Greenleaf Slide via Two Chiefs Trail east

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Chip Down
Posts: 3037
Joined: November 8th, 2014, 8:41 pm

Greenleaf Slide via Two Chiefs Trail east

Post by Chip Down » December 28th, 2019, 8:30 pm

If I said I had to discreetly sneak in to Two Chiefs Trail (near Table Mountain), most readers would think I approached via North Bonneville. Nope, I went looking for the east end of the trail. Discovered it's also hard to access legally. It would be really easy to walk right through, very little risk of an unpleasant encounter. Still, I went looking for an alternative. Weighed options, picked an unmapped ungated unsigned road, parked, walked up. Ended soon, but put me on a promising ridge, which I ascended west of Crescent Lake. Routefinding was fun; things matched my map, and I always knew where I was.

I reached the point where my ridge met Two Chiefs Trail. Just to be sure, I zoomed my map out and looked around. Oh! It was a spur from Two Chiefs. Okay, I poked around anyway, because it was so beautiful, then moved on to Two Chiefs.

Suffered a lot of elevation loss on an ugly road on my way to Two Chiefs, and then Two Chiefs was ugly too. I don't recommend this trail at all. There are prettier utility roads around here!

It was obvious when I reached the terminus of Greenleaf Slide. It was so abrupt, and with the creek running out from the snout, it resembled a glacier terminus. I started up, and the gurgling creek below reminded me of a glacier again. I ascended to the set of waterfalls that tumble down a cliff in the middle of the slide, which just about put me where I'd been before (from above), so cut over to Greenleaf Creek, which I followed down to Two Chiefs.

On the way back down, I left the ugly road/trail in search of better scenery. It was loads of fun. With sunset approaching, I hustled back to my car on a variety of roads and shwacky connectors.

Man, these days go fast. Google Maps says Two Chiefs east of Greenleaf Creek is just 1.8 miles, but I spent all day on it. I must be a really bad hiker.
Attachments
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My ridgecrest Plan B past Crescent Lake.
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I'm about to reach that ridge, which I should pop over and descend the far side, but no way, I'm going up that ridge!
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Oh, there's a road on that ridge. Charming, but not for long. In fact, this little stretch was really the best part.
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Falls on Greenleaf Slide.
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Looking down Greenleaf Slide from the bottom of the falls.
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I don't know if I could find this place again, just random exploring.
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Pretty close to the pic above. Sunset approaching, better get back down.
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BigBear
Posts: 1836
Joined: October 1st, 2009, 11:54 am

Re: Greenleaf Slide via Two Chiefs Trail east

Post by BigBear » December 30th, 2019, 2:22 pm

Chip Down: "these days go fast. Google Maps says Two Chiefs east of Greenleaf Creek is just 1.8 miles, but I spent all day on it. I must be a really bad hiker."

Maybe your pictures were in reverse order. You had the beer first, then you got in a fight with Cookie Monster (didn't see what you looked like after the skirmish), then you tried to read the map. :)

Not sure how 1.8 miles comes into play. Its a little over 5 miles out/back to Gillette Lake from the Bonneville Dam TH and Table Mtn. from the closed hot springs trailhead to the top of Table was 8 or 9 miles. Somethings wrong with the calculations to get to 1.8 miles. Maybe it's the 1.8 pints of beer.

PS - Cookie Monster says "pick on someone your own size." He's bringing some friends next time (Big Bird and Snuffle-up-ogus).

Walkin' Fool
Posts: 77
Joined: July 7th, 2014, 10:03 am

Re: Greenleaf Slide via Two Chiefs Trail east

Post by Walkin' Fool » December 30th, 2019, 6:47 pm

Doesn't the east end of Two Chiefs Trail essentially turn into Blue Lake Rd, just SE of Crescent Lake, which is public? Or was it just private land when you were off of the the trail/road?

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Chip Down
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Joined: November 8th, 2014, 8:41 pm

Re: Greenleaf Slide via Two Chiefs Trail east

Post by Chip Down » December 30th, 2019, 6:58 pm

Hi Mr. Bear,
I suppose one of the characteristics of my presence here is that I tend to take on some pretty serious adventures, but I like to throw in some whimsy and have some fun with it. I like the way you reciprocated. :lol:

My mileage figure was from what seems to be the low/east end of Two Chiefs, where it spurs off from Blue Lake Road (at a gated/signed road which eventually fades into a trail). The 1.8 miles was per Google Maps. Of course, I do realize that with all my offtrail shenanigans it was waaaaay more the 1.8 miles ;) . That 1.8 mile figure seems plausible. I probably could do it in an hour if I took the direct route, if I avoided drunken brawls in Sesame Street saloons. :D

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Chip Down
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Joined: November 8th, 2014, 8:41 pm

Re: Greenleaf Slide via Two Chiefs Trail east

Post by Chip Down » December 30th, 2019, 7:04 pm

Walkin' Fool wrote:
December 30th, 2019, 6:47 pm
Doesn't the east end of Two Chiefs Trail essentially turn into Blue Lake Rd, just SE of Crescent Lake, which is public? Or was it just private land when you were off of the the trail/road?
Oh, you posted that when I was writing. Yeah, you're essentially right. There's a quarry or two or three up there. I'm not quite sure who owns what, or who has leases for resource extraction. It's a bit fuzzy. I never felt I was encroaching on property rights. Two Chiefs Trail seems to be aligned with a spur road from Blue Lake Road though, not actually on Blue Lake Road. It's a weird mishmash of recreation, development, logging, quarry, landfill, powerlines, whatever.

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