Time for another low-elevation hike in the Middle Fork. I ask Jeannie and Kyra if they want to come along on another Sunday adventure, and they agree to join me in a trip from the Dingford Creek trailhead. Our tentative plan is to hike the Middle Fork Trail upriver from Dingford Creek, then cross over near Goldmyer Hot Springs and return on the old road I biked for
Hike #11. It's an ambitious 10 miles or so, but there is very little elevation gain, so I'm hoping we can cover it quickly. We arrive at the trailhead at 10:30 AM, and I'm surprised to see three other cars there. It is a beautiful bluebird day, with temperatures in the mid 30s, though this hike is almost entirely in the woods on north-facing slopes, so we won't be getting a lot of direct sun.
We pass over the sturdy bridge to the other side of the Middle Fork and head upriver, passing huge old growth trees and giant rock outcroppings. The going is pretty easy on this trail, and it's a moss-covered rain forest paradise. The trail has been well-maintained, so there very few blowdowns or muddy obstacles on the trail. We do encounter several water crossings along the way, though none are hazardous. At large and loud Wildcat Creek there is a bomb-proof bridge (to steal from another trip report of this trail) that gets us to the other side. Some of the bridges and boardwalks on this section of the trail are icy with the chilly conditions, but we keep moving to stay warm.
We continue through minor ups and downs, navigating through the many varieties of ferns and endless moss. We reach an old logging road and hop over and under a bit of blowdown - I clear what logs I can as we go. The Middle Fork area was actively logged back in the 1920s and 1930s; no bridges or railroad remains, but the signs of old roadbeds last a long time, as do the second growth timber that looks so different from the old growth nearer the river. At Rock Creek, the bridge is more natural - a huge tree has fallen across the creek and a handrail has been added to make it safe for crossing. Shortly after Rock Creek, we reach a junction with the Rock Creek Trail, which heads up to Snow Lake and beyond.
It's taken us about an hour and a half to reach this point, so we stop and have lunch. It's now decision time - do we continue on to the bridge at Goldmyer hot springs, or turn around? Or maybe head up the Rock Creek Trail? Since we don't know the condition of the Burnboot Creek crossing at Goldmyer, and we've only gone about halfway to that point, we decide to play it safe and head up Rock Creek instead. This is a trail I've always wanted to do, since reading about it in our 100 Hikes book more than 20 years ago. Billed as the "back door" to Snow Lake, it's described as steep, rocky, and challenging due to the elevation gain. Jeannie and I hiked to exactly this point back in the late 90s but I do not believe we actually started up the trail. This time, we head up and decide to give ourselves about 45 minutes before we need to turn around.
In contrast to the old description, we find the Rock Creek Trail to be a delight. It does go through second growth forest for the first 500' of elevation gain or so, but the trail is graded gently and surrounded on all sides by lovely moss. I'm hoping to break out of the trees at some point so we can get some views on this gorgeous day, but it's not looking promising. On my satellite map, I can see the trail crosses a large open area about halfway up to Snow Lake, and it looks like we may be able to reach it before our 1:30 cutoff. We pass a few small rock slides and enter the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, noting a lovely boulder next to the trail that I have dubbed "the moss monster". So far, I'm not seeing where this trail gets ugly. At about 2400' of elevation, we start seeing snow, and by 2500' it's covering the trail. None of us are wearing spikes, but the snow is so crusted over that we can walk on top of it without even sinking in, especially those of us who are only 12 years old. Some other adventurer has also been here since the big snow and left their boot prints for us to step in where the snow is softer.
We just make it to the clearing before our turnaround time, and boy is it worth it! The views open up to Wright Mountain to our right, Mount Garfield behind us down the Middle Fork, and most impressively of all, Rock Creek Falls tumbling over 1000' down from Snow Lake! I hadn't remembered that this trail featured such a spectacular waterfall, and it makes the elevation gain completely forgotten. It's hard to get a decent picture of the waterfall without a zoom lens, but our eyes can take it all in from top to bottom. Be sure to check out the full photo album below for the video. I know that from this spot, there is another 1400' of elevation to reach Snow Lake, so I guess that's where the trail may get harder, but it definitely doable. We'll be back here some day with overnight packs on to do the High Lakes Loop - an epic three or four day adventure that will hit 10 lakes, about half of them off trail. The best part of taking this route to Snow Lake is the utter lack of crowds. We see not a single soul on this trail the entire day, whereas the route to Snow Lake from Alpental on a weekend will see many, many hundreds of visitors. Interestingly, this route from Alpental down Rock Creek used to be the official route to Goldmyer Hot Springs.
With our snow and waterfall quota fulfilled, we start the long walk back to Dingford Creek. One thing's for sure - this route to Snow Lake is a lot longer! It's a bit more than four miles back to the car from where we turned around, and would have been over six from the lake. We pass the moss monster and the second growth forest before arriving back at Rock Creek and heading downriver again. Our legs start to get a bit weary, but the Middle Fork Trail makes for easy walking and the water-based scenery soothes the soul. We arrive back at the trailhead after about five hours, and after a short side trip to check out Dingford Creek Falls, we pack it up and head for home. Our unplanned reconnaissance mission to Rock Creek has been a great success, and I'm thrilled to have had some company in what would have otherwise been another lonely trip!
Stats
Time: 5 hours
Distance: 8.3 miles
Elevation Gain: 1300'
Sights: Rock Creek Falls
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