Category: Hikes

West Branch Oak Creek, Day Five of my Southwest Road Trip

After a quick day exploring the Grand Canyon, I continued to Flagstaff Arizona to spend the night. The next morning at the crack of dawn I was on the road towards Sedona. I didn’t really have a plan but research showed that all of the trailheads didn’t open until 8:00 AM. I’m glad that was inaccurate. Just over the pass I came across the trailhead for the West Branch of Oak Creek Trail. The reviews I read the night before spoke very highly of this hike.

So I drove to the small gatehouse and asked the guy manning it what the deal was. He told me that because the place had been so busy the previous week he came in an hour early to open up. Said there was a twelve dollar fee. Apparently this site is operated by a concessionaire. I asked if it was worth it and he said it was one of the top ten hikes in the United States and voted best in Arizona, so I ponied up and took my chances.

He went on to tell me that the experience of walking up the canyon was “mystical” and that there were thirteen stream crossings. That sounded good to me so I parked my car at 7:00 AM. I was the fourth vehicle to park in the lot and took off.

Just past the trailhead I came to the remnants of an old ranch. Interpretive signage told the story of a man who gained the nickname of Bear because he killed so many of them after one mauled his friend to death.

The collection of old buildings made for a great back drop for the scenery at the head of the canyon.

Right after the old ranch the trail crossed the main channel of Oak Creek on the one and only bridge along the route. At a rail fence I saw a collection of walking sticks leaning against a post. Experience has told me that if you find a bunch of walking sticks left by previous hikers that it is a good idea to take one.

Soon I was walking up a beautiful little canyon with the last fall colors in the leaves of the hardwood trees. On one side of the canyon were the red rock cliffs the area is so famous for.

The mixed hardwood forest had an east coast feel to it. In my home area all of the forest are almost exclusively made up of evergreen trees and the sights and smells are totally different.

The walking stick I barrowed came in very handy during the numerous stream crossings. This late in the season the creek had dwindled to the point it was possible to rock hop across all of the fords. In the spring and early summer I’m sure you would have had to get wet making the same crossings. Turns out this is one of the big draws for this hike as getting wet in the summer in Arizona helps keep hikers from over heating.

Early in the morning and in the deep shade of the canyon walls, it was kind of chilly. As the day progressed and the sun rose higher I was sweating by the time I finished the hike.

The canyon bottom was as the ticket guy said “mystical”. When you start as early as I did the few folks you come across on the trail are uniformly awesome. They’re out here for the same thing as you are.

The hike turned out to be right at a seven mile round trip. It was nice to stretch my legs after covering so many miles sitting in a car the day before. The previous days drive from Moab through the Grand Canyon and on to Flagstaff was tiring.

The stream alternated between flowing at the base of the cliffs to the southeast and the northwest. At each transition the trail crossed the creek. The walking stick I used helped with balancing on the logs and rocks at all of these crossings keeping my shoes nice and dry.

I took my time and enjoyed all of the views, both big and small.

At the end of the trail a small deep pool filled the narrow canyon and blocked further easy access and this was the official turn around point. I met nice people here and along the trail to share stories and pictures with.

As I made my way back I encounter a lot more people. This is one of the most popular trails in the area and on most days the parking lot fills up early. I was glad I was one of the first ones on it on this beautiful Veterans Day morning.

One of the only downsides to the hike was that I passed a couple of hikers who decided to share the pungent aroma of their drug dependency. Smoking pot on a hike is no better than lighting a nasty cigar or spilling a bunch of beer. Just stay home if you can’t refrain for a couple of hours.

The canyon walls provided a wonderful background for the fall foliage. It made for a nice combination of colors.

Near the end of the hike the scenery was still amazing but the trail did get a little crowded with louder and less considerate late comers.

At the end of the trail I notice that all of the walking sticks were now gone, presumably being used by other hikers. I left mine were I found it and a hiker immediately picked it up to use on his hike. It made me wonder how many times this one sturdy tree branch had made the trip up the canyon. Recycling at it’s best.

By the time I made it to the old ranch and the trailhead the parking lot was completely full and cars were waiting outside the gate for a spot to become available. I have to say it was one of the best twelve dollars I ever spent.

So I hit the road to Sedona and took a couple of photos on the way. Sedona was very beautiful but I was turned off by the crowds and the traffic. There are tons of additional trails in the area many of which require a Red Rock Pass to use.

My detour to the West Branch of Oak Creek was very worth while. The site is in and managed by Coconino National Forest.

I ended up hiking seven mostly level miles in a beautiful canyon and was refreshed for the four or five hour drive to Tucson. I wouldn’t call this gem of a hike hidden in any way shape or form but it was still a wonderful experience.

Arches National Park, Day three of my Southwest Road Trip

After spending half a day at Canyonlands National Park I continued a few miles down the road and got a room in Moab. The next morning I was up well before dawn. When I arrived at the entrance station to Arches National Park it was still pitch dark and the place was unstaffed.

