Head up this trail anytime in September and listen closely. If the weather has started to turn cold, with autumn obviously in the air, you might hear the most haunting sound of the American wilderness: bugling elk. Autumn isn't the only time to visit, of course. Though you may not hear the elk in the summer, you might very well see them in the forest and meadows along Bumping River. This hike is a less-intense outing than some of the higher alpine trails, following an easy grade along the river drainage and gradually gaining elevation into the valley's upper reaches south of Crag Mountain.

Start out with a 0.5-mile hike along a level track to the edge of Bumping River. Then--after stripping off your boots and socks--ford the river. Early in the year, when the snowpack is at full melt stage, the river can be deep and difficult to wade. But by midsummer (most years) the water drops to no more than a knee-deep gentle flow.

The trail then climbs gently for 0.5 mile to a trail junction. Straight ahead is the Cougar Lakes Trail. Turn left instead and fol-low the Bumping River Trail upvalley to its headwaters in Fish Lake. The trail parallels the river for the next 8 miles, passing through the occasional forest glade and open meadow but generally sticking to open, airy pine forests, usually well above the river level. About 3 miles from the trailhead, you'll cross Red Rock Creek, a good place for a rest stop.

The trail ends at a junction with the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), about 6.25 miles from the trailhead. Turn right onto the PCT, and in 0.25 mile reach Fish Lake, a broad, swampy body of water at the end of the Bumping River valley. If you haven't seen elk yet, this is a likely place to spot them. The big ungulates love the rich grasses that grow around the lake basin.