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Elk lake creek from elk lake
Posted: June 4th, 2023, 4:15 pm
by VitaminW
From elk lake you have about two miles of brushy trail in beautiful old growth. Some snow still on the trail in small patches. Then after that it’s about a mile of burned understory with blowdowns on trail but some living trees. After that it’s scorched earth - nothing alive for over a mile and the tread is hard to follow. A LOT of burned trees have fallen on the trail. Once you get to the Battle Creek/elk lake jct campsites, There are a very small amount of living trees here and a useable campsite or two. The trail to cross Battle Creek was extremely hard to find. So many blown down burned trees by the creek. The fire also has eroded the banks so I really couldn’t tell where the trail goes after the creek. Trail conditions on this entire trail are pretty rough. It kind of looks like the rest of the trail north might not be burned but it’s hard to say.
Re: Elk lake creek from elk lake
Posted: June 4th, 2023, 8:13 pm
by RobFromRedland
VitaminW wrote: ↑June 4th, 2023, 4:15 pm
From elk lake you have about two miles of brushy trail in beautiful old growth. Some snow still on the trail in small patches. Then after that it’s about a mile of burned understory with blowdowns on trail but some living trees. After that it’s scorched earth - nothing alive for over a mile and the tread is hard to follow. A LOT of burned trees have fallen on the trail. Once you get to the Battle Creek/elk lake jct campsites, There are a very small amount of living trees here and a useable campsite or two. The trail to cross Battle Creek was extremely hard to find. So many blown down burned trees by the creek. The fire also has eroded the banks so I really couldn’t tell where the trail goes after the creek. Trail conditions on this entire trail are pretty rough. It kind of looks like the rest of the trail north might not be burned but it’s hard to say.
Thanks for the info - I haven't been on the southern part of this trail for quite a number of years. It doesn't surprise me it is pretty rough - it doesn't get a ton of traffic and the damage from the fires I figured was not good.
I've hiked the northern 2 miles of the trail in the last couple of years and it is is pretty rough shape as well. That area burned in 2010 as well as the Bull Complex fire in 2021, so it has gotten hammered pretty hard too. I haven't gone past the first creek crossing from the north since the fires though.
It is sad because this trail has/had some of the most beautiful scenery on it.
I'm surprised you made it to Elk Lake this early!
Re: Elk lake creek from elk lake
Posted: June 5th, 2023, 5:11 am
by dharmabum
Did you take the infamous Road 4697 up to Elk Lake? Just curious, that is the worst road I have ever been on in my life
How I made it up there without a flat I will never know.
Re: Elk lake creek from elk lake
Posted: June 5th, 2023, 5:18 am
by RobFromRedland
dharmabum wrote: ↑June 5th, 2023, 5:11 am
Did you take the infamous Road 4697 up to Elk Lake? Just curious, that is the worst road I have ever been on in my life
How I made it up there without a flat I will never know.
Have you ever driven the road to Frazier turnaround? I've driven both and to me, Frazier turnaround is the worst. Both require high clearance vehicles for sure.
Re: Elk lake creek from elk lake
Posted: June 5th, 2023, 5:23 am
by dharmabum
RobFromRedland wrote: ↑June 5th, 2023, 5:18 am
dharmabum wrote: ↑June 5th, 2023, 5:11 am
Did you take the infamous Road 4697 up to Elk Lake? Just curious, that is the worst road I have ever been on in my life
How I made it up there without a flat I will never know.
Have you ever driven the road to Frazier turnaround? I've driven both and to me, Frazier turnaround is the worst. Both require high clearance vehicles for sure.
No, but it sounds like one to avoid
When I did 4697 I had a 4x4 truck, now I am in a 96 Camry so probably won't be doing any sketch roads for some time.
