Mileage: 7.2-mile round trip
Difficulty: Hard
Elevation Gain: 2,400 feet
Major Hike Features: Despite the name, don’t count on staying dry when you hike Dry Creek! After a rough road to the trailhead, you’ll face a creek crossing that can be difficult or even dangerous during the season’s peak runoff period. The trail ends at the Cabinet Ranger District/Three Rivers Ranger District Boundary.
Just remember to come prepared. You’ll want to bring:
- Plenty of water. There is no water along the trail and the first two miles is on a mostly exposed and sunny slope.
- Hiking Poles. The trial is steep with loose rock.
- A map. The trail can be hard to find sometimes.
- Long pants. Overgrown brush, downed trees, can be abundant in early summer before our volunteer trail crew clears the path.
- A trowel to do your business and a bag for your trash. There is no bathroom at the trailhead so you’ll have to bury your business and pack out your toilet paper.
Getting to the Trailhead: Drive Highway 56 to milepost 12.5, then turn west onto FS 1118. The trailhead, complete with plenty of parking and room for horse trailers, is about 1.5 miles down the road, the last half mile of which is quite rough. Take a vehicle fit for the conditions.
