Esmerelda Basin

The 10 mile dirt road to the trailhead is in very good condition, as is the trail itself. Though a little past the peak, the wildflower show is still spectacular, but many plants have flowered and gone to seed. The trail is bone-dry and dusty, yet there are still many plants in bloom. The mixed geology here allows for many diverse species to live along different parts of the trail, and it's interesting to see the variations due to different mineral content of the soil, which makes for a unique ecology in the basin.

Surprisingly there is a lot of running water along the trail, with several small creeks feeding into the North Fork Teanaway River that parallels the trail for the first quarter mile or so. In spite of all the water there are no mosquitoes at all; I didn't see a single one. There are the usual biting flies, but these are so stupid that they sit there as you slap them into oblivion.

At the end of the hike, at Fortune Creek Pass, the landscape is suddenly rather barren and forbidding - I've never seen anything quite like it (see picture).

Esmeralda Basin is a great day hike and I highly recommend it.