Hike #2
July 10, Moose Creek (~10 miles)
The Moose Creek Trail offers a fun hike up a classic mountain canyon featuring a good-sized trout stream, beaver ponds, a large meadow, waterfall and small lake.
This trail takes you into the Jedediah Smith Wilderness Area. The trail starts out tough for the first 1/8 of a mile until it climbs up to an old dirt road along the south side of the creek. From here the next mile or so is fairly easy hiking. The road eventually narrows down to a trail. The canyon is thickly forested with Douglas fir, spruce and lodgepole pine. Willow brush clogs the creek bottoms.
The trail crosses the creek on nice footbridge at the second mile. If at first you don't spot the bridge, keep looking. The horseback riders usually walk through the water. After the bridge, the trail climbs sharply for a quarter of a mile. At the three-mile mark is a small meadow fed by a spring and backed up by some busy beavers.
At 4.4 miles up the canyon, the trail comes to Moose Meadows. This huge meadow is several acres wide. The area is laced with beaver channels and slack water.
(Eastern Idaho Sweet Spots, Jerry Painter)
Tuesday, July 6
- 7:00 PM Hike plan ready
- 06:00 AM Pray and leave from church.
- 07:30 AM Arrive at Moose Creek Trailhead; start hiking.
- 11:00 AM Lunch break at Moose Meadows
- 12:00 AM Begin return hike
- 03:00 AM Arrive at trailhead and head home
- 04:00 PM Arrive in Rexburg
Scout Camp: August 2-7. Each scout will need to pay $45.
