander Lake Trail to the left for 1.5 miles until you reach a parking lot on Glacier Point Road, where you can catch a ride back to your car or follow the road back to Bridalveil Campground. If you go to the right, the Ostrander Lake Trail continues toward the lake. You can connect with the Ostrander Lake Cutoff and part of the Ghost Forest to Deer Camp Bypass to form a loop back to the Ghost Forest Trail. Or you can simply turn around and run back to your car. Due to the lack of views and location, this trail often provide the opportunity to find solitude in the woods.

Deer, bears, squirrels, rabbits, and raccoons may be seen in this area as it has easy access to Bridalveil Creek along much of the trail.