Left one car at the Ross Lake Dam trailhead, and shuttled to the Canyon Creek trailhead. Followed Jackita Ridge Trail #738 and Devil's Ridge Trail #752 through to Devil's Junction. Camped at an established site along North Fork Devil's Creek, and had a water taxi pick us up at the end.
Road Conditions. Both the Ross Lake Dam and the Canyon Creek trailheads are right off Hwy 20.
Trail Conditions. Some blowdowns and overgrown sections, but not hard to follow. The Canyon Creek ford was less than knee-deep for me (long legs) and the water wasn't very fast or cold, but I did wish I had brough my water shoes as the river was full of slippery rocks. The Crater/Jackita junction was unsigned and a bit overgrown, could end up on the wrong trail. USGS maps were wildly inaccurate/outdated for the section up to Devil's Park, OpenStreetMap was accurate. Trail tread was mostly great, but there were some sections were it was not so great. There was still running water in most places where you could expect to find water.
Highlights. Beautiful forests, subalpine meadows, and views. Flowers were in full bloom, berries not ripe yet. Saw several grouse hens with their offspring, heard pikas in one spot, saw a single marmot, and one pile of bear scat, but overall not much wildlife.
Bug Status. Mosquitoes were few and far between. Some buzzing flies on Devil's Dome.
Crowds. The Ross Dam trailhead was overflowing on Saturday at 10am, with cars parked way up and down the road. The much larger Canyon Creek trailhead on the other hand only had a couple of cars. Encountered 3 parties on the way up to the junction with the Crater Trail, and another 4 until reaching Ross Lake.
Comments
nnrelay on Devil's Dome Loop
Perfect timing! A few days became free for me and I'm looking at this
area starting tomorrow.
Posted by:
nnrelay on Jul 17, 2023 08:21 PM
ejain on Devil's Dome Loop
Just added some pictures and details, hope it's useful!
Posted by:
ejain on Jul 17, 2023 10:57 PM