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| Backpack | 15.10 Miles |
2,800 AEG |
| | Backpack | 15.10 Miles | 13 Hrs | | 1.16 mph |
| 2,800 ft AEG | | | | |
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| partners | | The last backpacking trip I took was the Reavis Ranch Loop last year, so it was nice getting out again with the pack for an overnight. My regular group has another backpacking trip to Angel Basin scheduled for this upcoming weekend as well, so it was nice to get a feel for the weight and gear again.
The trip in was pretty uneventful. The views of the surrounding canyons and mountain ranges were above average. There was a small amount of snow on four peaks, but the Saddle mountain area didn't appear to have any snow on the mountain tops. Driving in, the roads were good, and seemed to have been graded fairly recently. Not too many pot holes or eroded areas. When coming in there was only one water crossing that was no problem for a high clearance vehicle. There was one section of road after the creek crossings that I would say definitely limited vehicle travel to 4x4 only.
We left the Mormon Grove TH at around 11:10am. The air was warming and I chose to wear a short sleeve shirt which was very comfortable during the hike in. The path is a gentle uphill climb, wide and very apparent, a fair packed surface, somewhat rocky in places.
As you begin your decent down into the valley below on Sheep Creek Trail, the path becomes more and more overgrown. I brought a pair of snips to clean up what I could as there were places where the foliage had covered the trail. When possible I removed brush where it was too thick.
As you reach the bottom, you cross a small stream and the trail opens up into a fairly large flat area, great for a basecamp or lunch spot. There was a good deal of water flowing. When you reach the bottom here, if you look to your right across the far stream, you'll see the mine opening in the rock face.
After a short lunch break, we continued up the sheep creek trail for about a half mile when we came to the old corral, another good spot for a break or campsite. Enclosed by fencing, with good tree coverage, great for hanging tarps, plenty of flat areas for tents and good water sources (at least this time of year).
From this point the trail is intermittent and trail finding skill is necessary, not only because the trail is not very apparent, but it appears recent heavy rain and winds have knocked many trees down. From the valley up until we reached the higher elevations, there were A LOT of downed trees blocking the trails requiring detours. There is a huge amount of fallen debris on the trails. As we exited the valley, the north side Saddle Mountain came into view, and it had snow on it. As you reach the high elevations and everything opens up, the trail becomes even less apparent. If you find the stream bed, just follow it west and you'll be fine. You'll find the main trail eventually. The small bushes, Manzanitta and others were overgrowing the trails.
When we reached the highlands, the views were spectacular. We could see Saddle Mountain fully to the southeast, snowy Four Peaks behind and to the right of it, further to the south way off in the distance you could see Weavers Needle and the Flatiron, Bartlett Lake, Horseshoe Lake, and a multitude of cliff faces, and valleys in between everything. Some awesome sights.
We got down to the point around 5:15pm. We explored the area some before building a fire and making dinner. We were all so tired from staying up late Friday we didn't stay up long. Shortly after we climbed in our tents it began to rain.
We ended up sleeping in until around 8 or 8:30am, ate breakfast and packed up. We wanted to get out of there quickly as there were some heavy storm clouds moving in. The hike back up to the ridgeline from the point was pretty rough. One of about three steep climbs on the way back out to the trailhead. On the way up to the ridge it began to drizzle. Once on the ridge, heading east back toward the sheep creek, it hailed for a short time. We would end up dealing with freezing rain for the remaining hike out.
Once back up to the Saddle Mountain Trail, the path was pretty bad. The rain had made large stretches of the trail muddy bogs. Nothing too difficult, just extremely muddy. During the last mile and a half of the hike out it began snowing with flurries sometimes restricting sight to around three hundred yards or so. It seemed like the last quarter mile just would not end. All I could think about was how nice it would be to thaw my frozen thighs, feet and hands in the trucks heater. rounding the last curve, with the trailhead coming into view, I could see Joel beginning to set up a temp shelter... since I had the keys and he was pretty far ahead of me. By the time I got to the truck, it was sleeting, covering the truck in slushy ice.
The road out was not too bad, but we definitely had to go slow since the roads were muddy. On the way out, we crossed many small runoffs. Toward the bottom of the decent, there were two water crossings due to the rising water. Very muddy. I would not recommend anything other than 4x4 especially if you expect rains while out at this trailhead, otherwise the likelyhood of getting stuck in mud is high. I had new Toyo All Terrain tires that held up great, the mud and water crossings were no problem.
Despite the rain, hail, snow and sleet on the hike out, it was still an awesome trip. I will be going back in the future probably to the lower valley locations to do some camping.
GPS Points of Interest:
Mormon Grove TH 33* 56.370N 111* 30.190W
Potato Patch 33* 57.168N 111* 31.144W
Lower Corral 33* 58.218N 111* 31.111W
Tr 88/87 Intersection 33* 58.232N 111* 31.252W
Nice Falls (when there's rain) 33* 58.173N 111* 31.592W
Plateau Overlook Point 33* 57.643N 111* 32.774W |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
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