I drove through the park in almost total darkness. By the time I arrived at the Wilson Ranch Trailhead, it was just starting to get light enough to see. This trailhead is the starting point for the hike to Delicate Arch.

Just past the historic cabin a short spur trail lead to some interesting Native American pictographs. Both of these photos were taking on the way back from Delicate Arch as it was still too dark on the way in.

The trail to Delicate Arch is only about a three mile round trip with just over a five hundred foot elevation gain. Much of the trail is on a bare rock slope.

The last part of this trail is on a cut in solid rock. I only passed a couple of people going in the mile and a half. Some folks got there even earlier than me and made the trip in the dark.

After rounding one last bend there was the arch. A small crowd was already there to watch the colors change in the sunrise. The folks who got there this early were very respectful and quiet. Later in the day that changes.

This is the kind of place one can linger for hours. The views are different from every angle. Folks would occasionally walk to the base to take photos but would walk back up as soon as they were done so others could enjoy the view.

I wonder what happens when an arch sees its shadow. Hopefully not six more weeks of scorching temps.

I had to share one more photo of this most iconic arch before I left. Now it was time to check out some other hikes.

This was the view on the way down looking across a small canyon west of Delicate Arch.

Delicate Arch isn’t the only opening along the trail. The scenery was pretty awesome. By the time I was heading down the people I passed who were on their way up were much louder. I was glad I made it to the Delicate Arch first thing. It was only going to get more crowded as the day progressed.

Next I drove to the Delicate Arch View trailhead. It is not possible to hike to the arch from here as a deep canyon blocks the way. However short walks allow less fit people to see the arch from about a mile away.

I walked to the further of the two overlooks and then continued off trail up this bare rock ridge. The views got better and better and I was the only person around.

From this high lonely solid rock ridge, I had unimpeded views of the surrounding park. In the distance again were the La Sal Mountains.

This turned out to be my favorite hike of the day. I believe it was a little over a three mile round trip with well over five hundred feet of elevation gain. At the end I was noticeably higher than the people at the base of Delicate Arch across the deep canyon.

From the ridge I got some nice shots of Delicate Arch with full blue skies behind it, something not possible from the base of the arch. I also used the sparse vegetation to screen out the hordes of people at the base of the arch.

Now it was time to hit the scenic drives and explore the rest of the park. There was all the red rocks and blue skies one could ask for.

Some of the rock formations to me resembled what I pictured the Outback of Australia to look like.

These rocks are massive. Now it was time to go arch hunting.

Sand Dune Arch was a small arch hidden in a deep narrow passage the floor of which was covered by red sand. This one was almost next to a parking lot so there were lots of people including loud youths.

From the same parking lot a half mile trail led to Broken Arch. It was amazing how few people made the effort to walk to this gem.

This one was probably my favorite due to the lack of crowds and the fact that the trail goes through it and continues another mile to a campground.

It was kind of cool looking straight up under this enormous slab of rock. The park does advise visitors not to linger under the arches as you never know when a chunk might break off.

There were a lot of different angles from which to appreciate this rock formation.

Next I drove to Devil’s Garden to check out a few more arches. This trailhead is at the end of one of the park roads and is very busy.

My first stop here was Pine Tree Arch at the end of a short spur trail.

You could walk directly under this one too.

On the way back to the main trail another short spur bought me to a view point for Tunnel Arch. That is one big hole in a wall.

The trail continued to this amazing feature, Landscape Arch. This is the longest arch in the park. Looking at it I couldn’t see how it was supporting itself.

Words and pictures don’t do justice to this incredible graceful sliver of a rock arch.

Within view of Landscape Arch another arch, Navajo Arch was plainly visible.

Next up was a brief stop at Skyline Arch just off the park road.

At Skyline Arch there are beautiful views of red rock spires and the La Sal Mountains.

After checking out the main park road and the spur to Delicate Arch it was time to head up to The Windows. On the way I passed this collection of rocks, The Garden of Eden. This is a popular place for rock climbers.

A large trailhead at the end of the road provided access to Double Arch to the northwest and The Windows to the southeast.

The Windows are a collection of three arches in the same rock wall. This is the North Window Arch.

Here you have a view of both the North Window and the Center Window. The South Window is around a corner and in the longer shadows of the late afternoon was not as photogenic.

Just southwest of The Windows is another amazing arch, Turret Arch. There is a second opening next to the main arch.

You can also walk through Turret Arch and this is the view looking back to The Windows. One oblivious man camped out at the bottom of this arch preventing many disappointed people from getting photos of themselves here. It is important to consider other people when visiting a park like this.

In the late afternoon the setting sun really lit up the red rocks and the moon made a cameo.

And here it is looking through the North Window.

After spending an hour or so exploring the Windows and Turret Arch, I crossed the trailhead and headed to Double Arch.

