Category Archives: Activities

Categories – activities.

East Fork Jemez River Trail Hike – 09/18/2021

October 25, 2021

First day’s hike during a camping trip to Jemez Falls Campground with Pat, Jay, and Nancy. At various times we had done out-and-back hikes from each end of this trail. This day, with two vehicles, we welcomed the opportunity to make it a point-to-point, or through hike.

The Drive In

The trailhead is .9 miles east on NM 4 from the entrance to the Jemez Falls Campground. From here, trailheads of the East Fork Trail go in both directions, to the west passes the Jemez Falls Trailhead (and Campground), terminating at Battleship Rock, And to the east the trail passes above The Box and terminates at the Las Conchas Trailhead. We were taking the latter trail.

The Hike

East Fork Jemez River Trail Hike.PatJayNancy.2021-09-18

‘Tis a good trail, from beginning to end, smooth surface, little elevation changes, and shaded. The first half mile is on a well used two-track, but then the trail veers off into a pleasant open forest. There are signs along the way for guidance (‘tho the trail is so well used one could hardly get disoriented).

At about 1.1 miles from the trailhead we took a spur trail down into the canyon (250′ descent) to take a look at the East Fork Box. The descent is steep, but in the steepest stairs make it easy. At the bottom a bridge conveniently provides a way to cross and walk a bit upstream to the point where the Box blocks further passage (without wading).

After climbing out of the canyon, we continued on the great trail. It does ascend some 300′ in a gentle slope over 1.5 miles or so, then descends back into the canyon and hooks up with the Las Conchas Trail for the last 1.5 miles. There are river crossings, but in each case a bridge provides for a dry passage. And along the river, the setting is lush with grasses, trees, mosses on the rocks, overall a most pleasant trail.

Highlight

A great day hiking with really great friends.

Statistics

Total Distance: 5.93 miles
Elevation: start 8,113 ft, maximum 8,569 ft, minimum 7,947 ft
Gross gain: 622 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,455 ft, descending 1,168 ft
Maximum slope: 27% ascending, 33% descending, 6.7% average
Duration: 4:52

East Fork Jemez River Trail Hike.PatJayNancy.2021-09-18 (KML)	162 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
East Fork Jemez River Trail Hike.PatJayNancy.2021-09-18 (GPX)	64 Downloads

If you haven’t explored these hiking tracks with Google Earth, I urge you to try it. With the virtual 3-dimensional presentation, achieved by panning and tilting the view, you can get a much better idea of the hikes and terrain than you can get from the screenshot above. For some ideas, check out Using Google Earth Track Files.

Las Conchas Trail Hike – 08/29/2021
Las Conchas-East Hike – 10/15/2020
Las Conchas Trail Hike – 09/23/2020
East Fork Jemez Box Hike – 08/09/2017
East Fork Jemez Box Hike – 08/02/2017

References and Resources

USDA Forest Service: East Fork Trail (FT #137)
East Fork Trailhead #137
AllTrails: East Fork Trail via Las Conchas Trailhead
East Fork Trailhead from Las Conchas Trailhead …
Hiking Project: East Fork Trail #137
SummitPost: East Fork Box
Trip Advisor: Las Conchas Trailhead … (great reviews)

Jay's Photos: Click on a Photo for Gallery View.

George's Photos: Click on a Photo for Gallery View.

East Fork Jemez River Hike – 09/17/2021

October 25, 2021

First day on a camping/hiking trip to Jemez Falls Campground. After getting the R-Pod set up, we had time to make a short exploratory hike into the East Fork Jemez River Slot Canyon.

The Drive In

The East Fork Jemez River crosses NM 4 just .4 miles east of the entrance to the Jemez Falls Campground. Parking is along side the road; it seems no one observes the No Parking signs, but beware of cars rounding the curve in the road at the bottom of a hill in each direction.

The Hike

This hike is just an exploratory hike to determine how far we could go before finding it necessary to “take to the river”.

‘Tis a steep descent from NM 4 into the canyon, but only 10 or 20 yards into a small parking area with picnic facilities. From there it is a pleasant trail along the River for about .45 miles when the Canyon narrows; continuing further would require wading in the River. We were not so prepared, so we turned back, satisfied with our reconnoitering.

Just a note: This point is also the starting point for the El Cajete Canyon Trail Hike – 08/30/2021.

