Beverly Turnpike, Fourth Creek & Hardscrabble Creek — Wednesday, Jun. 19, 2024

Summary: I hiked from the Beverly Turnpike trailhead to the saddle between Bean Peak and Volcanic Neck. This is great Teanaway hike that 1) gives up close views of the Enchantment range and 2) doesn't involve any scrambling or cross country travel. As a bonus, you'll likely see fewer folks heading this way. I only passed two groups the entire time after breaking from the Bean Creek basin route. 

Picture of the route is attached, but essentially you stay left on the Beverly Turnpike trail instead of heading into Bean Creek basin. When you get to the junction with Fourth Creek trail, turn right to ascend a small pass between Bill's Peak and Mary's Peak. This is where you start to get nice peekaboo views of the Enchantment range. At the pass, you'll keep right onto the Hardscrabble Creek trail and follow this all the way to an exposed saddle between the northern ridge of Bean Peak and Volcanic Neck. 

Trail conditions:

There are maybe a dozen blowdowns on the route from start to finish, but none posed any challenge to step over. The section on Hardscrabble Creek has a few small patches of snow, but much of it has melted recently, leaving the trail soggy in places. There's a few steep switchbacks leading up to both of the saddles, but overall the grade on this hike isn't too hard. The crossing of Bean Creek at the beginning is not too hard right now; I was able to walk slowly across two thin logs, but you could safely walk through the water as well. 

Stats:

• Roundtrip distance: 9.08 miles
• Elevation gain: 2,840 ft
• Total elapsed time: 3:24:11

Road: The last mile to the Beverly Turnpike trailhead is a bit bumpy but should be passable by any car with some care.