Uinta National Forest -- Battle Creek Loop - May 25, 2009 - Member Trip Report
| Hike Name: | Uinta National Forest -- Battle Creek Loop |
|---|---|
| Country: | United States |
| State: | Utah |
| Trip Rating: |  |
| Trip Date: | May 25, 2009 |
| Duration: | 3 hours, 40 minutes |
| Trail Conditions: | Fair to Good |
| Trail Traffic: | Light to Moderate |
| Trip Weather: | Sunny |
| Trip Winds: | Light |
| Trip Precipitation: | None |
| Trip Temperature: | High: 71-80, Low: 51-60 degrees Fahrenheit |
| Trip Report: | Memorial Day was early this year, and as Memorial Day is often cool and blustery here, I had no reason to expect it to be sunny and clear when the holiday fell as early as this year. But clear it was, so before the sun was up, I was at the trailhead at Grove Creek. The hike to Battle Creek followed the Bonneville Shoreline Trail past innumerable puddles on the trail – it was still early in the season, and rain is more normal for May. The upside to that, of course, was the vibrant green on the mountainside. The sun was up as I walked through a quiet and empty Kiwanis Park and turned up Battle Creek Canyon. Once in the canyon, the sun disappeared behind the canyon walls again, not to be seen until I emerged on the bench 2.5 miles and over 2000’ higher. Below the falls, the trail through the canyon is mostly rock, but above the falls there are many areas of mud. The toughest part was a steep incline near the top of the canyon where the trail is hard to get a toehold on, and when it is wet, like this day, it is very slippery. I managed to get through that section without mishap. When I arrived at the junction with the Great Western Trail, I emerged into full sunlight, and paused for a break at the junction. The hike across the flats on the bench was easy, as always, and everything that was brown and russet last fall was vibrantly green this day. At the north end of the flats, just before the trail descends to Indian Springs and thence to Grove Creek Canyon, I encountered my first hiker of the day. We visited for about fifteen minutes and I gave him pointers on the trail as it was his first time on this loop. After parting, I descended to the muddiest part of the trail, around Indian Springs, and found that it was a bit drier than I had expected. Below that point, where the trail switches back as it goes down toward the cascade in upper Grove Creek Canyon, it was quite wet. Below the cascade, where the trail crosses to the other side of the canyon (a south facing slope), it was dry and sunny, almost uncomfortably so. Along this stretch I met many groups making the climb up the canyon. This trail is a hot one to go up when you get a late start – sun all the way with almost no shade. When I got back to the car, the trailhead parking lot was full – a lot of folks with the same holiday idea, I guess. |
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