By now the rocks were on fire from the rays of the setting sun.

On the way back to the trailhead from Double Arch I was treated to this shadow of what looked like an elephant.

As I passed Balanced Rock on the way out of the park I got this shot in the failing light. By the time I got back to the park entrance it was completely dark. I ended up spending every bit of the daylight I had available on this early November day exploring this most amazing place.

A short drive later and I was once again in Moab. I had time to walk the main drag and check out a local watering hole before I called it an evening, but the main reason I came to this town was to check out a couple of America’s premire national park’s. I’d love to go back some day but for now it was time to hit the road to the next great place.

Canyonlands National Park, The Island in the Sky. Day Two of my Southwest Road Trip.

On day two of my southwest America tour, I visited Canyonlands National Park. Day one of the trip was all about making time. I left North Idaho two hours before dawn and arrived in Orem Utah after sunset.

The next morning I headed towards Moab. After driving three and a half hours I passed by the turn off for Canyonlands. I planned to spend all of my extra time on my two night stay in Moab exploring Arches National Park. I made a last minute decision to turn around and spend the rest of the day checking out the â€śIsland in the Sky” instead.

The twenty two mile long road leading in to the park was a treat with numerous turnouts and nice views of the red rock buttes and cliffs.

Along the way was this nice view of two mesas towering hundreds of feet above the desert floor.

At the entrance station I used my America the Beautiful pass to cover the admission. Across the roadway from the visitor center the view to the east was amazing.

Island in the Sky is a mesa that towers over a thousand feet above the surrounding terrain. A paved road connects multiple scenic overlooks with trailheads through out the site.

The habitat on the mesa is dominated by pinion pines and juniper trees. It is typical of high elevation deserts in the area.

Soon I came across the trailhead for Mesa Arch. I planned on visiting many arch formations the next day at Arches National Park so this was just a warm up. This was the only place in the park that I would call crowded.

The arch is only about a hundred foot walk over a small ridge from the parking lot.

At the arch, I met a nice couple from Europe. They asked me if everything in America was “big”. I hesitated for a second before I replied “that in the western U.S., yes it is”.

Numerous turnouts provided easy access to unique red sandstone rock formations.

As I drove south I crossed a narrow bridge of high ground called the Neck that connected the north half of the mesa to the southern part. Below were expansive views of the canyons of the Colorado and Green Rivers towards the southeast.

At another overlook were views to the west. The Island in the Sky is only one to two miles wide in most places and there are view points are on both sides of the mesa.

Here is a closer view of a most impressive butte.

Another turnout, another view of the canyons.

At the south end of the park road there was a parking area for the Grand View Overlook. I one mile well made trail led to high point over looking the junction canyons of the Colorado and Green Rivers.

And here is the view.

Along this trail there were plenty of small views. The sandstone has eroded into fantastic patterns over the centuries.

On the way back to the trailhead the view was of another section of Canyonlands National Park, The Needles. I would have loved to explore this area too, but it didn’t fit into my time budget.

At the visitor center I asked what they would recommend as the best short hike in the park. Murphy Point was the answer. I was down to a couple of hours of daylight and considered skipping it. I’m glad I didn’t.

Unlike most of the other overlooks in the park, Murphy Point was a decent hike from the parking lot. It was about two and a half miles each way. At the other view points I had plenty of company. Here I passed one man while hiking in and met two ladies at the point itself. One of them took about the best photo of me in years. At places like this it is common to ask strangers to trade taking photos of each other. I did return the favor.

I caught the moon on the way in.

I spent the rest of my time savoring the view from the end of the point.

And here’s the view to the northwest.

Walking back to the trailhead I enjoyed the view of what I found out were the LaSal Mountains east of Arches National Park. Pretty impressive mountains for a range I’ve never heard of.

Apparently these mountains were hidden by low clouds on my way in to the park. One my way out they stole the show.

Just before I left Canyonlands I stopped at this view point overlooking Shafer Road. It turns out this dirt road is popular with four wheel drive enthusiast. I like my vehicles too much to subject them to an ordeal like this.

My final view of the park was a good one. This is just across the road from the visitor center.

As I was driving down the road towards Moab the setting sun created this blow torch effect.

The Island in the Sky unit of Canyonlands National Park exceeded my expectations. Adding my short hikes to overlooks with the five mile hike to to and back from Murphy Point I was in for maybe eight miles. Most of the hiking was pretty flat. I imagine I gained less than five hundred feet in total. After setting in the drivers seat for a day and a half that was a welcomed respite. I just wish I had time to explore the Needles District. Maybe next time.

Fernan Lake Natural Area

Today I completed a short late season hike on Coeur d’Alene’s Fernan Lake Natural Area. This 54 acre preserve is located on the south shore of Fernan Lake on the eastern edge of the city of Coeur d’Alene. It is accessed through a trailhead located on Potlatch Hill Road.

