TR: Canyon Creek Lakes, Trinity Alps
Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2016 10:00 pm
I'm starting out small with my trip reports, posting a simple overnight trip to the Canyon Creek Lakes and Boulder Creek Lakes in the Trinity Alps. I believe the total distance, including the side trip to Boulder Creek Lakes is around 20 miles. It's probably the most popular hike in the Trinities. definitely a place best visited on a week day. Though solitude can be found at El Lake located off trail from Upper Canyon Creek Lake. As with all of my hikes (except for PCT and JMT), I used Cal Topo for customized maps based on USGS quads.
Despite the normal snow fall this past winter, I was able to get out on a very popular trail in the Trinities up to the Canyon Creek Lakes on my birthday at the end of May. The hike in was a pleasant 7.8 miles to the first creek crossing below Lower Canyon Creek Lake. With the recent warm temperatures and the snow covering the surrounding mountains, Canyon Creek was running higher than I would like. It was much too deep to ford at this point, so I used a log and some rock hopping to get across. I knew that I would not be able to come back the same way as the jump from the log over to the rock was doable but the jump from the rock onto the log would not be.
The trail continued on to the outlet from Upper Canyon Creek Lake where I was able to ford across to the other side with the ice cold water “only” reaching the top of my thighs. The final stretch of trail to the campsite I had spied from the bottom of the lake involved bushwacking along some game trails. Once I arrived though, I settled into a wonderful evening enjoying the majestic granite that surrounded the lake and the stars that came out after sunset.
The following morning I repeated the previous afternoon’s procedures back to the crossing below the Lower Lake outlet. Here, I began searching for a spot to wade across the creek but there seemed to be nothing but whitewater, small falls and deep holes (well over 6 feet deep in most cases). I finally settled on a log that would only take me about half way across the creek in the other direction but far enough for me to wade the remaining distance to shore. This log was much smaller than the prior day’s log at less than 12 inches in diameter. As I worked my way slowly out, keeping my balance so as not to fall into about 8 feet of fast flowing water, I noticed my knees started to wobble. I tried my best to calm down and continue, but it was no good. Then I looked along the log back the way I had come and saw that it wasn’t my knees so much as the log itself that was flexing in the stream. While that made me feel a little better about myself, it really did nothing to improve my situation in any concrete way. I eventually made it across safe and sound (obviously, or I wouldn’t be posting this), but that was easily my most nerve wracking stream crossing ever.
I continued down the trail, meeting several people coming in for the Memorial Day weekend, including a pair of guys with climbing equipment who were planning to climb the north buttress (I believe) of Sawtooth Mountain. At the trail junction to Boulder Creek Lakes I decided to take the short 6 mile roundtrip up to what were supposed to be views even more impressive than the snow shrouded granite walls along Canyon Creek. I was not disappointed. Once the trail broke through the forest and began climbing along the exposed granite of Boulder Creek Canyon, I had views of waterfalls cascading over granite buttresses and tumbling down the walls of Boulder Creek Canyon as well as the walls rising above Canyon Creek in the distance behind me. I made it to the main Boulder Creek Lake, where three people were still camped from the night before, and enjoyed lunch on a warm slab of granite enjoying the views. With snow right down to the lake shore in places, I decided simply dunking my legs in the icy water and briefly rinsing myself off was sufficient exposure to the clear waters of Boulder Creek Lake.
On the way back down to the Canyon Creek Trail, I met 12 more hikers headed up to Boulder Creek Lake hoping to camp for the weekend. I also met two seasoned hikers going up to Boulder Creek Lake for the day. The guy was 83 and still backpacking the Trinity Alps. He had taken a little bit of a tumble the day before and had some scratches on his forehead to show for it, but was in great spirits and a pleasure to talk with. I can only hope that I will make it to that age, least of all still backpacking. The return trip was largely uneventful though far from solitary. I quit counting the number of people hiking less than an hour after I reached Canyon Creek Trail. There were easily over 60 people hiking into the Canyon Creek and Boulder Creek drainages which had legitimate camping sites for maybe 40. The granite had reminded me of the JMT, and now the crowded trail was reminding me even more of the JMT. I was happy to be exiting. I plan to return in May/June 2017 and hike up to the Boulder Creek Lakes again as well as some off trail hiking up to the Forbidden Lakes (hard to resist visiting lakes with a name like that).