Statistics

Total Distance: 0.89 miles
Elevation: start 7,944 ft, maximum 7,957 ft, minimum 7,927 ft
Gross gain: 60 ft. Aggregate ascending 292 ft, descending 292 ft
Maximum slope: 44% ascending, 36% descending, 9.2% average
Duration: 0:38

Las Conchas West Hike.Pat.2021-09-17 (KML)	112 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Las Conchas West Hike.Pat.2021-09-17 (GPX)	116 Downloads

If you haven’t explored these hiking tracks with Google Earth, I urge you to try it. With the virtual 3-dimensional presentation, achieved by panning and tilting the view, you can get a much better idea of the hikes and terrain than you can get from the screenshot above. For some ideas, check out Using Google Earth Track Files.

Las Conchas Trail Hike – 08/29/2021
Las Conchas-East Hike – 10/15/2020
Las Conchas Trail Hike – 09/23/2020
Las Conchas Trail Hike – 07/26/2019

References and Resources

Only in Your State: This Easy 2.2-Mile Hike …
AllTrails: Jemez East River Slot Canyon

Las Conchas Trail Hike – 08/29/2021

October 24, 2021

The start of a 3-night camping trip in the Jemez Mountains with friends Jay & Nancy. Pat & I arrived early, leaving time for a short hike along the East Fork Jemez River.

The Drive In

We reserved a campsite at the Jemez Falls Campground – US 550 west from Albuquerque to San Ysidro, then north on NM 4 through the Jemez Pueblo, the village of Jemez Springs and on through La Cueva. Then another 5.5 miles to the entrance road to the Campground. We had reserved site 28 in Loop 2, a double site and very comfortable.

The Hike

We’ve hiked here before – ’tis a lovely canyon along the East Fork Jemez River, a well used trail. Vertical walls rise above the canyon floor on both sides of the River, in some places used extensively for rock climbers (there were a half dozen climbing this day). As always (except in winter), there were flowers all along the trail making it a most pleasant, short hike.

Statistics

Total Distance: 0.86 miles
Elevation: start 8,359 ft, maximum 8,418 ft, minimum 8,355 ft
Gross gain: 63 ft. Aggregate ascending 249 ft, descending 190 ft
Maximum slope: 59% ascending, 34% descending, 6.8% average
Duration: 0:33

Las Conchas Trail Hike.Pat.2021-08-29 (KML)	234 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Las Conchas Trail Hike.Pat.2021-08-29 (GPX)	147 Downloads

If you haven’t explored these hiking tracks with Google Earth, I urge you to try it. With the virtual 3-dimensional presentation, achieved by panning and tilting the view, you can get a much better idea of the hikes and terrain than you can get from the screenshot above. For some ideas, check out Using Google Earth Track Files.

Las Conchas-East Hike – 10/15/2020
Las Conchas Trail Hike – 09/23/2020
Las Conchas Trail Hike – 07/26/2019

References and Resources

See the Related Posts above

VC02-VC0201 Trail Hike – 08/31/2021

September 9, 2021

Our 2nd day camping in our R-Pod in Jemez Falls Campground. Having been curious about the trail to the top of South Mountain in Valles Caldera, we set out to hike from the Cabin District down to the starting point for the climb up South Mountain.

The Drive In

We start this hike at the south end of the Cabin District. From NM 4, go north to the Visitor’s Center where we pick up our pass that is required to go further into the Caldera. Drop the cable barring further entry, and drive west to where the road turns north; turn left and park about 100 yards where a barrier prevents vehicle traffic from going further.

The Hike

Valles Caldera-VC02-VC0201 Trail Hike.Pat.2021-08-31

The track going southwest from parking is a well used two-track – easy going – no elevation gain for the first mile, then slight for another .2 miles. The track is along the southwest slope of South Mountain; using GPS tracks for hikes up the mountain, we found the trailhead – ready for a hike in the future.

We also noticed a sign “inviting” us to head back to parking via VC0201 – why not? We had done this on a previous hike (VC02 South Mountain Hike – 05/27/2019), so – let’s do it. Due to recent monsoon rains, the grasses and flowers were in thick and “full green”, so pleasant compared to other times of year. VC0201 is an old two track, ascending up some 400 feet, then running parallel to the topo lines. It passes through sections of healthy forest, other sections of forest that were burned back in 1987. The elevation and the openness (except for the burned trunks still standing) afforded a great view across Valles Caldera.

