Spring has sprung in the Owyhees! Exploring Sage Creek a good bet for the weekend

Our kids mess around in the rocks above the draw ... 

Hiking into Sage Creek from the trailhead.

One of many caves you'll see in there.

Balanced-rock features are everywhere in the middle of the canyon.

Hi all,

The slighter warmer, spring-like weather has been excellent for hiking, running and biking in the Boise Foothills. People are loving it, and they're out there in big numbers! And for good reason, spring is a perfect time to get out hiking, biking and running! March-June also is the perfect window of opportunity to explore the Owyhee Canyonlands before it gets blazing hot in July and the rattlesnakes emerge.

This week, I'd like to feature a couple of cool hikes in the Owyhees in the Sage Creek area, near Succor Creek State Park. Sage Creek is featured in our new guidebook, the Owyhee Canyonlands: An Outdoor Adventure Guide. It's a low-elevation destination, with tons of unusual and colorful volcanic rock and ash formations, and it's a kid-friendly and family friendly hike.

This is what I said in the book: "Sage Creek is a hidden jewel chock full of spectacular volcanic rock and ash formations in the creek-bottom and on the mountainsides as you hike along the creek ... One of the key highlights in Sage Creek is that you'll encounter multiple balanced rock features, some of them obvious phallic-type symbols, as well as spires, cliffs, fins and caves."

My son, Drew, loved the hike. 

Our guide features a 2.5-mile exploration out-and-back hike, cruising up the bottom of Sage Creek (rated easy for all abilities), and a 6-mile hike up to the top of McIntyre Ridge from Sage Creek (rated moderate to strenuous), with nearly 2,000 feet of climbing. Both of them are great!

How to get there: Take I-84 to the ID 55 exit in Nampa, heading west toward Marsing. Go west on ID 55 and  and Turn right on Chicken Dinner Road, then left on Homedale Road, and go to Homedale. Follow State Highway 19 west of Homedale, and then Highway 201 in Oregon, to a signed turnoff for Succor Creek State Park on the left. Head south on the dirt road. It's 12.1 miles to the unsigned right-hand turnoff  for the Sage Creek Trailhead. There is a lone scrubby cottonwood tree at the turnoff. Follow the primitive two-track road over several creek-crossings to the trailhead .9 miles from the Succor Creek Road.   

Nice rhyolite cliffs with Wendy in the foreground. 

Road access challenge: 4WD high-clearance vehicle is required to reach the trailhead; multiple creek crossings are involved. It's possible, however, to take a 2WD vehicle to the Sage Creek road junction, and hike from there. Add .9 miles to the trip if you start from Succor Creek Road. 

Hike #1 - 2.5-miles out and back
Cruise up the creek-bottom of Sage Creek, picking your way up the draw as you like. Hike at least a mile upstream to see the balanced rock features on the mountainsides above the draw as well as many other interesting rock formations. The volcanic ash flows in the area have turned different shades of white, orange and green over time. These formations are very erosive ... you can scratch the ash with your fingernails. Wear shoes that can get wet ... I doubt there's much water in the creek-bottom, but you will encounter some pools along the way.   

Hiking down-canyon back to the trailhead.

Hike #2 - 6-mile loop

From the end of the road, hike up-canyon and cross the creek to the left side. At mile .2, climb up the left-hand draw. It's a super-cool hike through many rock formations as you ascend the draw. It's about 2 miles to the top of the saddle near McIntyre Ridge. Climb to the top of McIntyre Ridge if you'd like. This area overlooks Succor Creek State Park to the east and Three Fingers Rock and many other features to the west. On the way down, descend the ridge to the left of the draw you climbed up, and enjoy a cool hike down into the draw. You'll pass by the "official" balanced rock on your way into the draw. Turn right at the bottom of the draw, and hike back to the trailhead.

Family pic in Sage Creek. November 2012. Kind of rare to get our 4 kids together for a family hike!
L-R, Drew, Tom with our pointer Huck, Wendy, Elena, Quinn, Steve 

Camping notes: You could camp in the bottom of Sage Creek. Quiet spot. Self-support camping. You also could camp at Succor Creek State Park, which has a public rest room, very close by, but that will be much more crowded. If you'd like to explore some other areas, Succor Creek Road connects to Leslie Gulch, Three Fingers Rock and many other areas worth checking out in our guidebook. 

If you're looking for ideas about what to do over Spring Break next week, check out my blog from last year with many ideas for recreation and camping close to home. 

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