Two ways to visit Perjue Canyon-Shoofly Creek in the Owyhee Canyonlands

Cool rock outcropping at the saddle on the way over to Perjue Canyon. 

Hi all, 

This spring-like weather we're enjoying this week will be temporary, but we have turned the page into March, and that means it's time to think about exploring the Owyhee Canyonlands. 

At this time of year, it's best to look at outdoor adventures in the lower elevations of the Owyhees to find trails that are drying out in the sunshine and wind, while the upper country is still wet and/or snowbound. 

One of my favorite early spring go-to hikes in the Owyhees is the Shoofly Creek area near Grand View. I had a free afternoon on Tuesday, and I thought I'd try out the BLM trail that goes over to the West Fork of Shoofly Creek aka Perjue Canyon, accessed from Mud Flat Road, aka the Owyhee Canyonlands Scenic Backcountry Byway. 

When I first put together my Owyhee Canyonlands guidebook 10 years ago (can't believe it's been that long!), I pioneered a different route into Perjue Canyon called the Shoofly Quick Loop. That route covers 5.5 miles. It provides more of a loop experience with some cross-country hiking, while the BLM trail is an out-and-back experience, 2 miles each way or 4 miles total. Both of them work. Shoofly Quick Loop requires more cross-country travel, steeper climbing and descending, and backcountry navigation skills. 

The weather forecast for Grand View this weekend looks pretty promising with temperatures in the low 60s, partly cloudy skies and relatively light winds. Temps should be in the 50s next week.   

Approaching the little cabin, Perjue Canyon and W. Fork Shoofly Creek. 

How to get there: If you're coming from Boise, take I-84 east to Simco Road. Turn right on Simco and drive across the desert toward Grand View. You'll come to a stop sign, turn right on ID 167 and go to Grand View. Pick up any last-minute supplies at the gas station at the T-junction. Go left at that junction, and then turn right at the signed turnoff for Mud Flat Road. 

It's 18 miles ahead to the primitive 2-track leading to the Shoofly Quick Loop trailhead. The BLM trailhead is straight ahead a few miles past that point. 

Stop at the Oolite Interpretive area along the way or on your way back. This is a great spot and teachable moment for kids and adults about the ancient Lake Idaho that once covered Southwest Idaho some 10 million years ago. There are some cool blond rock formations from lakeshore sands that bound together to form small caverns and caves. There's a BLM public parking area and hiking trail over to the sandstone formations. Definitely worth the stop to explore that place. 

BLM interpretive sign provides an excellent description of the Oolite formation. 

Continue south on Mud Flat Road and head for the Owyhee Front to reach the BLM trailhead for Perjue Canyon and Shoofly Creek. You'll pass by the Poison Creek picnic area. Watch for a pullout spot on the left side of the road in about a mile after the picnic area. The trailhead is not well-marked. There's a green step-over by a BLM road-closed sign for hikers. 

You'll follow a two-track trail for about two miles over to Perjue Canyon, named for a pioneer named Frank Perjue whose family lived in the Bruneau area. The tiny little cabin by the canyon was used as a cow camp. The spelling on the sign out by the BLM trail is spelled Purjue, but the book "Idaho Place Names" spells it with an "e". Oh well, this wouldn't be the first time that happened in Idaho ... 

It's a slight uphill walk for the first mile to a broad saddle, where there's a neat rock formation and a fence line for a grazing allotment to the north of the two-track. One could do a side hike to the top of the butte to the north, if desired, at this point. 

Continue on the two-track and you'll drop into Perjue Canyon. You'll see the tiny cabin and a trail fork where you could cross the creek and climb up on the "Between the Creeks" plateau that separates the two forks of Shoofly Creek. This is a cool side trip that provides a great view in the Little Jacks Wilderness. I describe a more complete trip for doing a major loop on the "Between the Creeks" plateau in my Owyhee guide, accessing that area from the Shoofly Cutoff Road. That is a full day trip by itself with an 8-mile loop on top of the plateau.   

For this trip, ignore the fork for the cross-country climb to the plateau, and walk along Perjue Canyon for a little bit, the trail crosses the creek (dog water!) and then goes downstream. There's a lot of brush in the canyon to navigate, so since it's an out-and-back hike, you can decide how far you want to go. The trail on the other side of the creek was quite muddy on Tuesday, so I turned around at that point and retraced my tracks to Mud Flat Road. 

Note that as spring progresses, there will be more wildflowers to see in this area in May and June. 

If you want to do the Shoofly Quick Loop, click on the link to see a map and photos. 

Depending on the day, you might see mule deer or antelope roaming in the Shoofly Creek area. You might even get lucky and see some California desert bighorn sheep or flush some sage grouse! I was thrilled to see a pair of mountain bluebirds paired up on my hike near the saddle area. The males have a brilliant blue color enhanced by the sunshine.

Inside Perjue Canyon

The BLM trail was a bit soft in places on Tuesday (anyplace where the trail is shaded from the sun) so I wore my Muck boots on the hike, and that was a good call. Things will dry out there as the trail gets more sun. But in the spring, it can be wet or dry, depending on how recently it has rained, so use your best judgment on that. 

Be sure to pack a lunch or snacks for your outing. It took me about 2 hours to do the 4-mile hike, out and back, while stopping for snacks and taking lots of pictures. According to my GPS, the hike featured about 528 vertical feet of climbing/descending.  

Talk about social distancing, I did not see a single person out there on the BLM trail on Tuesday, and there was one vehicle parked at the Oolite interpretive area. So mid-week is ideal to get the Private Idaho experience. 