The tracks published by other showed a descent back to the Cabin District some 2.0 miles from the start of VC0201, running downslope parallel to La Jara creek. Reaching the creek, we didn’t see a trail in evidence, but did see blue blazes on many tree trunks. So we figured – that must be the track. With no trail, we were bushwhacking, although it was easy going since the forest was quite open – the only impediments were the many downed tree trunks.

Post hike note: we set out on VC0201 with the idea we would retrace our earlier hike. Later, checking the GPS track for that hike, I found that we had turned off of VC0201 within .25 miles of it’s starting point. We had followed what appeared to be an old two-track that had made for a shorter hike, 3.06 miles. VC0201 proved to be a quite a bit longer, more than we anticipated, but we were pleased to have done the 4.29 miles.

Statistics

Total Distance: 4.29 miles
Elevation: start 8,747 ft, maximum 9,127 ft, minimum 8,724 ft
Gross gain: 403 ft. Aggregate ascending 710 ft, descending 701 ft
Maximum slope: 23% ascending, 20% descending, 5.2% average
Duration: 2:26

Valles Caldera-VC02-VC0201 Trail Hike.Pat.2021-08-31 (KML)	66 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Valles Caldera-VC02-VC0201 Trail Hike.Pat.2021-08-31 (GPX)	189 Downloads

If you haven’t explored these hiking tracks with Google Earth, I urge you to try it. With the virtual 3-dimensional presentation, achieved by panning and tilting the view, you can get a much better idea of the hikes and terrain than you can get from the screenshot above. For some ideas, check out Using Google Earth Track Files.

VC02 South Mountain Hike – 05/27/2019

References and Resources

NPS Valles Caldera: Moderate Hikes
AllTrails: South Mountain Trail (VC 02)
Los Alamos Woods Wanderer: New South Mountain Hike

George's Photos: Click on a Photo for Gallery View.

El Cajete Canyon Trail Hike – 08/30/2021

September 9, 2021

With beautiful August weather, ‘tho hot in Albuquerque, we retreated to the Jemez Falls Campground for a couple of days to go hiking. We got the R-Pod set up in the early afternoon, leaving time to make a short hike on the Las Conchas Trail, more of a stroll in a beautiful setting (only .86 miles; see the Related Posts below for details of previous hikes on Las Conchas).

El Cajete has been on our ‘target list’ for some time, but the trails we’d found were longer than we wanted to tackle. Last week I came upon an article suggesting another, shorter path to get into El Cajete (‘bowl’ in Spanish).

The Drive In

For the Las Conchas “walkabout”, drive east on NM 4 from the entrance to the Jemez Falls Campground for 4.5 miles to the Las Conchas Trailhead. There is limited parking on the north side of the road – full when we arrived.

For the El Cajete hike, drive east on NM 4 from the entrance to the Jemez Falls Campground for .3 miles. At the bottom of the hill, where the East Fork Jemez River crosses NM 4, park alongside the road. (In spite of the No Parking signs, there are almost always cars parked here, some to collect obsidian just uphill, or to hike along the East Fork.)

The Hike

El Cajete Canyon Trail Hike.Pat.2021-08-30

Crossing the road from where we parked, we found a driveway descending very steeply from the north side of the road into a small parking area – interesting we thought, maybe for a trail that proceeded up the East Fork Jemez River. But information we for this hike directed us up onto the ridge to the left of this driveway. We saw a two-track heading up through a barbed wire gate. So, up we went, finding ourselves on a nice, -old- two track. For some distance, the track was a bit rocky and steep, but soon changed to a gently sloping smooth two-track, overgrown with grass (courtesy, we suspect, of the this year’s recent and regular monsoon rains).

The trail proceeded up El Cajete Canyon on the old two-track which remained grass covered, into and out of forested areas. With the USTopo, following a sketch track I had created from the map that I found in El Cajete Three Ways, and indications on topo charts, we were on the lookout for that two-track. It proved easy to identify at 1.9 miles into the hike.

From there it was a bit of a climb to get up on the ridge that overlooks El Cajete – 8,450 to 8,650 in half a mile. Up on the ridge the large flat meadow of El Cajete came into view. Rather than follow the two-track around, descending to the meadow itself, we “bushwhacked” down a moderately steep slope to the edge of the meadow. There we had a snack, then wandered out into El Cajete, enjoying the open space with green grasses with areas of yellow, flowering plants in their last days before dropping their seeds. And in the est end of El Cajete was a pond (‘tank’ in these parts) left over from years before the Preserve when huge herds of cattle grazed throughout Valles Caldera.