Re: Elk lake creek from elk lake
Posted: June 5th, 2023, 7:46 am
by mattisnotfrench
VitaminW wrote: ↑June 4th, 2023, 4:15 pm
From elk lake you have about two miles of brushy trail in beautiful old growth. Some snow still on the trail in small patches. Then after that it’s about a mile of burned understory with blowdowns on trail but some living trees. After that it’s scorched earth - nothing alive for over a mile and the tread is hard to follow. A LOT of burned trees have fallen on the trail. Once you get to the Battle Creek/elk lake jct campsites, There are a very small amount of living trees here and a useable campsite or two. The trail to cross Battle Creek was extremely hard to find. So many blown down burned trees by the creek. The fire also has eroded the banks so I really couldn’t tell where the trail goes after the creek. Trail conditions on this entire trail are pretty rough. It kind of looks like the rest of the trail north might not be burned but it’s hard to say.
Thanks for the update! This is one of my favorite trails and even though it's burned, I am very glad to know that some parts of the trail look the same as always. I'll have to go check this out later this summer.
Re: Elk lake creek from elk lake
Posted: June 5th, 2023, 4:33 pm
by VitaminW
RobFromRedland wrote: ↑June 4th, 2023, 8:13 pm
Thanks for the info - I haven't been on the southern part of this trail for quite a number of years. It doesn't surprise me it is pretty rough - it doesn't get a ton of traffic and the damage from the fires I figured was not good.
I've hiked the northern 2 miles of the trail in the last couple of years and it is is pretty rough shape as well. That area burned in 2010 as well as the Bull Complex fire in 2021, so it has gotten hammered pretty hard too. I haven't gone past the first creek crossing from the north since the fires though.
It is sad because this trail has/had some of the most beautiful scenery on it.
I'm surprised you made it to Elk Lake this early!
Ugh that’s a bummer- I was hoping to hike it from north end on down as it sounds amazing. It’s a bummer that it burned in both 2010
And 2021
I wish I could get better aerials or ideas of the boundaries of the bull complex fire.
As far as getting up there, the last 1/4 mile
Was snow so I parked a ways back from the lake. A couple of people including one in a polaris tried to drive over the snow and got stuck so I was glad I didn’t attempt it!
Re: Elk lake creek from elk lake
Posted: June 5th, 2023, 4:35 pm
by VitaminW
dharmabum wrote: ↑June 5th, 2023, 5:11 am
Did you take the infamous Road 4697 up to Elk Lake? Just curious, that is the worst road I have ever been on in my life
How I made it up there without a flat I will never know.
Yes and I know people always talk about this road being so bad but honestly it’s not that bad. I wouldn’t want to go in a lowered civic or something but for a Subaru it’s fine. It’s the last mile that’s rough. The road to olallie is much worse. I think the road to opal creek was even worse before the fire, too.
Re: Elk lake creek from elk lake
Posted: June 5th, 2023, 8:56 pm
by CyrusK.
Have you ever driven the road to Frazier turnaround? I've driven both and to me, Frazier turnaround is the worst. Both require high clearance vehicles for sure.
Can confirm, Frazier turnaround is brutal! I somehow survived doing that in a Subaru impreza.
I was planning on going to Elk lake creek soon, how bad do you think the trail is from the other end?
Re: Elk lake creek from elk lake
Posted: June 6th, 2023, 4:59 am
by RobFromRedland
VitaminW wrote: ↑June 5th, 2023, 4:33 pm
Ugh that’s a bummer- I was hoping to hike it from north end on down as it sounds amazing. It’s a bummer that it burned in both 2010
And 2021
I wish I could get better aerials or ideas of the boundaries of the bull complex fire.
As far as getting up there, the last 1/4 mile
Was snow so I parked a ways back from the lake. A couple of people including one in a polaris tried to drive over the snow and got stuck so I was glad I didn’t attempt it!
Here is a map of the trail track with historical fire perimeters overlaid on it. If you click in an area, it will give you a little more info about what fire and when. Bull of the woods has had 3 major fires in the last 10+ years - Bull of the Woods fire in 2010, Motherlode fire in 2011, and the Bull Complex (the biggest) in 2021.
https://www.trailadvocate.org/MapViewer ... .gpx&o1=43
With the warm weather, that snow will be melting pretty quickly I think.