The trailhead overlooks Interstate 90 and the older parts of the city. That’s Rathdrum Mountain in the far background, a great place to hike.

Looking back towards the west from the small gravel parking area you have a view of the north end of Lake Coeur d’Alene with Tubbs Hill just beyond the golf course.

Soon after starting the hike you will pass through a ravine with cedars, hemlocks and ferns. I helped make this trail about twelve years ago.

This short section of trail is shady and damp.

They’re are three distinct ridges that the hiking trail traverses. The first is at the trailhead and the last is at the high point. This is the middle one and the shortest of the three. The hike to this point is mostly downhill.

This natural area at 54 acres is relatively small but as it is on a steep slope with over a four hundred foot elevation difference from the ridge lines to the lake there is probably over two miles of trails on it. The main trail connects the high points and two other loops descend all the way to the shore line.

Between the shorter ridge and the high point the trail crosses two mostly seasonal creeks. As it is fall they were almost completely dry. One of them has a small bridge over it.

The last part of the trail to the high point passes through an open pine forest.

The main trail ends at a power easement with open views across the small lake. That’s Canfield Mountain across the way, a place some people like to hike. The power lines are part of one of the oldest long distance transmission lines in the country. This line was built to connect the Post Falls Dam to the mines in the Silver Valley well over a hundred years ago.

The end of the main trail is a nice place to linger and enjoy the views.

On the way back I took the loop trail down to the lake shore. Fernan Lake is a small water body that has been degraded by excess nutrients over the last couple of decades. It is a nice place to kayak in the spring but suffers from algae blooms in the hot months.

An organization, The Fernan Lake Recreation and Conservation Association, works to bring awareness to the challenges this body of water faces and promoted projects to mitigate the causes of the algae blooms while repairing the damage already done.

Here is a view of the Fernan Lake Natural Area cross the lake from Kootenai County’s boat ramp in Fernan Village.

While not an epic hike by any means, the Fernan Lake Conservation Area is a nice place to stretch your legs for an hour or so. It is right on the edge of Coeur d’Alene, very easy to access and you usually have the place to yourself. Another little hidden gem in Kootenai County.

Canfield Mountain, Nettleton Gulch to the Summit.

Yesterday I revisited Canfield Mountain on the edge of Coeur d’Alene for the first time in over a decade.

Canfield Mountain or as it’s sometimes called Canfield Butte, is a prominent landmark right on the eastern edge of the City of Coeur d’Alene. The city owns and maintains a natural area near the base of the mountain. My starting point was at the Nettleton Gulch Trailhead at the end of the road of the same name.

The trail to the top is a service road for the communication towers located on the summit. It isn’t the most scenic trail around and it is heavily used by ATV’s, dirt bikes and mountain bikers.

Since the last time I hiked this route, the Forest Service has completed several fuel reduction projects resulting in areas of thinner open woodlands. Their aren’t really any exceptionally large trees on this mountain.

As the landscape is mostly is forested the views off of the trail are limited. About halfway up their are a couple of openings overlooking the city and it’s namesake lake.

Nearing the summit you have the option of walking the last section on a single track that wraps around the north side of the mountain. Here the woods are much thicker.

Even though Canfield Mountain looms over Hayden lake this is the best view of that body of water. A fleeting view at best. The ridge on the far side is Chilco Mountain, the site of a much more scenic hike I enjoyed just over a week ago.

Eventually I made it to the very tip of the mountain to enjoy the view. Basically there is no view from the summit. All is not lost though.

If you continue down the west face a couple of hundred yards you will pass by the communication towers and find a open rocky slope with a view.

Here you will find the best view of Coeur d’Alene and Lake Coeur d’Alene anywhere this side of an airplane. In my opinion this is the only reason to slog up this mountain other than just to burn a few calories.

On the way down using the service road this time there are a couple of decent views to the east as well.

In a nutshell this hike doesn’t have any interesting rock formations or cliffs. It doesn’t have any streams, ponds or waterfalls. There aren’t any exceptionally large trees or unique habitats and the views on the way are few and far between. It does have that one great view near the top and it does have a tedious uphill walk on a rough road with lots of ATV’s and dirt bikes to keep you company.

As I said it’s been over a decade since I walked to the top of Canfield Mountain and it will probably be at least another before I do it again.

Other than the view the best thing about the hike was burning maybe a thousand calories walking nearly six miles and gaining 1600 feet of elevation. It is a surprisingly tough hike and the payoff in my opinion isn’t worth the effort.

Liberty Lake Loop Trail

I wrapped up the weekend by returning to Liberty Lake Regional Park for the first time this year. The park has been undergoing an extensive renovation and has been closed for the season.

When I arrived I discovered that the park was still closed. However signage at the entrance directed hikers to an alternative connection to the extensive trail system at the parks equestrian trailhead down the road about a mile. I should have checked this out sooner. The connecting trail was a gem I’ve never hiked before called the Zephyr Connector.

