Udink
08-08-2010, 10:49 PM
I rode the Fish Creek National Recreation Trail (http://www.americantrails.org/NRTDatabase/trailDetail.php?recordID=2360) this evening. I only made it two miles into the trail before tiring of the rocks, boulders, and thick brush overgrowing the trail. It's a pretty canyon, but the trail could use some serious maintenance. It looks like it gets mostly foot and horse traffic--I didn't see any signs of bikes having been on the trail recently.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=http:%2F%2Fudink.org%2Fgeo%2FFishCreekTrail.kmz&sll=39.59941,-110.810715&sspn=0.064679,0.169086&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=14
http://udink.org/geo/FishCreekTrail.kmz
The trail starts out at a campground/picnic area a couple of miles west of Scofield Reservoir. There's a new bridge crossing Fish Creek at the trailhead. The old bridge used to be 3/4-mile up the trail, but it washed out several years ago, and the Forest Service just recently got around to putting in a new bridge and building a new trail connecting to where the old bridge used to be. The old trail is still there, and is better than the new one, but it ends where the old bridge used to be (unless you want to get wet). The newly constructed trail had a lot of loose rocks, but it was still decent.
At the trailhead
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TF96vxmICMI/AAAAAAAAN_g/ReRmDOHFtR4/s800/IMG_6397.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6ehhHmiwnX6c85EwQVcOVw)
The new bridge
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TF96yB9A-uI/AAAAAAAAN_o/eMBfH7czPqY/s800/IMG_6340.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/iZzoZtN-V1eikvabD3mAOQ)
A steep climb immediately after the bridge
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TF96zEZL3dI/AAAAAAAAN_s/SBq70o4iDtY/s800/IMG_6342.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/52_zwffBlnMhwyKzxZ0pew)
View downstream along Fish Creek
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TF960ODp2ZI/AAAAAAAAN_w/zxLfZJ4CUoU/s800/IMG_6345.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/GMiYR73-77pjgMVGYzEaNA)
Halfway between the new and old bridges
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TF9617SZ2nI/AAAAAAAAN_4/w0-ExzuI_h8/s800/IMG_6349.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/g0UtRauBWN1LUalHTnO3Yw)
An ugly section of trail
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TF963boJrRI/AAAAAAAAOAA/PTLxPwhWH24/s800/IMG_6355.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/k_xmkKbLPJpIk9fAPKNV4w)
Remnants of the old bridge
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TF9648f5pjI/AAAAAAAAOAE/ZCa0hmRt-X0/s800/IMG_6357.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/OPB3fKP2EKB5RK1AfNRSuw)
After coming back to the original trail above where the old bridge used to be, the trail was a bit nicer. However, after another 3/4-mile, it got really ugly--lots of rocks, small boulders, and thick brush covering the trail. I went as far as I could stand, but after a full two miles into the trail, I had to turn around. My legs were taking a beating, and so were the sidewalls on my tires.
This was a pretty good section of trail
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TF967IC5pjI/AAAAAAAAOAQ/_fR06iLMOZk/s800/IMG_6365.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7BBuvysIUCIeOqsjrf8SjQ)
More nice, smooth trail
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TF968XWBX0I/AAAAAAAAOAU/6lJ62rlCmCU/s800/IMG_6367.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/l4oxJDTSp9j21ZrZZtMG3w)
Starting to get rocky again
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TF96-aGGxsI/AAAAAAAAOAc/6jUUhZ-EHcQ/s800/IMG_6372.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hkSLMfNsi8ypRA9aXHt-rQ)
Hmm...this looked edible, but I didn't know for sure and wouldn't dare try
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TF97AJCA4kI/AAAAAAAAOAk/TKYTMkyGJmc/s800/IMG_6374.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/NI4yFXP298Jd1a8QKArVBQ)
I turned around here when the sagebrush really narrowed up
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TF97EJZEnGI/AAAAAAAAOA4/WX7N-rLWwg0/s800/IMG_6382.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/UDrE5Kky0hYVljJ9zaI16A)
Letting my shirt dry out back at the trailhead
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TF97GWL4cbI/AAAAAAAAOBA/8gjd2WSiyXk/s800/IMG_6401.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/JUvFPpbi15F84ulrv_tLLA)
Scofield Reservoir where Fish Creek enters
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TF97JQRaHFI/AAAAAAAAOBM/a7VcZAzlRvs/s800/IMG_6412.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/wBjg0WshznFfVpCKJyUCaA)
FishCreekTrail
http://picasaweb.google.com/Dennis.Udink/FishCreekTrail#
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=http:%2F%2Fudink.org%2Fgeo%2FFishCreekTrail.kmz&sll=39.59941,-110.810715&sspn=0.064679,0.169086&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=14
http://udink.org/geo/FishCreekTrail.kmz
The trail starts out at a campground/picnic area a couple of miles west of Scofield Reservoir. There's a new bridge crossing Fish Creek at the trailhead. The old bridge used to be 3/4-mile up the trail, but it washed out several years ago, and the Forest Service just recently got around to putting in a new bridge and building a new trail connecting to where the old bridge used to be. The old trail is still there, and is better than the new one, but it ends where the old bridge used to be (unless you want to get wet). The newly constructed trail had a lot of loose rocks, but it was still decent.