Despite the normal snow fall this past winter, I was able to get out on a very popular trail in the Trinities up to the Canyon Creek Lakes on my birthday at the end of May. The hike in was a pleasant 7.8 miles to the first creek crossing below Lower Canyon Creek Lake. With the recent warm temperatures and the snow covering the surrounding mountains, Canyon Creek was running higher than I would like. It was much too deep to ford at this point, so I used a log and some rock hopping to get across. I knew that I would not be able to come back the same way as the jump from the log over to the rock was doable but the jump from the rock onto the log would not be.
The trail continued on to the outlet from Upper Canyon Creek Lake where I was able to ford across to the other side with the ice cold water “only” reaching the top of my thighs. The final stretch of trail to the campsite I had spied from the bottom of the lake involved bushwacking along some game trails. Once I arrived though, I settled into a wonderful evening enjoying the majestic granite that surrounded the lake and the stars that came out after sunset.
The following morning I repeated the previous afternoon’s procedures back to the crossing below the Lower Lake outlet. Here, I began searching for a spot to wade across the creek but there seemed to be nothing but whitewater, small falls and deep holes (well over 6 feet deep in most cases). I finally settled on a log that would only take me about half way across the creek in the other direction but far enough for me to wade the remaining distance to shore. This log was much smaller than the prior day’s log at less than 12 inches in diameter. As I worked my way slowly out, keeping my balance so as not to fall into about 8 feet of fast flowing water, I noticed my knees started to wobble. I tried my best to calm down and continue, but it was no good. Then I looked along the log back the way I had come and saw that it wasn’t my knees so much as the log itself that was flexing in the stream. While that made me feel a little better about myself, it really did nothing to improve my situation in any concrete way. I eventually made it across safe and sound (obviously, or I wouldn’t be posting this), but that was easily my most nerve wracking stream crossing ever.
I continued down the trail, meeting several people coming in for the Memorial Day weekend, including a pair of guys with climbing equipment who were planning to climb the north buttress (I believe) of Sawtooth Mountain. At the trail junction to Boulder Creek Lakes I decided to take the short 6 mile roundtrip up to what were supposed to be views even more impressive than the snow shrouded granite walls along Canyon Creek. I was not disappointed. Once the trail broke through the forest and began climbing along the exposed granite of Boulder Creek Canyon, I had views of waterfalls cascading over granite buttresses and tumbling down the walls of Boulder Creek Canyon as well as the walls rising above Canyon Creek in the distance behind me. I made it to the main Boulder Creek Lake, where three people were still camped from the night before, and enjoyed lunch on a warm slab of granite enjoying the views. With snow right down to the lake shore in places, I decided simply dunking my legs in the icy water and briefly rinsing myself off was sufficient exposure to the clear waters of Boulder Creek Lake.
On the way back down to the Canyon Creek Trail, I met 12 more hikers headed up to Boulder Creek Lake hoping to camp for the weekend. I also met two seasoned hikers going up to Boulder Creek Lake for the day. The guy was 83 and still backpacking the Trinity Alps. He had taken a little bit of a tumble the day before and had some scratches on his forehead to show for it, but was in great spirits and a pleasure to talk with. I can only hope that I will make it to that age, least of all still backpacking. The return trip was largely uneventful though far from solitary. I quit counting the number of people hiking less than an hour after I reached Canyon Creek Trail. There were easily over 60 people hiking into the Canyon Creek and Boulder Creek drainages which had legitimate camping sites for maybe 40. The granite had reminded me of the JMT, and now the crowded trail was reminding me even more of the JMT. I was happy to be exiting. I plan to return in May/June 2017 and hike up to the Boulder Creek Lakes again as well as some off trail hiking up to the Forbidden Lakes (hard to resist visiting lakes with a name like that).