With many of the trails in the area still closed at this time due to the Carpenter's 1 fire last July, we decided to give this trail a try. There were many wild horses on the Cold Creek road that leads up to the Bonanza trailhead. It was a very strenuous hike. The 4 mile hike included over 3.5 miles of switchbacks leading up to the top (10,355 feet) of the trail with a total elevation gain of 2800 ft. We arrived at the traihead at 9 am on Saturday and there were only three other cars there. We did not see any hikers on the trail. If you want solitude, this would be a good place for that! The wildflowers and scenery were quite pretty, but I didn't care for the many horse droppings along the trail. There are plenty of bristlecone pines along this trail and many pine cones on the ground too. Almost 1/2 way up, you can see the barren side of the mountain where a previous fire had scarred the landscape. Close to the top, there is a spot called the Bonanza saddle where you can sit on a log, enjoy the breeze and the view on both sides of the mountain. There are a few spots on the trail that are quite narrow, so be careful along the trail. The descent was equally hard as there were many rocks and loose gravel on the trail which made it very slippery and slow going. A good pair of hiking boots and poles are needed for this trip. It took us nearly 4 hours to get to the top and 2.5 hours to get down.
The last 2.5 miles on Cold Creek road to the trailhead parking lot is not paved and the gravel road is really rough with lots of gigantic potholes and rocks. I strongly suggest using a high clearance vehicle for this hiking trip.