El Cajete measured up to what we anticipated – a beautiful, quiet, open space with mountains and forest all around. And the hike in, and out, was the pleasant. We’re looking forward to returning, maybe by way of one of the other approaches (there are 4 by my count: from the east via VC02, from the west across Banco Bonito, or from the west from Redondo Meadow, plus this one – El Cajete Canyon).

Statistics

Total Distance: 5.81 miles
Elevation: start 7,981 ft, maximum 8,666 ft, minimum 7,938 ft
Gross gain: 728 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,153 ft, descending 1,185 ft
Maximum slope: 31% ascending, 37% descending, 6.3% average
Duration: 5:02

El Cajete Canyon Trail Hike.Pat.2021-08-30 (KML)	82 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
El Cajete Canyon Trail Hike.Pat.2021-08-30 (GPX)	160 Downloads
Conchas Trail Hike.Pat.2021-08-29 (KML)	59 Downloads
Conchas Trail Hike.Pat.2021-08-29 (GPX)	61 Downloads

If you haven’t explored these hiking tracks with Google Earth, I urge you to try it. With the virtual 3-dimensional presentation, achieved by panning and tilting the view, you can get a much better idea of the hikes and terrain than you can get from the screenshot above. For some ideas, check out Using Google Earth Track Files.

Las Conchas Trail Hike – 09/23/2020
Las Conchas Trail Hike – 07/27/2019

References and Resources

Prime Passages: El Cajete Three Ways
NPS Valles Caldera: Moderate Hikes – El Cajete
El Cajete Loop
AllTrails: El Cajete
Wanderlusting the Jemez: Wanderlusting El Cajete
Dog of the Desert: El Cajete via Redondo Meadows

George's Photos: Click on a Photo for Gallery View.

Stargaze Point Trail Hike – 07/05/2021

September 7, 2021

This is the 6th hike on a 3+ week trip to Idaho. After camping other places, we spent 3 days in the Edna Creek Campground.

The Drive In

For this, our 2nd hike out of Edna Creek, we drove 6 miles north on Idaho 21 (Ponderosa Pine Scenic Route) towards Lowman, to the Beaver Creek Summit., parked on the west side of the road, and proceeded up the two-track on FR 394 then onto FR 551C.

The Hike

Stargaze Point Trail Hike.Pat.2021-07-05l

It was summer, it was hot; we wanted a trail at a higher elevation, hopefully cooler. So we headed uphill to the Beaver Creek Summit, to hike the Stargaze Point Trail. The “trail” is a well used two-track (“Jeep Trail” on the topo) that proceeds along a ridge, climbing steadily until reaching Stargaze Point, some 500 feet in 1.5 miles. Signs and blazes along the way made it clear this trail is popular in winter, for snowshoeing or maybe cross country skiing. The area is scrub forest due to the Lowman Fire in 1983. But the openness provided great views of the surrounding mountain ranges and valleys, despite the smoke/haze that was prevalent throughout our stay at Edna Creek.

At about 1.2 miles into the hike, we noticed a yurt, on a promontory below the ridge with a great view across the valley of the West Fork Beaver Creek and the ridges of the Boise Mountains to the south. (Later research revealed that this is the Stargaze Yurt, available for rent from the Idaho State Parks & Recreation.)

We continued down the two-track, taking a diversion to the right to climb up on Stargaze Point, the highest point around. Having only hiked 1.5 miles at this point, and curious about what lay further on, we returned to the two-track and hiked to what seemed to be the end of this ridge, with a view down into Rock Creek. Now at about 2.5 miles, we headed back up the tw0-track and took the diversion back up on Stargaze Point for our lunch, then back to parking.

Highlight

As on so many hikes in Idaho, the array of flowers continued to amaze us. ‘Tho not as lush as on the trails around Stanley, nonetheless they made the hike more interestng.

Statistics

Total Distance: 5.02 miles
Elevation: start 6,048 ft, maximum 6,679 ft, minimum 6,048 ft
Gross gain: 631 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,165 ft, descending 1,164 ft
Maximum slope: 26% ascending, 27% descending, 8.1% average
Duration: 4:14

Stargaze Point Trail Hike.Pat.2021-07-05 (KML)	91 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Stargaze Point Trail Hike.Pat.2021-07-05 (GPX)	85 Downloads

If you haven’t explored these hiking tracks with Google Earth, I urge you to try it. With the virtual 3-dimensional presentation, achieved by panning and tilting the view, you can get a much better idea of the hikes and terrain than you can get from the screenshot above. For some ideas, check out Using Google Earth Track Files.

