Indian Creek -TeanawayRecent Trip Reports
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We had a great time roaming the logging road network in the Indian Creek valley, which drains the west side...
We had a great time roaming the logging road network in the Indian Creek valley, which drains the west side of Red Top Mountain. There is a two mile long meadow in the valley that is simply charming, at least before the cows arrive to graze its lush grass. This is the ideal time to hike the Indian Creek area, when the streams are brimming, the air is cool, and snow lingers on the ridges. But watch out for the springtime ticks; there are a lot of them here!
Beyond the meadow, we followed logging roads up into the hills, looping over a 3600' ridge which offered peeks at the snow-plastered Stuart Range. Many of the roads don't show up on maps as they are too new. Wandering around on the roads is quite pleasant in the open pine woods of the Teanaway region, and there is no motorized traffic at all. A GPS unit is helpful in navigating the unmapped roads and cross-country ventures (we did two short off-road stretches). We ended up covering about 9 miles, a good day's workout. To get here, drive the main Teanaway River road to mile post 11. Park and walk past the gate onto the logging road (no motor vehicles allowed). In a short bit, the road splits; take the old bermed road which drops down to the meadow. Now enjoy the meadow stroll and the music of vigorous Indian Creek flowing nearby. The old and new roads eventually rejoin. Beyond one last large meadow, irrigated by a pipe, the various branches of the road network start climbing into the hills. Higher up along Indian Creek are more picturesque meadows to discover. Much of this land is owned by a private timber company, and there is a long term threat that the land may be subdivided into homesites. So, enjoy the area while it lasts.
Indian Creek-Teanaway
— Sep 06, 2009
— whitebark
Day hike
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On Sunday we explored a gated logging road heading up Indian Creek, near 29 Pines Campground in the Teanaway region....
On Sunday we explored a gated logging road heading up Indian Creek, near 29 Pines Campground in the Teanaway region. The logging road is easy to find right now: it begins right where the Teanaway Road has been torn up to replace a culvert. Since the weather was cloudy and cool, doing a high-elevation hike did not look pleasant ; a nice easy logging road walk looked like just the thing.
We were hoping for some dry weather in the Teanaway rain shadow, but the rain came anyway and persisted for much of the day. Still, the walk was pleasant. A meadow occupied much of the valley, a bucolic scene complete with grazing cows. Reaching the head of the valley, the road began branching. We took the left fork, which crossed a new-looking bridge over Indian Creek, then climbed the slope above at an easy grade. At 3100' feet, about 4 miles from the gate, we came to another fork in the road. Because of the intensifying rain we decided to turn around here. The topo map indicates that the left fork climbs much higher up the ridge. With some effoirt and a bit of cross country travel, one might be able to get to Red Top Lookout. The firmly gated road looks like it gets virtually no motor vehicle use. There were some hunters about, so take precautions to stay visible. The road should be an especially nice walk in spring, just after the snow melts and before the cows appear. There should be some nice color in fall, when the cottonwoods and larches turn. Watch your step: there was lots of cow poop on the road in places. |
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