This trail meandered through an open pine forest for about a mile as it descended a couple of hundred feet to the main train along Liberty Creek. There were some open views of Liberty Lake and of Mica Peak on the way down.

South of the lake there are open meadows and wetlands on the floor of the valley.

At the bottom the scenery looked a lot like places I’ve hiked in central Florida. You just have to avoid seeing the mountains the other three directions.

As you head upstream the small valley closes in and you are soon walking through a thick forest. Being early October there wasn’t much water left.

This small ravine stays relatively moist throughout the year creating conditions that promote lots of moss and ferns. The track is in excellent shape and you slowly gain elevation as you follow the creek.

About two miles in from the equestrian trailhead you come to the cedar grove. There is a bench and interpretive signage here and the trail crosses the stream on a foot bridge. Immediately after the bridge, the trail climbs up the west slope of the ravine on a series of short steep switchbacks. This is were you gain most of the elevation on the hike.

At the end of the final switchback their is a nice open view back down to Liberty lake. The mountain across the Spokane Valley is Antione Peak, a place I hike and have posted about. Both the Antione Peak Conservation Area and Liberty Lake Regional Park are owned and managed by Spokane County.

After climbing out of the steep valley the trail travels along the west side and heads north and then northwest through a mature forest with large second growth trees.

At a couple of open areas high above the creek you can see across the ravine and have a view of Cable Peak on the Idaho side of the state line. The Idaho Department of Lands owns a block of land down slope that I enjoy hiking on.

As it is getting late in the season it was kind of chilly in the dense forest and even at midday the shadows are much longer than in summer. The trail ends up crossing one of the small creeks that flow together to create Liberty Creek on a small footbridge.

I almost had the place to myself. This trail is a loop trail, but I usually return the same way I came. If you take the full loop it is over a eight mile hike and the final descent to the creek is extremely steep.

After the steam crossing you continue up hill towards the waterfalls on a couple of questionable boardwalk sections. It look’s like these gems are due for a rebuild.

Then I finally make it to the roaring waterfall. What did you expect, after all it is October.

So here’s the same fall, the lower fall in spring. Much better. If you want to see waterfalls in this part of the country and really most any place in the United States, it’s best to go just after the snow melts off the trail.

Here’s the upper fall also in the spring time. This point is right at three miles in and a nice place to turn around.

On the way back I was treated to this sight. That is a bunch of lady bugs.

I also got to step over this little guy trying to soak up a little solar radiation on one of the last somewhat warm days of the year.

The entire hike worked out to be a little over six miles. The alternate trailhead added a little distance and elevation as I had to regain a couple of hundred feet right at the end of my journey. All together this made for about a twelve hundred foot elevation gain.

Liberty Lake Park is a great place to stretch my legs and its only fifteen minutes from my house. Give me Liberty or Give me Death.

I probably have made this hike over a dozen times since I moved to the Inland Northwest. There is a connector trail that traverses the north side of Mica Peak Washington and joins up with the trail system on the Mica Peak Conservation Area, yet another excellent Spokane County amenity.

Cabinet Mountains Road Trip part 2, Hiking to Leigh Lake in the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness Area.

Over the weekend I took a three day trip to Montana with the primary goal being to kayak on Bull Lake. We decided to break up the trip by throwing in a challenging hike in the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness Area outside of Libby Montana.

The place we were camping is in a valley that divides the mountain range in half. From the valley are views of the rugged peaks in the center of the Cabinets. We drove about ninety minutes around this range, through Libby and then on dirt forest service roads to the trailhead for the Leigh Lake Trail #132.

After one wrong turn due to missing signage we found the trailhead. The road to it was better than most in this part of the world. Their were only two other vehicles in the small parking area when we got there.

The trail starts out steep and stays steep as it climbs out of the valley on a series of switchbacks.

Not far up the trial a sign lets you know that you’ve entered the wilderness area.

On the way up we passed under some pretty big cliffs. The trail was steeper than Scotchman but much shorter. It got my heart pounding in places.

In places the trail was more of a rock scramble. Yes that is the trail. If you have a fear of heights this might not be the place for you.

There are places were the narrow trail has loose rocks and big drop offs. Caution is advised.

Near the top is one of the highlights of the hike. A cascading waterfall is a nice place to stop and enjoy the views for a while.

Here we had a nice view back down the valley we climbed out of.

It was nice to know we were still on the right track. The trail beyond this point is extremely steep until it gets to the top of the ridge just before the lake. The other trail crosses Leigh Creek and goes to the south side of the lake.

Believe it or not, this is the ‘trail’.

After walking over one last little rise we got our first look at the lake. A short down hill walk brought us to the shore.

The trail follows the shore line until it ends on a rocky beach with views of the rock cliffs at the base of Snowshoe Peak, the tallest mountain in the Cabinets.

