The hike starts in the Upper Applegate Valley,
climbs gently but steadily through a forest of mossy white oak and (eventually) pines,
before breaking out into open meadows on the S side of Mule Mtn ridge. We left the trail here and headed straight up the open slope,
to the summit of Mule Mountain (Grayback Mtn is directly above the loved one),
with its views of the Red Buttes to the S in California (they need more snow!),
and Mt. McLoughlin to the E.
The #919 trail connects with the #918 trail at an unsigned junction on the S ridge of Baldy Peak. The views from Baldy are also supposed to be great and we'll be back in the Spring for that summit (and the wildflowers
). The #918 trail traverses S across open slopes dotted with Ponderosa pines,
and provides a good view of Mule Mtn (mm), Mule Creek Canyon (mcc), Grayback (G), and the #919 trail (arrow),
and of Mule Canyon.
The #918 trail ends at FS 300 and the unsigned (but obvious) Mule Creek trail (#920) starts on the W side of the road about 50 yds to the S. Unlike the open ridges we traversed in the morning, our descent down the canyon in the afternoon was chilly and gloomy - but an ideal hike for a hot summer day. There are some amazingly ancient and large (+6' dbh) firs in the upper reaches of this canyon that are worth a visit in their own right.
Mule Creek was actually flowing and the number of small pools and falls increased as we descended.
The trail descends along the creek to about 1900', where it then climbs back up to the Mule Mtn trail to avoid private land at the mouth of the creek.
All in all, a really nice loop that accesses a number of different ecosystems, provides big views, and (in the Spring) wildflowers - definitely worth some return visits! Also a pretty good workout - 11 mi RT, 3200' EG.
