Perry Creek

We were looking for a local hike in the snow. We hadn’t tried Perry Creek so off we went. First off we parked at Perry Creek campground and began to find the trailhead. There were a few inches of fresh snow so obvious signs of a trail could have been covered. After bushwhacking around the creek for a while we decided the trailhead wasn’t part of the campground. We walked the Mountain loop highway a short distance and found the forest service road 4063 which soon turns into the trail. (I guess we should have read directions even though we were sure where the trail was.) Once on the trail it was enjoyable We got intermittently snowed on all day. By the time we turned around at the falls we were in about 18 inches of snow. It was beautiful and quiet. All in all we only met one other hiker and his prints were all we saw that day. This certainly qualifies as a place you can find solitude and plenty of winter beauty. No need for snowshoes unless you go higher than we ventured that day, but poles were a real plus due to slippery conditions. One more surprise, bugs. We found bugs near the waterfall even though it was below freezing and snow falling. Just a few mosquitoes and another tiny bug I didn’t recognize. Great day, good friends, and it all ended too soon for me.