TR: Cherry Creek Loop 4th of July 2023

[karstn]

I've heard many good things about Cherry Creek Canyon, about its impressive granite scenery, rushing creeks and waterfalls, the solitude, but also about difficult route finding and annoying bushwhacking. Time to check it out myself. On a reconnaissance mission with a friend in mid June we verified that there is some truth to the bushwhacking aspect. It took us nearly three hours to reach the open granite. In those three hours, we fought with manzanita, whitethorn and other brush, and we both destroyed our pants. We also verified that the routes on open granite can be steep at times, and if you're not comfortable walking on steep slopes with some exposure, you might find yourself stuck in a place with no way up or down. On that mission, we made it to the third pool, right before the crux of the route. Both of us were mesmerized by the beauty of the landscape, the many rushing creeks and waterfalls and the abundance of wildflowers, some of them covering huge portions of moist patches when the slopes were more gentle, others growing in little cracks in the steep granite. We also enjoyed swimming in the cold waters of Cherry Creek (where it slowed down to form pools) and even more in the warm waters of some ponds that were cut off from the Creek. The first night, we saw a bear navigating the slopes of the canyon on the other side of the creek with such nimble grace, we were in awe and envy. However, I felt there was a split judgement about whether those benefits justified tearing up pants and swearing about barely penetrable brush for hours on the way in and on the way out.

Over the 4th of July weekend, I returned solo. With the knowledge from the previous mission, I found a better way through the brush, so my pants stayed in one piece. But it was still a solid 90 minutes before I reached the open granite. Another 2.5 h later I reached the turnaround point from the first trip. The waters in the pool were as cold as two weeks prior - really painful to get in. The next morning, I tackled the crux. About 45 minutes later, I found myself high on the other side of the third pool. 45 min to cover almost no distance sounds pretty bad, but I knew I had the crux behind me, so I felt good. It was a mix of scrambling and bushwhacking and climbing over some branches. With a big pack, it might be quite annoying. After the crux, I looked up the steep slopes towards Lookout Point. I had read that some folks have used this as an entry or exit route, but I could not see an obvious route up. It looked pretty steep and bushwhacky to me. Down in the valley, from there on, the route became easier, but still had a few scrambling sections mixed in between plenty of open granite sections and a few forested sections. Even though there's less water in the creek up here compared to further down (below the confluence with the West Fork), I found the waterfalls more impressive up here. Looking at them, I could not believe how people are kayaking down those rapids. One of the falls went 20 feet or so down, only to go right against a vertical rock face, which would splash the water right back up almost to the same level it just came from. I imagined what that would do to my kayak...
I passed the narrowest section of the canyon high up on the left side to avoid the steep granite slopes. After some minor scrambling, I rejoined Cherry Creek where a creek from around Mercur Peak comes down. The valley floor is pretty steep and rocky here, with limited campsites. I found a beautiful site on a ledge above, far enough from the roar of the creek, for a good night's sleep.
The next morning, I hiked up the drainage to the lakes below Mercur Peak. To my surprise, this part was quite easy, as long as I chose the route carefully. I was also surprised by the lack of snow. The most recent satellite image before my departure showed the lakes completely covered in ice and snow. However, I found a beautiful mix of open water, icebergs and ice cover. Nothing better than sliding down a snowy slope for a big splash into a refreshing lake! The plateau below Styx Pass was partially covered in snow, but soon the trail became apparent and after a mile or so of mixed snow and granite, it was easy cruising. The first trail miles of the trip on day three - that's the recipe for a great adventure! At the Lookout Point, I sat on that rocky ledge overlooking Cherry Creek Canyon for an hour, tracing my way through that granite wonderland that laid below me, rehashing those memories while they were still fresh.
Side note: I did not see another human in Cherry Creek. I saw a group of three near Mercur Peak and a couple on the Kibbie Ridge trail.

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[Wandering Daisy]

Looks great! I am a bit confused, though. Did you cross Cherry Creek? Or stay on the Lord Meadow side, and if so, how close were you to Huckleberry Lake? And when you refer to "first", "second", "thrid" pool is that upstream or downstream?

[karstn]

Good question. I should have mentioned, I started at the Shingle Springs Trailhead. I'm not sure what these pools are called, but they are fairly obvious from the route. I ordered them in the order I encountered them, i.e. the first is the closest to Cherry Lake.
I did not cross Cherry Creek, and I would say it's impossible with the current flow. Maybe possible further upstream. I left Cherry Creek Canyon before Mercur Peak, then hit the Kibbie Ridge trail a mile SW of Styx Pass. Have you been to Huckleberry Lake this year?

[Wandering Daisy]

Years ago (late 90's) I did an early season trip similar to yours. I camped at Lord Meadow and day-hiked towards Huckleberry Lake. It was very wet, lots of post-hole into as much as a foot of water, slow going. Where the trail crosses Cherry Creek, I stayed on the south side. I only went about a mile and then turned back. I recall that it was also very wet and soggy up on Kibbie Ridge. I had to start from the Cherry Lake dam since the road was closed. I did not take a camera so no photos and do not recall exact dates, but I suspect it was early June or late May.

I have walked more along Cherry Creek on the other side coming in from Crabtree and camping at Big Lake. The best area from Syxt Pass is the Boundary Lakes. Here is the link to a trip I did in Boundary Lakes.

https://www.highsierratopix.com/communi ... 16#p107916

[Harlen]

Really nice river scenes you captured karstn. Thanks for the report.

p.s. Did you meet any of these guys?

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[karstn]

Just one, but it was a big one, hiding under a rock.

[Harlen]

"...it was a big one, hiding under a rock."

Yikes!

[SSSdave]

Thanks for the report. That lower Cherry Creek zone directly up the creek from Shingle Springs and below 6k has and abundance of superb river photo subjects I've been planning for years to work but have yet to. It reads like you reached Styxx Pass by climbing the obvious route northeast up from 6.4k.

Latest July 8 Sentinel Hub images shows Kibbie Ridge nearly snow free so Lord Meadow will be an easier hike.

https://apps.sentinel-hub.com/sentinel- ... ates=false

Also shows in Emigrant Wilderness, Hyatt, Big, and Huckleberry Lakes fully melted out and in Yosemite, Brannigan, Bearup, Many Island, Boundary, Edith, Little Bear, and Spotted Fawn.

[giantbrookie]

Beautiful! Thanks for the post. Every time I see reports on Cherry Creek it makes me want to check it out. Sure it is harder in the early season (yes, this is "early season" in 2023), but that's when the high runoff makes it the most visually stunning and interesting. Thanks so much for posting this. I can never see too many photos of Cherry Creek.