Category Archives: Trail Reports

Trail reports: Demers Ridge, Thompson-Seton, Thoma, Hornet and Cyclone

Here are a few, brief trail condition reports. Short version: Most trails discussed so far are in fair to good shape, with the exception of Demers Ridge, which is awful.

Greg and Sue Evans said that the Demers Ridge Trail [Trail 266 from the north] to Glacier View Mountain is in terrible shape. They counted 192 blow-downs. However, others report that the route up Glacier View on Trail 266 starting from its southern end near Camas junction is in good shape, with very few obstacles.

Debo Powers turned in several reports…

“…I did hike to Thompson-Seton [Trails 79 and 28] and I was surprised at how much the brush has grown back.  It’s only mid-calf high instead of head-high, but it has grown back so lush that you can’t tell that we cut it last year!  I was surprised because it looked so scalped last year when we finished!  Nature is resilient!  My pant legs got soaked walking the lower trail on Tuesday morning [July 15] after the Monday evening rainstorm.  The trail is fine for this year, but we should put it on our list for next spring or early summer.  There are also 7 logs across the trail, so we will want to do some cutting next year, too.”

“The trail to Thoma that starts on Frozen Lake Road [Trails 18 and 15] has a brush problem in one short stretch, but I imagine that Leif will take care of that sometime this year.  His re-supply mule train came up the other route from Trail Creek Road [Trail 15 from the south] on Thursday [July 17], so that trail has probably been cut out to make room for mules.  I haven’t hiked it though.”

“The trails to Hornet [Trail 349] and Cyclone [Trail 40] are in fine shape.”

Moran Basin and Trail 2

On July 10, we took another look at Moran Basin Road (Road 5241). The slides had been cut out a few days earlier (reportedly, not by the Forest Service but by a third party), so we were able to reach the Trail 2 trailhead. Time was limited, so I decided to go as far up the trail as I could get by mid-afternoon.

Trail 2 is a popular local hike, climbing south along the western edge of the Moran Creek Basin until it reaches the crest of Coal Ridge near the old lookout and patrol cabin. Although I didn’t reach the ridge top, I got several photos along the way.

Here’s the trail near the beginning. As you can see, it’s in great shape.

Trail 2 - Near Start

Trail 2 – Near Start

The remains of the lookout are still standing.

Coal Ridge Lookout From a Distance

Coal Ridge Lookout From a Distance

There were quite a few water crossings, including this nice waterfall. John’s dog, Blue, is certainly enjoying it.

Trail 2 Waterfall

Trail 2 Waterfall

At that altitude, the wildflowers were still in full display.

Trail 2 - Wildflowers

Trail 2 – Wildflowers

I had to turn around at this point — near Coal Ridge, but not yet above the trees.

Trail 2 - Nearing Coal Ridge

Trail 2 – Nearing Coal Ridge

Coal Ridge — Hay Creek tour

July 3, John Frederick and I took advantage of a nice day and open Forest Service gates to do the tour of the Coal Ridge — Hay Creek drainage area. We went perhaps a quarter-mile up Trail 4 with the big chain saw, did a little clean up and  then drove to the Trail 3 trailhead at the west end of Hay Creek Road.

Trail 3, most of which is old roadbed, is in excellent shape for the first mile (and likely for at least another three after that). It offers a broad vista of the west end of the Hay Creek watershed, including the Whitefish Divide.

Trail 3 - looking west

Trail 3 – looking west towards Whitefish Divide

Moran Basin Road (Road 5241), the last stop on our tour, has problems. We encountered a bad slide about two miles in where a collection of trees had slid down the bank, roots and all, spilling across the road. I cut out the first pile, but we encountered two more about a quarter-mile farther up the road. Until the Forest Service cleans this up, Moran Basin Road is navigable only by ATVs and bikes. Update: By July 8, the road was open. Someone (not the Forest Service) had removed enough debris to allow passage by regular vehicles.

Slides on Moran Basin Road - July 3, 2014

Slides on Moran Basin Road – July 3, 2014

Trail 4: Track log from ridge top to trailhead

A bunch of determined individuals (myself, John Frederick, Amy Robinson, Dave Hadden and Debo Powers) hiked up Trail 4 in the rain June 26. We cached some equipment and showed a couple of folks who hadn’t seen it the final segment up to the top of the ridge.

On the way back down, I managed to get a reasonably smooth GPS track from the ridge top to the trailhead at Road 909. This completes the most essential part of the survey, since the remainder of the trail just follows the ridge until it intersects Trail 14.

See below for the Trail 4 track in context of the major nearby land features.

Trail 4 track from 909 to ridge top, in context

Trail 4 Track from 909 to Ridge Top, in Context

Trail 4: Waypoints complete to ridge top

John Frederick and I took a run up Trail 4 yesterday, June 24, with the objective of acquiring a good set of waypoints for the final segment climbing up to the ridge top. See below for the result.

Barring the usual handful of outliers, we now have an accurate set of coordinates running from Road 909 to the top of the ridge. This completes the important stuff. The remainder of the trail just stays on top of the ridge — no mystery there.

The red dots are data acquired in September of last year. The blue ones represent yesterday’s effort.

Trail 4 Waypoints from Road 909 to Ridge Top

Trail 4 Waypoints from Road 909 to Ridge Top

Trail 4: The missing link

We finally found the piece of Trail 4 that provides access to the ridge top.

Last Thursday, June 19, Dave Hadden, John Frederick and I headed back up with the objective of tracing the section along the ridge top back down to where it connected with the previously scouted part of the trail that ascends from its eastern terminus at Road 909.

Kudos go to Dave Hadden on this one. He arrived early, located the trail corridor Will Hammerquist stumbled across a couple of weeks ago, and traced the route all the way to the top of the ridge. He then did the route a second time for my benefit when I got there.

You can see the trace (black line) based on my camera’s GPS log below. It’s jittery, but the basic routing is clear: The trail segment climbs up a minor draw, makes an abrupt turn to the west and switchbacks up the end of the ridge until it reaches the top.

Trail 4 - June 19 Track

Trail 4 – June 19 Track

Bonus: I finally got a half-decent photo of the Calypso Orchids near the trail-head before they disappeared.

Calypso Orchids

Calypso Orchids