At the trailhead
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TF96vxmICMI/AAAAAAAAN_g/ReRmDOHFtR4/s800/IMG_6397.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6ehhHmiwnX6c85EwQVcOVw)
The new bridge
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TF96yB9A-uI/AAAAAAAAN_o/eMBfH7czPqY/s800/IMG_6340.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/iZzoZtN-V1eikvabD3mAOQ)
A steep climb immediately after the bridge
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TF96zEZL3dI/AAAAAAAAN_s/SBq70o4iDtY/s800/IMG_6342.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/52_zwffBlnMhwyKzxZ0pew)
View downstream along Fish Creek
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TF960ODp2ZI/AAAAAAAAN_w/zxLfZJ4CUoU/s800/IMG_6345.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/GMiYR73-77pjgMVGYzEaNA)
Halfway between the new and old bridges
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TF9617SZ2nI/AAAAAAAAN_4/w0-ExzuI_h8/s800/IMG_6349.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/g0UtRauBWN1LUalHTnO3Yw)
An ugly section of trail
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TF963boJrRI/AAAAAAAAOAA/PTLxPwhWH24/s800/IMG_6355.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/k_xmkKbLPJpIk9fAPKNV4w)
Remnants of the old bridge
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TF9648f5pjI/AAAAAAAAOAE/ZCa0hmRt-X0/s800/IMG_6357.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/OPB3fKP2EKB5RK1AfNRSuw)
After coming back to the original trail above where the old bridge used to be, the trail was a bit nicer. However, after another 3/4-mile, it got really ugly--lots of rocks, small boulders, and thick brush covering the trail. I went as far as I could stand, but after a full two miles into the trail, I had to turn around. My legs were taking a beating, and so were the sidewalls on my tires.
This was a pretty good section of trail
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TF967IC5pjI/AAAAAAAAOAQ/_fR06iLMOZk/s800/IMG_6365.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7BBuvysIUCIeOqsjrf8SjQ)
More nice, smooth trail
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TF968XWBX0I/AAAAAAAAOAU/6lJ62rlCmCU/s800/IMG_6367.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/l4oxJDTSp9j21ZrZZtMG3w)
Starting to get rocky again
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TF96-aGGxsI/AAAAAAAAOAc/6jUUhZ-EHcQ/s800/IMG_6372.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hkSLMfNsi8ypRA9aXHt-rQ)
Hmm...this looked edible, but I didn't know for sure and wouldn't dare try
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TF97AJCA4kI/AAAAAAAAOAk/TKYTMkyGJmc/s800/IMG_6374.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/NI4yFXP298Jd1a8QKArVBQ)
I turned around here when the sagebrush really narrowed up
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TF97EJZEnGI/AAAAAAAAOA4/WX7N-rLWwg0/s800/IMG_6382.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/UDrE5Kky0hYVljJ9zaI16A)
Letting my shirt dry out back at the trailhead
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TF97GWL4cbI/AAAAAAAAOBA/8gjd2WSiyXk/s800/IMG_6401.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/JUvFPpbi15F84ulrv_tLLA)
Scofield Reservoir where Fish Creek enters
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TF97JQRaHFI/AAAAAAAAOBM/a7VcZAzlRvs/s800/IMG_6412.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/wBjg0WshznFfVpCKJyUCaA)
FishCreekTrail
http://picasaweb.google.com/Dennis.Udink/FishCreekTrail#