The Quartz Creek trail has good campsites every 2 miles for the first six miles or so, the last good camps are just after the trail crosses to the north side of the creek. It gets pretty thin after that. If you're looking to camp somewhere close to halfway, you might check out the Summit Prairie area and there is a flat site of an old fire lookout on the ridge trail just off boundary. It might be safer to carry water from near the French Ck junction on Quartz Creek as Summit Prairie will dry out quickly.
If you want to make this longer, you can go up the French Creek trail a ways, there is a good camp one mile up. Maybe even go up to Boundary from there instead of the end of Quartz Creek, though I haven't gone that way. It's on my list. You could also add mileage by starting the hike a ways down the Lewis River trail since it connects to Quartz. Starting at Middle Falls will add a total of 5 or 6 miles, or start even lower down. Lewis River Trail is flat but I'm telling you that Quartz Creek is a yo-yo - it doesn't stay close to Quartz Creek much at all, usually many hundreds of feet up, sometimes nearly a thousand. Then it drops way down for tributary crossings, then way back up, steeply.
Info on Boundary Trail - Norway Pass to Council Lake
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AlpenGlowHiker
- Posts: 81
- Joined: May 14th, 2020, 6:35 am
- Location: Portland
Re: Info on Boundary Trail - Norway Pass to Council Lake
Awesome, thank you for the info!
I saw on another thread that you suggested lewis river, so I looked into that. I think my path will be:
Middle Falls TH on Lewis River, up Quartz Creek, French Creek, Boundary to Quartz Cr, then down Quartz and Lewis to end at Speed Trail/TH to be picked up on FR 90.
Camping at or near Lewis River Horse Camp, and in Dark Meadow. I may make the final day shorter as I think about it. But so far that's the plan.
Total Mileage: 38
Elevation G/L: +13,120 -12,913
This should cover both the biggest elevation gain day, and mileage day for the trip in August.
I saw on another thread that you suggested lewis river, so I looked into that. I think my path will be:
Middle Falls TH on Lewis River, up Quartz Creek, French Creek, Boundary to Quartz Cr, then down Quartz and Lewis to end at Speed Trail/TH to be picked up on FR 90.
Camping at or near Lewis River Horse Camp, and in Dark Meadow. I may make the final day shorter as I think about it. But so far that's the plan.
Total Mileage: 38
Elevation G/L: +13,120 -12,913
This should cover both the biggest elevation gain day, and mileage day for the trip in August.
Re: Info on Boundary Trail - Norway Pass to Council Lake
You will have to swim the Lewis River to use the Speed Trail. My guess has always been that that trail was used way back when by horse riders later in the season when the water is low.