Wenaha Trail Report Request

[Shawn Ryan]

BlackRiver, I'm absolutely willing to put boots on the ground-or in this case trail running shoes. I'll start at Misery, go down Melton, and then Crooked Creek west and up Third Creek to Indian Corral and back to Misery. I was on the Misery trail a year ago out to Oregon Butte, then south towards Weller (to a ways past McBain).  I checked the top of Melton and the top of Trout Creek then, and the top of Trout had some blow down in it. I've hiked in from Three Forks and then up First, Coyote, and Crooked Creek to Second Creek, but not for years. I can gather my own trail report, but finding out that the Third Creek portion is mostly gone during the run is less than optimal, thus the request for information.

I've never read a report on this site of anyone hunting the bottom of Crooked Creek or up Third. Trail reports in the Wenaha are hard to come by since its one of the least used wildernesses and is very lightly used by non-hunters.

Dave Waldron has given me good trail reports in the past, but part of the route is outside of his area.

[nwhunter]

On foot you can go in at three forks and cross first creek and make it up the trail along crooked creek to where it joins third creek. Follow the trail along third creek and then trout creek all the way to Dunlap. Don't expect any trail at all further up crooked creek when it meets third creek it's not really there anymore..That's what I know from last year.

[Magnum_Willys]

Yea those "trails" aren't what I expected.  You could run to the cabin at first creek after that "what trail"?

[j_h_nimrod]

Trails were great mid May. There had been a trail crew in there cutting blowdown and cleaning up washouts around the first of May. Three Forks to Third Creek and up Melton Creek almost to Chaparral Basin are all in great shape as is Crooked Creek south a few miles. It looks like the trail crew did a pretty good job cleaning up the place. All bridges are gone but there are crossings. First Creek is a little tricky, there is the main crerk crossing which is pretty grown over, but if you walk about a 100 yards past the cabin there is a good log over the creek and a little feeder trail back down the main.

[Shawn Ryan]

Thank you j_h_nimrod and nwhunter. That is exactly what I was looking for.  I don't recall there being any FS trail up Crooked Creek past Third Creek. Maybe just a hunter and game created trail.  Bridges aren't important; I can find logs or wade.

[SilkOnTheDrySide]

Guys on here telling Shawn to put more boots on the ground...

Guy has probably seen more of the unit then many of you resident "experts."

But instead of maybe helping him avoid a 7 hour wasted drive around through Oregon or just keeping your thoughts to yourself, you need to high and mighty it.

I'm not immune to being an a$$ at times myself, but this isn't a 1st time poster asking for spots, he asked for trail conditions for potentially a 20+ mile loop...



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[Timberstalker]

Guys on here telling Shawn to put more boots on the ground...

Guy has probably seen more of the unit then many of you resident "experts."

But instead of maybe helping him avoid a 7 hour wasted drive around through Oregon or just keeping your thoughts to yourself, you need to high and mighty it.

I'm not immune to being an a$$ at times myself, but this isn't a 1st time poster asking for spots, he asked for trail conditions for potentially a 20+ mile loop...



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Exactly!  He's posted plenty of times, documenting his times over in the areas.

[jackelope]

How about you just lace up those boots and get after it. Is some report a guy gives you on here really going to dictate weather you hike in or not. The amount of time your going to waste looking on here to find out what someone says. You could of looked up an accurate and recent trail report. If your that worried about the unit that you need a trail report maybe you shouldn't be wasting time in it. Sack up and get after it

Well now I know who I'm not going fishing with.
And I'lll just add to this by saying that based on his posts, I don't think Shawn Ryan needs any advice on sacking up and getting after it.

[theleo]

My best advice is to get ahold of the local Back Country Horseman group and see if any of their members have been on the trails or if/when they have any work projects on them. The only useful information from last year would be if there were any washouts or damaged bridges that went unrepaired. With this past winter there's lots of downed trees on pretty much every trail system there is.

[jackelope]

You might try @mtncook 
Not too many people on here spend as much time as he does in the Wenaha. And they do their share of trail work in there as well.


 

[mtncook]

Expect trout creek to be tough on foot.  From 3rd creek to Dunlap the brush and big rocks will slow you to a snail walk.  It's about a 3hr horseback ride from 3rd creek to Dunlap.
Trail crew has been in the lower reaches this spring.  Making the trail "Safe to Travel" but not to "Standards".
mtncook

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[mtncook]

Actually the worst brush is the 2 hours of lower Trout creek

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[Shawn Ryan]

Jackelope, Silk, Timberstalker, and mtncook:  Thanks for the input, advice, and "defense."  Based on what I've learned here, I'm confident that the trail is open enough to run.  Now I just need to find the time to get there and I really do need to "sack it up" to do that run in a descent time.  But as Cam says "Nobody cares, Work harder."

[Timberstalker]

Good luck Shawn.  I hope you post a report for us to enjoy. 

[fillthefreezer]

sounds like a "fun" run.