The key to this trail is to stay to the RIGHT at the first two forks in the road. Otherwise you end up have to cross back-and-forth over the stream several times. There should be just two crossings ~ the first is shallow and you can rock-hop across or use the logs. Stick on the North side of the water as you continue forward. The path is clearly defined but there are many side-trails so there is a bit of route finding. The second steam crossing is deeper, but a series of big logs make it manageable. After that second crossing, things start to get a bit more overgrown so you really have to push through a bit.

We backpacked to the second camping site, which was way prettier than the first and had direct access to water source.

Heavy rain set in that night, so we had to cut our 2-night backpack down to 1.

On the way back we hit a small trail that took us closer to the basalt column area on the south side of the canyon ~ pretty, but not passable. So be sure to take the same trail back as you did when hiking in. Lots of route finding!

Arrived around 1PM Sunday to half full lot, quite a few larger groups leaving the trail as we started.

National Park Pass (America the Beautiful) is valid here, otherwise there is a $5 day use fee. 

Trail is in good shape, the stream crossing not difficult although it does require walking across fallen logs.

Walked until we reached a large cleared section ~2 miles from TH as the trail past that became a bit more overgrown. 

Cloud coverage was provided lots of shade and comfortable temperature to walk in. 

No rattlesnakes seen only a small (16 in) gardener snake on the trail; otherwise very minimal wildlife spotted. 

Happy Hiking! 

I found an orange remote for a canine shock collar on the trail! If it's yours, let me know and we can figure out how to get it to you. 

Not too much to share that isn't in recent trip reports but this hike was lovely! The flowers are blooming. There are two creek crossings - one is a pile of small logs/sticks folks have thrown in the creek and the other is more stable larger logs. There were several flat spots to camp around 2ish miles. We tried to hike further but it does get really brushy past about 2.5 miles. Additionally, there was a sign that the trail is closed 3.5 miles in for seasonal conservation reasons. 

We didn't see any rattlesnakes but it was a cloudy day! There were lots of people fishing on the river and lots of people hiking the ridge trail that branches off at the trailhead. 

Flowers are peaking now and should be prime for at least a couple of weeks. Great variety of kinds and colors. Even the old orchard trees look and smell great! Most conspicuous are balsamroot, lupine, and phlox. We only saw one cactus, a small prickly pear, which was near the beginning. It had buds but wasn't that close to blooming yet. We heard the ridge hike had some blooming cactus and went about 2/3 of a mile up that way as well, but didn't see any. 

On the map I was using (Gaia), there are three potential stream crossing sites shown. The first, described in the listing, is a pile of logs and should be fine for most people. The second is a beaver dam and made for a relatively stable crossing (we chose this one for accessibility as my husband has foot and balance issues). 

I'm guessing this depends on the direction of the wind, but when we were there, the parking lot was windy, and the canyon blocked the wind pretty quickly as we got going on the trail, making it pleasantly warmer than the parking area. 

We combined this hike with several others for a really full day. It was cool to have the basalt towering above us.  Immediately you will be welcomed with birdsong.  It becomes apparent the great variety of birds that call this creek home.  We strolled along with no problems.  The creek was not difficult to pass with a few carefully placed steps.  When you get to the thicket of trees, things become trickier.  Paths seem to diverge and it is difficult to follow any one set trail.  We blazed on for about a mile more before turning around.  The birdsong was amazing.  To tell you the truth, the beginning was actually my favorite part.  That’s where I thought the most birdsong was, as well as visually seeing birds of prey by the basalt columns on the right hand side.  All and all it was a nice addition but I would not make a long drive for this as a stand alone hike.