References and Resources

AllTrails: Stargaze Point Trail via Beaver Creek Summit
Rocky Mountain Summits: Hike to Stargaze Point
It Started Outdoors: Snowshoe Stargaze Trail in Idaho City
Idaho State Parks & Recreation: Stargaze Backcountry Yurt

Pat's Photos: Click on a Photo for Gallery View.

George's Photos: Click on a Photo for Gallery View.

George's Flowers: Click on a Photo for Gallery View.

Edna Creek Ski Trails Hike – 07/03/2021

August 21, 2021

The 5th of 7 hikes during our 3+ week trip to Idaho. After camping in our R-Pod for 4 days near Stanley, we moved to the Edna Creek Campground south of Lowman for 3 days.

The Drive In

No drive in required here – the trailhead was at the boundary of the campground.

The Hike

Edna Creek Ski Trails Hike.Pat.2021-07-03

Being able to begin the hike without driving was very nice. The trail is well traveled, easy to follow with occasional blazes, we presume for cross country skiing. And there are signs with trail maps at strategic locations. From the campground, it proceeds through open forest with nice shrubs and flowers. With 1 switchback, it ascends some 250 feet to the top of a ridge, which is clean of most all plants – apparently the site of a fire sometime past. Along the way the trail picks up a 2-track, descending somewhat until a junction with other 2-tracks, adjacent to highway ID 21.

We continued around a small hill until finding ourselves again on a 2-track, well maybe more of a road considering its condition (FR 025M). Continuing thereon for 1.2 miles, the road took a downhill turn; we continued on somewhat of a ridge, finding another 2-track, until we reached an overlook, down upon the Crooked River. Here we stopped for our mid-hike break/lunch, then retraced our steps for 3/4 of a mile, then took a ‘Y’ on the road to the right and back to the junction. Here we chose to head downhill in the valley rather than retrace our track back to the campground. This was most pleasant (‘tho without a discernible trail), with green plants all around (tho’ among many dead trees).

This was a good hike, through territory new to us. ‘Tho marred by the many dead and down trees (fire and beetle kill it appeared), the views especially to the horizon were great. (Note: there are other trails starting at the Campground, most longer than this Valley Wagon Trail.

Highlight

On the way towards the overlook for our mid-hike break, we saw a yurt placed prominently on an overlook, also with a view down to the Crooked River. A bit of research: one of many available for rent from the Idaho Sate Parks, summer (fishing and hiking) and winter (skiing). It would be a great getaway.

Statistics

Total Distance: 4.3 miles
Elevation: start 5,255 ft, maximum 5,512 ft, minimum 5,384 ft
Gross gain: 128 ft. Aggregate ascending 771 ft, descending 771 ft
Maximum slope: 26% ascending, 25% descending, 6.1% average
Duration: 4:19

Edna Creek Ski Trails Hike.Pat.2021-07-03 (KML)	85 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Edna Creek Ski Trails Hike.Pat.2021-07-03 (GPX)	61 Downloads

If you haven’t explored these hiking tracks with Google Earth, I urge you to try it. With the virtual 3-dimensional presentation, achieved by panning and tilting the view, you can get a much better idea of the hikes and terrain than you can get from the screenshot above. For some ideas, check out Using Google Earth Track Files.

References and Resources

AllTrails: Valley Wagon Trail
Edna Creek – Valley Wagon to Yurt
Recreation.gov: Edna Creek Campground
Idaho Campground Review: Edna Creek Campground
Idaho State Parks: Rocky Ridge Backcountry Yurt

Pat's Photos: Click on a Photo for Gallery View.

George's Photos: Click on a Photo for Gallery View.

Lady Face Falls Trail Hike – 07/01/2021

August 15, 2021

This is our 4th hike during a 3-week trip through middle Idaho and our 3rd hike with our R-Pod set up in the Casino Creek Campground, along the Salmon River five miles east of Stanley.

The Drive In

For this hike, we traveled north from Stanley to Stanley Lake. From downtown Stanley drive north on Idaho 21 for 4,6 miles, then turn left onto Stanley Lake Rd (Forest Road 641) for 3.5 miles, passing the Stanley Lake Campground, and to a parking area to your left along the lake.

