Jim Giuffre, foreground, Steve Schneider and Doug Lawrence just finishing the China Ditch Trail ... |
Sheep Creek Canyon cuts through old rhyolite lava rock |
Stopping to enjoy the grandeur of Reynolds Creek canyon. |
The forecasts are predicting that we'll get a break from the rain this weekend, and next week the temperatures might hit 70 degrees F! OMG! Time to head out for a spring hike or bike ride in the Owyhees! Maybe take your camping gear and stay overnight?
I just completed a 3rd printing of The Owyhee Canyonlands - An Outdoor Adventure Guide, so I've got plenty of books on hand if you haven't purchased your copy yet. The books are available on my web site, stevestuebner.com, Boise REI, Idaho Mountain Touring, Owyhee County Museum gift shop in Murphy, and Amazon.
For this week's outdoor tip, I'll dish up two hikes and one mountain bike ride in the Owyhees.
John Wheaton, Amy Haak, Wendy and me on a winter ride on Bingo's Trail. |
First, the bike ride - the Wilson Creek - Northwest Passage Loop. Distance: 16.25 miles; travel time: 3.5-4 hours; vertical gain: 2,075 feet. Rated strenuous. Mountain bikers love this ride. It's almost all singletrack with a couple of short sections of two-track road. The Soda fire did a number on Reynolds Creek canyon, which some people feel has diminished the scenery. But I still think it's a great ride.
Now, the hikes:
1. Wilson Creek-Reynolds Creek Loop - Distance 7.4 miles; travel time: 3.5 hours; vertical gain: 750 feet; Rated moderate to stenuous ... mostly moderate. This is a shorter version of the Northwest Passage loop. Getting there: From downtown Boise , take I-184 west to Nampa . Take the Franklin Road exit
(City Center )
in Nampa , and
turn left. Follow Franklin
to the intersection with 11th
Street . Turn right and take 11th into
downtown Nampa .
Follow signs for Idaho
45 south. Take ID 45 to Walters Ferry at the Snake River
and turn right on ID 78, heading for Marsing. In a couple miles, turn left on Wilson Creek Road .
Proceed up the paved road, past the cattle feedlot, until it turns to dirt and pull into a dirt parking
area on the left, the trailhead for Trail #300. The hike starts here.
This is a great hike (good for trail-running, too) in the
foothills of the Owyhee Mountains , about 45 minutes from Boise . The trail weaves through rock
formations on the way over to Reynolds Creek, and then you hike the China Ditch trail along Reynolds Creek. The red rock canyon is
spectacular. Bring your camera, plenty of water and a lunch. Even though the
route is 7+ miles, the elevation gain is pretty minimal, so the hike may be
suitable for kids 8 and over. My kids enjoyed the hike, especially throwing
rocks into the creek.
Quinn hangs out on a big rock |
Directions: To begin,
pick up Trail #300 out of the parking lot. Ignore trails branching off to the
left in the first mile. At mile .9, you’ll cross a road and continue on the
singletrack trail. The trail climbs one last hill and then widens into a
two-track and descends to a T-junction at a dirt road (mile 1.8). Go right for
a short bit, and turn left on Trail #410, a sandy wash going downhill towards
Reynolds Creek. At mile 2.3, go right on Trail #310 and proceed for a half mile
to a junction with Trail #600, the China “Ditch” trail. Go right and walk
upstream along Reynolds Creek canyon for a long mile. After walking next
to vertical rock walls, the trail opens up on the right at the junction with
Trail #510, #601 and #610. Go right on #510 and climb out of the canyon. At
mile 4, bear right at a Y junction on #510 and stay on #510 to BLM dirt road #37154.
Go right and follow the road to the junction with Trail #400. Go left on #400
at mile 5.28 and head back to the trailhead. At the top of the first hill, you
can either stay on Trail #400 or branch off on #300. Both ways head over to the
Wilson Creek Road and the trailhead.
Sheep Creek canyon is deep! |
2. Mary's Creek to Sheep Creek Canyon - Distance: 8.75 miles; travel time: 4-5 hours; Vertical gain: 1,389 feet; Rated moderate to strenuous. This is a neat hike that takes you over to the deep incised canyon of Sheep Creek, where it's possible to camp by the creek or certainly stop and have lunch there before you head back. Mary's Creek also lies inside a BLM wilderness area, so this is a hiking-only experience.
Road access: Easy, any kind of 2WD vehicle will work to reach this trailhead.
Getting there: From
Boise, take I-84 east to Mountain Home. Take the first exit to downtown
Mountain Home. Proceed through town and watch for Idaho 51 to Bruneau. Turn
left on Idaho 51 and go to Bruneau. Pick up any last-minute snacks/beverages
and head south on Idaho 51. Check your odometer when you leave Bruneau. It's about
40 miles from Bruneau to the signed turnoff for Roland Road on the left, just
past the old bar and junk yard in Grasmere. Go left on Roland Road, and take
that good-quality gravel road 5.2 miles to the signed Mary's Creek Wilderness
Trailhead. The hike starts here.
General remarks: Mary's
Creek is one of the more easy-to-access trailheads in the Sheep Creek/Bruneau
Wilderness area. It's a scenic basalt canyon that drains into the much-deeper
and spectacular box canyon of Sheep Creek. It's possible to do either a day
trip here, or take a backpack and camp overnight at the Mary's Creek/Sheep
Creek confluence, do some exploring and enjoy some quiet peace of mind. The day
hike features a cross-country walk along the edge of Mary's Creek canyon for 3+
miles to the edge of the canyon rim. Then, there's a nice little singletrack
hiking trail, called the Tindall Trail, that drops down to the confluence area,
where there are several areas large enough for a campsite. We returned to the
Mary's Creek Trailhead via a rough and rocky two-track road, just to make the
walking a little easier. The two-track is drivable with a high-clearance 4WD
rig, outside the wilderness boundary, if you want to drive directly to the
canyon rim. I'd recommend this hike for kids who are 8-10 years old and up.
Directions: To
start, hike through the sagebrush along the left side of Mary's Creek canyon.
It will get considerably deeper as you approach Sheep Creek canyon. At mile
3.6, you'll arrive at the canyon rim, where you'll see a singletrack trail
winding through the rocks down to the Mary's Creek/Sheep Creek confluence. It's
.7 miles and 520 feet of descent from the rim to the confluence. Great spot for
lunch or overnight camping. Retrace your steps to the canyon rim, and take the
two-track road back to the trailhead. Final mileage is 8.75 miles.
Have fun! Hoping for sunshine all weekend!
- SS
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