Although it is a steep hike, the hike to Leigh Lake from the trailhead is only about a third of the distance and a third of the elevation gain as the hike to the top of Scotchman Peak. For those of you that need more of a challenge some folks continue to the top of the mountain. We met a couple of them on the way down.

From the rocky beach there is a nice panorama of the surrounding mountains and cliffs. The mountain in the center right is the lower slopes of Snowshoe Peak. Snowshoe Peak has the only remaining glacier in the Cabinets on its north shoulder.

A little further around the bend is a pretty marsh. I would not have been surprised to see some wildlife here but we didn’t. There are mountain goats in the area and the Cabinets are grizzly country.

The lake is a place you want to spend some time at appreciating the scenery.

Leigh Lake is the kind of place you would want to stay all day at but eventually it is time to leave. Looking back towards the lake we could see the beginnings of fall in the colors of the leaves and a few left over patches of snow on Snowshoe Peak from the previous winter. Soon enough these snow patches will have plenty of reinforcements.

Now it was time to retrace our steps on the way back down.

Looking back down on the waterfall we visited on the way up gives you a perspective on how far it was to climb to the lake. No need for those with vertigo to apply.

While hiking back down we enjoyed the small views. All too soon we were back at the trailhead.

By the time we finished we hiked a modest three miles or so round trip and gained maybe 1200 feet of elevation. In places the trail was challenging some might say exhilarating with rock scrambling and extreme drop offs not for the faint of heart. The waterfall and the lake are highlights of this hike. I would gladly do this again.

Not getting enough of waterfalls for the day we stopped at Kootenai Falls between Libby and Troy Montana for some easy walks and great views before we made it back to our campground on Bull Lake.

Scotchman Peak

Yesterday I hiked to the summit of Scotchman Peak Idaho for the third and almost certainly the last time. Scotchman Peak is the tallest mountain on the Idaho side of the Cabinet Mountains, the highest summit in Bonner County and one of the highest points in the Idaho Panhandle. The trailhead for this hike is located about seven miles outside of the town of Clark Fork Idaho.

The summit of Scotchman Peak is listed at 7009 feet above sea level. The trailhead sits at 3300 feet making the total elevation gain a little over 3700 feet. Scotchman Peak is in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest and the official site includes directions on how to get to the trailhead.

From close to the trailhead, you can see what appears to be the summit. It isn’t. This false summit is hundreds of feet below your final goal. So let’s get started.

Since your in the Cabinet Mountains your also entering Grizzly country so take the proper precautions. Brown bears do range through out these mountains but I’ve never heard of an encounter on this specific trail.

The first half of this 4.2 mile hike to the top climbs a heavily forested ridge using short steep switchbacks. The grade is tough. I did the math and gaining 3700 feet over 22176 linear feet gives you an average grade of a little less than seventeen percent. Some stretches were less and some more, a lot more. Ouch.

Every once in a while the view opens up and you find yourself looking up towards the top of nearby mountains. By the time we reached the summit this hill looked like a pimple below us on the valley floor.

The area around Clark Fork gets the greatest amount of precipitation in the state. This accounts for the lush growth and the moss covering the trees.

After a couple of hours of zig zagging up the forested ridge we finally came to open subalpine slopes with expansive views.

Most of those views are dominated by Lake Pend Oreille, the largest lake in Idaho and a favorite kayaking spot of mine.

After the open meadows and then another band of subalpine forest the final destination was in sight and involved walking on a trail through loose rocks and shale.

At the summit we enjoyed the views of the rest of the Idaho Cabinets to the west. It’s a little humbling to view a true wilderness like this. Then we turned around only to discover we hadn’t actually made it to the real summit.

From up here we could see one last patch of snow at the base of the cliff below us on this late September day. At the top of this cliff was the real summit.

The real top was still hundreds of feet and maybe another quarter of a mile up an imposing ridge, which may account for the discrepancy between the listed distance of the hike and the distance we actually covered. By the way if you zoom in there’s a tiny dot at the very peak. This turned out to be another hiker giving you a scale of the terrain.

We had hoped to see mountain goats above the tree line. There are two signs on the way up that inform hikers about goat etiquette. A few years ago they had to close this trail for a hiking season due to knuckleheads’ feeding the goats and causing them to become aggressive.

We did get to see the goats! Just below the false summit a family of mountain goats were hiding out. This photo shows four of them. We counted six in this group all together.

After watching the goats and enjoying the views we made one final push to gain the true summit. By now we were hurting. The trip up to this point is strenuous and the last part was even tougher. Also some of the drop offs were awfully intimidating.

After a good four and a half hours of hiking we finally made it to the top. A marker told us so.

At the summit someone has built a shelter out of stone and left over lumber from an old fire tower. It looked a little sketchy.

At the very top this is the view back to the false summit we saw at the beginning of the hike. The pimple of a hill is in the background.

While we rested and ate our lunch three big male goats decided to drop in for a visit. Never trust an animal with rectangular eyes.