The Hike

From the parking lot, we proceeded in a southerly direction on a road seemed to be the direction to go. We proceeded off of the road onto Lakeshore Trail and onto a bridge. But … the bridge ended, overlooking a very swampy area. Near the end was a sign explaining the situation. (Click on the photo for a magnified view.)

We retraced our route, back to the parking lot and northwest on a forest road until finding -the- trailhead for Trail 640 (the GPS route from AllTrails begins here). The trail is well used, even perhaps groomed, as it passes through an open meadow then through a swampy area (with a boardwalk across an area of sometime muck). There are signs along the way for this and other trails that spin off of Lady Face Falls Trail. Ahead and to the left is McGown Peak (9,860 ft) and to the right a ridge (goes up to 8,000 ft) between which lies Stanley Creek. (This trail does continue beyond Lady Face Falls to Bridal Veil Falls, 3.6 miles.)

About 2.2 miles into the hike the trail enters a more forested area and begins to climb (up to this point the elevation gain has been minimal). For the next half mile, the trail climbs some 200 feet. The trail becomes less distinct, but working our way east towards the canyon that we could make out, and the noise of falling water, we found the overlook to Lady Face Falls. The descent to the foot of the Falls was daunting, requiring one to climb down a steep incline over large rocks/boulders – we weren’t up to that this day.

From there we worked our way upstream along the rim of the canyon, finding a nice place to have our mid-hike break/lunch. It was then back down the trail until – we came to a junction, a well worn trail that branched off to the left.Curious, we followed it to a roadway from which it branched to the left, only to find we were looking at a swampy area. But ahead we could see the bridge mentioned above; with the help of some logs we were able to remain dry, crossing to the bridge and back to the truck.

Statistics

Total Distance: 5.58 miles
Elevation: start 6,529 ft, maximum 6,805 ft, minimum 6,517 ft
Gross gain: 288 ft. Aggregate ascending 805 ft, descending 806 ft
Maximum slope: 27% ascending, 24% descending, 4.0% average
Duration: 4:32

Lady Face Falls Tail Hike.2021-07-01 (KML)	114 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Lady Face Falls Tail Hike.2021-07-01 (GPX)	65 Downloads

If you haven’t explored these hiking tracks with Google Earth, I urge you to try it. With the virtual 3-dimensional presentation, achieved by panning and tilting the view, you can get a much better idea of the hikes and terrain than you can get from the screenshot above. For some ideas, check out Using Google Earth Track Files.

Fourth of July Trail Hike – 06/29/2021
Fishhook Creek-Alpine Way Trails Hike – 06/28/2021
Lower Cedar Creek Falls Trail Hike – 06/26/2021

References and Resources

AllTrails: Lady Face Falls
Idaho Campground Review: Lady Face and Bridal Veil Falls hiking trip
Only In Your State: This Idaho Creek And Waterfall Will Be Your new Favorite Paradise
RV Life: Lady Face Falls: A Must-See On Your Next Trip To Central Idaho

Pat's Photos: Click on a Photo for Gallery View.

George's Photos: Click on a Photo for Gallery View.

George's Flowers: Click on a Photo for Gallery View.

Fourth of July Trail Hike – 06/29/2021

August 7, 2021

Our third hike during a 3-week trip through middle Idaho. The R-Pod was set up in the Casino Creek Campground, along the Salmon River five miles east of Stanley.

The Drive In

To get to the Fourth of July Trailhead, travel 15 miles south on ID 75. Turn left onto FR 209, a gravel road in good condition. The 1st couple of miles is across open scrub-brush range, then enters into Fourth of July Cañon. Continue for 10 miles from ID 75 through the cañon and along Fourth of July Creek, a quite pleasant drive. The trailhead is just off of FR 209, to the right, with ample parking and a quite informative sign board (see photos below).

The Hike

Fourth Of July Trail Hike.Pat.2021-06-29

We began our hike by signing in, then heading out on Trail 109 towards Fourth of July Lake. The trail passes through healthy forest and appears to be well used and maintained, making ambulation quite easy. And there are trail signs reaffirming we were on track.

Elevation gain was steady for about 1.6 miles until abreast of Fourth of July Lake (from 8,749 ft to 9,370 ft). After a mostly level section along the margin of the Lake, the trail ascends another 300 feet or so to a saddle (.4 miles), where there was a small pond below some snow up on a rock slope. Then a descent of some 300 feet (.4 miles) to Washington Lake.

