You get a lot for your money at Dollar Creek Falls.
- May 19, 2020
- Team: Dave
- Stats: 5.8 miles, 1400' gain, 3:42 hours c2c, Class 1 & 2
Note: click images to see a larger version in a new window
Supposed to start raining by noon or 1. And by the looks of the sky, NOAA will be right today. So let's keep it short and local. Except that when we got there we found that the Forest Service had "decommissioned" the road, about two miles worth of it. But in this case, left a tread for hiking. Cool! And a very expensive bridge. |
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| The first mile and a half or two were on a very mellow grade. A couple easy 1-step stream crossings. And on the other side of our creek, a hot springs of sorts. |  |
Not exactly a trail, but give it a few years. Around a corner, a more challenging stream crossing, but with indicators that a bridge is planned. Then the trail starts up the hill. Hard to avoid in this country. |
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The trail, er.... road. No- it's a trail! .... ended here, at the start of the canyon. From here, the old trail was apparent (just barely) and went straight up the hill. Straight. And it's steep. So much for an easy hike. |
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Apparently there are elephants down on the South Fork. Who knew!? After hiking straight up the hill for a bit, the contour lines indicated it was time for a bushwhack traverse. In the wet. Over slickened deadfall and brush. But all considered, not bad. |
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And that brought us to this. I had added this chasm to my list a couple years ago when I looked down on it while climbing Dollar Creek Ridge. It's always nice to fulfill your curiosity. |
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| Let's put that in motion. | |
The reason we have this narrow canyon with big falls is the Idaho batholith. Here's a small but interesting sample. |
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We gambled and followed the stream back down the hillside. Some dodgy bushes and slippery logs intermixed with occasional granite slabs covered by moss. You know, Idaho hiking. |
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The views from near the water were, however, outstanding. |
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Dave was working it. We found the stream-side scramble easier than the upper traverse. And then it was back down the new trail to the truck. 10 minutes later the rain commenced. |
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| Dave's pics |  |
| Map |  |
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