February 4, 2023: Attempt #1
We missed it… I was so upset. We woke up at 4 AM on the dot, had everything prepped and ready the night before, and somehow still managed to miss the sunrise. This was only our second sunrise hike ever. It takes a good amount of planning to catch sunrise or sunset, especially if hiking to a particular spot.
Let me back up. Obviously, you read the title of this post, but I’ll say it again. We *attempted* a sunrise hike to Big Table Mountain Ecological Reserve. It’s located near Fresno, California, so we didn’t have to drive too far. Unfortunately, we woke up a bit too late.
It was about 4 miles one-way to reach the top of Big Table Mountain. We planned to hike as fast as we could to reach the top before sunrise. But we ended up getting a big confused and had to backtrack a few times on the trail. Hiking a new trail in the dark (with no trail markers) is difficult.
Despite missing sunrise, we still hiked up and explored the top which was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen! The top is a big open grassy area with cows roaming around. The views are wonderful! You can see the San Joaquin River, Pincushion Peak, and snowy mountains in the distance. It was still worth the early wake-up call!
February 12, 2023: Attempt #2
This was our second attempt to catch sunrise at the top of Big Table Mountain. Long story short… it was a success! We woke up at a lovely time of 3 AM and drove 40 minutes to the trailhead.
It took us a little over an hour to hike 4 miles to the top (we still booked it despite having plenty of time). We quickly found the perfect sunrise-viewing spot! We actually had time to set-up the camera for a timelapse shot, eat breakfast at the most amazingly placed picnic table, and enjoy the entire sunrise.
Once the sun was all the way up, we hung around and enjoyed the breathtaking views. We were the only two people at the top for sunrise then an hour or so later we began to hear other hikers making their way up the mountain. After vibing a little bit longer with mother nature, we made the trek back down the mountain.
Our Rating of Big Table Mountain Trail
We give this trail a solid 9.50/10!
What we liked: Beautiful all around hike; views at the top were amazing; great place to watch sunrise (and probably sunset); so far, the best location for a picnic table I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating at; wildlife (we saw cows and coyotes); and challenging hike.
What we didn’t like: No signs that tells you which way to go. For future reference, if you hike this trail, the fork in the road will be further down the fire road (about 1.5 miles) and you will take a LEFT which will take you up to the top.
Interested in hiking this trail?? Click the button below to learn more and plan your next adventure! ✨