This was a great hike on a beautiful trail, with mostly healthy forests (trees, “shrubs”, and flowers). A “clean” trail, steady slope, and great views of mountains left and right. Even some left-over snow. We met only a half dozen other hikers, tho’ this must be a very popular trail for hiking and backpacking further into the White Cloud Wilderness and surrounding general forest areas.

Statistics

Total Distance: 5.8 miles
Elevation: start 8,749 ft, maximum 9,582 ft, minimum ft
Gross gain: 833 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,184 ft, descending 1,189 ft
Maximum slope: 20% ascending, 16% descending, 7.0% average
Duration: 5:25

Fourth Of July Trail Hike.Pat.2021-06-29 (KML)	80 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Fourth Of July Trail Hike.Pat.2021-06-29 (GPX)	62 Downloads

If you haven’t explored these hiking tracks with Google Earth, I urge you to try it. With the virtual 3-dimensional presentation, achieved by panning and tilting the view, you can get a much better idea of the hikes and terrain than you can get from the screenshot above. For some ideas, check out Using Google Earth Track Files.

Fishhook Creek-Alpine Way Trails Hike – 06/28/2021
Lower Cedar Creek Falls Trail Hike – 06/26/2021

References and Resources

AllTrails: Fourth of July Lake Trail
Washington Lake via White Clouds Trail
Idaho Campground Review: Hiking to Fourth of July Lake And Washington Lakes
Stanley CC: A Backpacker’s Dream: Whitecloud Wilderness Loop
Visit Idaho: 4 Must-Do Hikes Near Stanley

[George's Photos: Click on a Photo for Gallery View.

George's Flower Photos: Click on a Photo for Gallery View.

Fishhook Creek-Alpine Way Trails Hike – 06/28/2021

July 27, 2021

This is our 2nd hike on our trip to Idaho, and during our first day with the R-Pod set up in the Casino Creek Campground, along the Salmon River five miles east of Stanley.

The Drive In

I had done much research on hiking trails around Stanley – there were so many choices that it was hard to pick one, especially that we were new to the area. We started the day intending to hike the Fishhook Creek Trail, 4.5 miles with little elevation gain – an easy day. The trailhead is near a parking lot on the drive into the Redfish Lake Lodge (this is about 5 miles south of Stanley; 3 miles on US on Idaho 22 to the turnoff to Redfish Lake, then a couple of miles on the road towards Redfish Lodge).

The Hike

Fishhook Creek-Alpine Way Trails Hike.Pat.2021-06-28

From the parking lot, we followed the signs pointing us across the Lodge Road to where we found the trailhead. The start of the hike was on a well groomed trail, almost a two-track, skirting an pretty aspen grove. The trail continued through open forest but with much dead-fall. I guess we began to think this trail would be too easy because, coming upon a trail going off to the right (and uphill), we changed our course and continued on the Alpine Way trail towards Marshall Lake. (The extensive research paid off – I had imported into USTopo on my phone/GPS most of the trails that I thought we might find interesting. Alpine Way was included so the change in plan went smoothly.)

Up to that point we had gained some 150 ft elevation. But heading up Alpine Way we ascended 450 feet to the top of a ridge and continued climbing from there to our turn-around point. Along the way we had amazing views of the central portion of the Sawtooth Mountains, and could easily see how they came by that name. The trail remained well used, easy hiking.

We continued on Alpine Way, at one point entering the Sawtooth Wilderness Area (and signing in). We are most comfortable when our hikes are under 6 miles, so at 2.7 miles, we paused to enjoy our traditional mid-hike break (ramen, carrots, PB&J) and returned to the trailhead.

Highlights

Our surroundings were so very green. Clearly there is sufficient sources of water to support lush growth of trees, shrubs, and … flowers. This is such a contrast to New Mexico. Some of the flowers we see in New Mexico, but there were others that were new to us. And even the trees were so healthy, and some unfamiliar to us. Check our Flower Photos below for a sampling of what we have seen.

Statistics

Total Distance: 5.29 miles
Elevation: start 6,563 ft, maximum 7,524 ft, minimum 6,563 ft
Gross gain: 961 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,076 ft, descending 1,087 ft
Maximum slope: 30% ascending, 37% descending, 7.2% average
Duration: 5:11