These guys were looking for handouts and had to be discouraged from getting too close. I thought for a minute that I was going to have to use my bear spray. It would be bad to have one of them push you off a ledge.

From the summit there are outstanding views to the north and east of the Montana Cabinets. A couple of peaks in the range top out well over eight thousand feet above sea level. There is a wilderness area covering part of the Montana Cabinets. A group called the Friends of the Scotchman Peak Wilderness have been lobbying for the creation of another wilderness area to encompass this peak.

On the way down we stopped at the false summit again to savor the views of the lake.

On the way down we saw more mountain goats. Some might have been repeat sightings but we saw ten to twelve goats all together during the trip.

Below is the Delta of the Clark Fork River were the river enters Lake Pend Oreille. I kayaked this place a couple of months ago and highly recommend the trip.

So after eight and a half hours of some of the toughest hiking I have ever done we made it back to the trailhead and started the two hour drive back home. Reviews of this hike list the average time needed to complete it as six and a half hours. I guess having to stop every couple of hundred years on the way up to catch my breath ate up a lot of time.

I had done this hike twice before and wasn’t sure if I wanted to tackle it again. It is one of the most awesome hikes I’ve ever done but also about the hardest. The grade up is unrelenting and and the way back steep enough to hurt your knees and feet. The views and the mountain goats are both highlights of the trip. I’m glad I did it one more time but can say with a lot of confidence that I’m not trying it again. After all the years do catch up with everyone.

Glacier National Park, the long way home.

Failing in my attempt to secure lodging for a third night and stymied from visiting Many Glacier I weighed my options and instead of a third long hike that was not my first choice and then a late evening grueling six hour trip back, I decided to leave early and take my time and explore a little on the way home. My hikes at Siyeh Pass and Dawson Pass wore me out anyway.

I drove through Whitefish “underwhelming by the way”, then through Eureka “nice but no reason to stop”, then along Lake Koocanusa with it’s endless miles of road reconstruction. Lake Koocanuse, Koo for the Kootenai River can for Canada and usa for you guess it the United States of America, was formed by Libby Dam. Here they have a nice visitor center and public viewing platforms.

After driving through the town of Libby, my next stop was at Kootenai Falls. There is a parking lot with a picnic area along with a snack shop off of US 2 between Libby and Troy Montana.

Kootenai Falls is one of the largest undammed waterfalls in Montana.

This recreational site includes a pedestrian bridge over the BNSF Railroad mainline. Don’t worry, I checked before crossing to make sure my brother wasn’t coming.

A long pedestrian suspension bridge gives you access to the north side of the river and more views of the waterfall. If you’re afraid of these types of bridges then this one isn’t the one to overcome them on. It sways really good and the river is a long way down.

Here is the view of the bridge from across the river.

Kootenai Falls is managed by the US Forest Service and is a nice place to spend an hour or so exploring and enjoying the view.

Before Troy I cut over on Montana State Road 56 through the Bull River Valley towards Noxom. This is one of the most scenic roads in the area and goes through the middle of the Cabinet Mountains. About half way through it is Bull Lake.

Across the lake is Bad Medicine, a striking cliff formation that begs to be explored. As far as I can tell access isn’t easy.

A little further to the south is a four mile long paved road to one of the few old growth cedar groves left in the northwest. Ross Creek is well visited and maintained.

A short walk leads you from the parking lot to the giant trees. Moss covered boulders at the base of a cliff border the trail.

Some of these giants are well over four hundred years old.

They’re not quite the California Redwoods but they are in the ball park especially for here.

Walking through the grove is a relaxing experience.

About half way down the entrance road to Ross Creek is this view into the heart of the Cabinet Mountains. It’s not quite Glacier but it is only ninety minutes from my house.

Along State Road 56 there are several turnouts with scenic views of the Cabinet Mountains. I hiked a little here several years ago and hope to return in the near future.

The Bull River follows the highway down the valley. This valley has to be one of the prettiest places around.

I probably walked less than two miles at my various stops on the way home but it was a relaxing way to end my trip. Bull Lake in the middle of the valley has two campgrounds and would be a perfect place to combine a kayak trip with a mountain hike. Sounds like the basis for a future post.

Glacier National Park Day Two, Dawson Pass and St. Mary’s.

On day one I discovered that I needed a two dollar on line pass to visit the Many Glacier area. I planned to hike to Grinnell Glacier on my second day but was unable to secure a pass. Disappointed I looked for an alternative and settled on the Two Medicine Lake area, the most under visited part of the park.

After checking in to my cabin as I hadn’t the night before, I drove about ninety minutes around Glacier national Park to East Glacier and then on to Two Medicine Lake. This is the “dry” side of the park and outside of it the habitat is primarily grasslands. This is also next to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.