GPS tracks from my hike over to Shoofly Creek

Pick up a copy of my Owyhee Canyonlands guide if you'd like to explore 55 hikes and bike rides in the Owyhees. The book is available on my web site, Amazon, or at Boise outdoor stores like Idaho Mountain Touring or Boise REI, or Rediscovered Books. 

I'd like to give thanks to Boise REI, the Idaho Trails Association and David Draheim, BLM outdoor recreation planner, for their work on establishing and improving the BLM trail over to Perjue Canyon.  

Have fun! 

- SS 

Hiking tour of "Between the Creeks" in the Owyhees a great trip for families and kids

Robin Bjork has her field glasses ready to view wildlife 

Amy Haak's dog Pearl dutifully poses for a photo op; West Fork Shoofly in the background

Indian paintbrush 

Dropping into the East Fork of Shoofly Creek ... pretty easy going 

Springtime is the best time for this hike 

Hiking on our way out on the two-track road 

Final approach to the plateau

White splotch on rock indicates perching area by birds of prey

Climbing up to the plateau from the junction of the west fork and east fork

Aerial view of the plateau between the creeks 

Hi all,

This weekend is going to be perfect for taking a hike in the Owyhee Canyonlands. One of my favorite outings is an area called "Between the Creeks," a high plateau full of thrifty buchgrasses and wildflowers near Grand View, Idaho. This area is part of the new Owyhee Canyonlands Wilderness, and it's one of the easiest to access about an hour or so from Boise.

The plateau lies in between the West Fork of Shoofly Creek and the East Fork of Shoofly Creek. Both of them are scenic slot canyons, which you can explore while you're there, or just peer into them from above, your choice. While you're hiking on the edge of the canyons, you'll see white-splotched bird perches everywhere. Look for prairie falcons, hawks, gold eagles, pronghorn antelope and bighorn sheep. Be sure to bring a lunch and plenty of water to enjoy your day trip.
 
Like many trips in the Owyhees, the hardest part is finding the proper roads to reach the trailhead. And as part of the ongoing series of sneak-peek hikes and bike rides I've shared in my blog while we work on a guidebook for the Owyhee Canyonlands, I will tell you how to get there! The roads to this particular trailhead are not gnarly just a bit soft and lumpy... a Subaru or a vehicle with medium-clearance will work.

How to reach the trailhead: From Boise, take I-84 east to the Simco Road exit. Turn right on Simco Road and follow that to ID 167. Turn right and proceed to Grand View. In Grand View, fill up on any last-minute supplies and head east on ID 78. Watch for a major right-hand turn on Mud Flat Road. Note your mileage as you turn onto Mud Flat. Proceed 7.6 miles to the signed turnoff for Shoofly Cutoff Road. Turn left. Proceed 2.6 miles to an un-named dirt road on the right. Turn right on the dirt road and proceed south toward the Owyhee foothills. It's 9.7 miles to a BLM kiosk and parking area. Ignore side roads and stay on the main road heading for the hills. At the BLM kiosk, park if you have a low-clearance AWD. With a high-clearance 4WD, you can proceed another mile or so and park in a pull-out on the left or right. The road gets increasingly marginal from there.

The red lines are our GPS tracks from the hike. 8.1 miles total loop. Click to enlarge. 

Now the fun begins! I'm including mileage points on the hike, if you are carrying a GPS. Hike upstream along Shoofly Creek on the grassy two-track route to an old cabin at the junction of the east and west forks (Mile .9). Climb over a fence next to the west fork and climb the ridge on an old road bed toward the plateau. Follow the old road cut on a switchback to the top (Mile 1.55). Now you'll feel like you're on top of the world, with grand views of the countryside all around you.

Follow the rim along the West Fork and hike several miles to a high point. Pick your own route as you wish. I like to go back and forth to the rim to enjoy the views. At mile 3.8, you'll come to the top of a big hump that affords a sweet view of Perjue Canyon below. This was our half-way point and lunch stop. From there, we crossed the plateau over to the East Fork and walked that rim. The East Fork canyon is pretty but not as dramatic as the West Fork. Continue on the rim to mile 5.8, where there is a cut in the canyon where you can drop into the East Fork of Shoofly Creek. The walking is best in the crotch of the canyon. At mile 6.5, you'll arrive at the bottom of the East Fork. Walk downstream along the creek to the confluence (mile 7.2) by the cabin. Retrace your tracks to your vehicle (final mileage 8.1 miles). 

It also is nice to bring a plant or flower guide with you on this trip. I wrote about a super-cool new plant guide two weeks ago ... here's the link. 

For other explorations in the Owyhee Canyonlands, check out other blog entries in Stueby's Outdoor Journal, check out the BLM web site or read a comprehensive report from the Idaho Statesman about some hikes in the Owyhees from Thursday's outdoor page.  

BTW, John Robison of the Idaho Conservation League will be giving a presentation on introductory hikes in the Owyhee Canyonlands at 7 p.m. on May 22 at Boise REI. Go online or call 322-1141 to sign up. 

Some other pointers: 

• Obtain a BLM map of the area you are visiting for the best results or print out a topo map. 
• Avoid the Owyhees when it's rainy or wet. The roads can turn into quicksand. 
• I always feel more comfortable when traveling with another group to remote locations in case one of the vehicles breaks down. 
• When the weather gets hot, watch out for rattlesnakes. If you see one, walk around it, give it a wide berth, and you'll be fine. Don't try to mess with snakes. That's how most people get bit. 

Have fun! 

- SS