So I settled on Dawson pass as my goal for todays hike. It would be pushing it for me as it was a thirteen mile long hike with a twenty eight hundred foot elevation gain. I figured I had time as I got a much earlier start that the previous days hike. By 9:30 I was on the trail.

The first couple of miles were along the north shore of Two Medicine Lake. It was a pretty walk but there was no elevation gain, a fact that would cost me later.

While hiking along the shore line I watched the boat tours run up the lake. They offer return only rides for hikers who would like to save about two and a half miles of their journey. If I ever go again I would take advantage of this service. The last couple of miles heading back got to be a little painful. If you get a round trip ticket it saves five miles but no elevation.

The scenery along the trail is amazing and the first three and a half miles are relatively flat.

That gave me plenty of time to appreciate the small things. FYI, blue berries “AKA huckleberries” good.

And red berries “Chokecherries” no bueno. They may or may not be toxic but either way you don’t eat these.

About three miles in you hit the trail junction that either back tracks to the boat landing or continues to Upper Two Medicine Lake, a popular overnight camping destination. Here the trail really starts climbing.

On the way up a series of challenging switch backs this impressive monolith stands guard above you.

At the top of this climb you are treated to views back towards Two Medicine Lake.

After climbing this section of the trail with it’s incredible views the path levels out for about half a mile until the junction with the spur to No Name Lake. I opted to skip the short spur in order to push to the pass.

After the No Name Lake Trail junction the main trail started to climb steeply again. By now I realized I wasn’t going to make it to the pass. I had plenty of time but was figuratively out of gas and it was a long way back.

This was as close as I got and that ridge is still a long way away. Having to gain all of the elevation in the last half of the hike made it difficult. The boat ride would have saved a lot of time and effort as well and if there is ever a next time I would take advantage of it.

The scenery on the way was just as good as it was on the way up and the walking a lot easier. It was still hard on the knees and back though.

On the way back I took my time and enjoyed the small things. I failed to reach my goal but it was still a rewarding experience.

Just before I reached the trailhead I got a bonus. A group of bighorn sheep were grazing right in my path. If I had taken the boat back I would have missed seeing these amazing animals.

They didn’t seen too worried about me and as I waited and enjoyed the show about a dozen other hikers showed up and did the same. We all eventually managed to get around them by detouring around the trail.

So five and a half hours later I was back at my car. I figured I ended up doing about eleven miles and maybe eighteen hundred feet. On top of yesterdays hike that made for twenty miles and four thousand feet. Not a bad effort.

So I decided to go back to west Glacier by taking Going to the Sun Road across the park. To get to St. Mary’s I used Montana State Road 49. Looking back towards Two Medicine I was treated to this view. The road takes you through part of the Blackfeet Nation.

State Road 49 climbed over a pass and near the top this was the view. This is the end of the Rockies and the beginning of the Great Plains. From here it’s almost as flat as a pancake to West Virginia a couple of thousand miles to the east.

This is looking north towards St Mary’s across the rolling plains. The east end of Going to the Sun Road was about a twenty mile drive from Two Medicine.

The eastern end of Going to the Sun Road is dominated by Saint Mary’s Lake. The landscape is noticeably drier than that on the other side of Logan Pass. This photo is at the overlook for Goose Island.

As beautiful as Lake McDonald is Saint Mary’s Lake is in my opinion even prettier.

At Sun Point I took a short walk and enjoyed the late afternoon views.

The sun was setting in the west and it truly felt like I was on a road going to the sun. Now it was time to head back across the park. The road is fifty miles long and it takes at least two hours to transit Glacier National Park on it. Going around on the U.S. Highways is longer and faster but ends up taking just about as long.

I headed the rest of the way back up towards Logan Pass and at Siyeh Bend I saw this cascade I missed the day before.

So I get to Logan Pass at the end of the day and it’s still a zoo. The parking lot was closed and Park Rangers were blocking the entrances. I was glad I wasn’t fighting those crowds.

I enjoyed the slow scenic ride back down on the narrower west side of the pass. Going to the Sun Road from St. Mary’s to Logan Pass is a much better and safer road than the section west of Logan heading towards Lake McDonald.

Before it got dark I had just enough time to check out a small waterfall on the way to Lake McDonald. By now the hordes were mostly out of the park.

I stopped to take one last look oat Lake McDonald before I got back in cell phone land. I tried to buy a two dollar pass to Many Glacier for the next day but of course they already sold out. I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to take the drive cross the park again the next morning anyway.

I got back to my camper cabin just in time to catch their BBQ night. Glacier Campground just outside the West Glacier entrance was an unique place to stay. The Sunflower CafĂ© had a vibe that reminded me of Camp Curry in Yosemite back in the day. Lots of the customers were young outdoor enthusiast. The campground staff was awesome and the bathrooms were very nice. I checked to see if they might have a cabin for the next night come available due to a last minute cancellation but was out of luck. I was lucky to score two nights at the last minute due to someone else’s cancellation