Date Hiked: May 21, 2015
General Condition: Wilderness Freeway (Heavily used and well maintained)
The trail is mostly free of Poison oak as far as Spruce Creek campground . The trail at the big washout between Spruce Creek and Estrella campgrounds has been widened by a CCC trail crew. River crossing at Spruce Creek OK. Ticks are present on the trail in sunny sections. Spruce Creek trail towards Dutra Flats been cleared of poison oak for about the first two miles past the junction. Bring your own clippers for the rest. A short detour has been cut around the very large tree across the trail about 2 miles in. Water available along Salmon and Spruce creeks.
Salmon Creek Trail
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jennifertota
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Wed Aug 27, 2014 7:09 pm
Re: Salmon Creek Trail
Date Hiked: February 14, 2015
General Condition: Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined)
Hiked Salmon Creek Trail from Highway 1 to Estrella campground where we stayed for the weekend. We were there for a holiday weekend and on Saturday night almost every "campsite" at Estrella was full, although plenty of space to make camp around those. Trail was well maintained and clear. Very little poison oak that we saw. The slide just past Spruce was passable although very narrow in places with loose gravel. Water crossings were relatively easy. A pole made both the slide areas and the water crossings much easier. Plenty of water in the creek. Beautiful hike overall!
General Condition: Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined)
Hiked Salmon Creek Trail from Highway 1 to Estrella campground where we stayed for the weekend. We were there for a holiday weekend and on Saturday night almost every "campsite" at Estrella was full, although plenty of space to make camp around those. Trail was well maintained and clear. Very little poison oak that we saw. The slide just past Spruce was passable although very narrow in places with loose gravel. Water crossings were relatively easy. A pole made both the slide areas and the water crossings much easier. Plenty of water in the creek. Beautiful hike overall!
Re: Salmon Creek Trail
Date Hiked: January 3, 2015
General Condition: Wilderness Freeway (Heavily used and well maintained)
Date Hiked: January 3, 2015
General Condition: Wilderness Freeway (Heavily used and well maintained)
Darlene and I hiked the Salmon Creek Trail today to Spruce Camp and a bit beyond to the Slide about 1/4 mile from Spruce and Salmon Creek confluence.
The trail is in good shape all the way to the Spruce Creek Junction. Almost no encroaching brush to speak of . It can be classified as a Wilderness Freeway in most parts. Clear the few remaining Spots. The trail survived the December storms well.
The tree just before the Spruce Creek Junction has been cleared.
Crossing Spruce Creek was easy as the water flow was not that great. Apole always helps with this crossing. The Slide above Spruce Camp could really use some work. Especially the hanging cliff above the far end which one has to take his pack off our get on all fours to get around in most cases.
General Condition: Wilderness Freeway (Heavily used and well maintained)
- Removed Tree before Spruce Creek Junction
General Condition: Wilderness Freeway (Heavily used and well maintained)
Darlene and I hiked the Salmon Creek Trail today to Spruce Camp and a bit beyond to the Slide about 1/4 mile from Spruce and Salmon Creek confluence.
The trail is in good shape all the way to the Spruce Creek Junction. Almost no encroaching brush to speak of . It can be classified as a Wilderness Freeway in most parts. Clear the few remaining Spots. The trail survived the December storms well.
The tree just before the Spruce Creek Junction has been cleared.
Crossing Spruce Creek was easy as the water flow was not that great. Apole always helps with this crossing. The Slide above Spruce Camp could really use some work. Especially the hanging cliff above the far end which one has to take his pack off our get on all fours to get around in most cases.
- Attachments
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- Salmon Creek Canyon
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- Spruce Camp
Re: Salmon Creek Trail
Date Hiked: October 17, 2014
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
There is a large dead fall a few yards before the Spruce creek junction. Not an easy climb over as it is a good three and a half foot drop on the far side.
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
There is a large dead fall a few yards before the Spruce creek junction. Not an easy climb over as it is a good three and a half foot drop on the far side.
- Attachments
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- dead fall across Salmon creek trail
Re: Salmon Creek Trail to Spruce Creek Trail Junction
Date Hiked: September 27, 2014
General Condition: Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined)
Ten of us hiked the Salmon Creek Trail to Dutra Flat today. The weather was perfect, cool breeze and not to warm. Bugs were at a minimum. The trail itself is clear all the way to Spruce Creek Trail Junction, except for a couple of small slides and a large Bay tree about 3 feet in diameter came down across the trail just before Spruce Creek Junction. One can get over it relatively easily. Someone had but a large nail in the top to use as a hand hold. Note, early in the morning the tree was covered in biting ants.
Quick Note: Dutra Flat Camp is dry. There is no running water coming out of the pipe and the trough is totally empty. You may find water if you know where the spring box is.
General Condition: Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined)
Ten of us hiked the Salmon Creek Trail to Dutra Flat today. The weather was perfect, cool breeze and not to warm. Bugs were at a minimum. The trail itself is clear all the way to Spruce Creek Trail Junction, except for a couple of small slides and a large Bay tree about 3 feet in diameter came down across the trail just before Spruce Creek Junction. One can get over it relatively easily. Someone had but a large nail in the top to use as a hand hold. Note, early in the morning the tree was covered in biting ants.
Quick Note: Dutra Flat Camp is dry. There is no running water coming out of the pipe and the trough is totally empty. You may find water if you know where the spring box is.
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Orion
Re: Salmon Creek Trail
Date Hiked: September 20, 2014
General Condition: Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined)
Hiked to Estrella Camp on Saturday with a group. We were left mid-morning and met up with a ranger when we got to Spruce Camp. The water was flowing well, but someone had thrashed one of the campsites and lit a fire despite current restrictions. We continued on to Estrella but things go a bit dicey just past Spruce, where the is a landslide, and the trail narrows considerably for 30-40 ft, and you almost have to hug a rock face. The path is crumbly with slide material. Once you get past that, the trail is fine. We were the first group there, and campsites filled up quickly once the sun started setting so get there early if you are going on the weekend and want your pick of the best campsites. Plenty of water at Estrella, but not flowing as quickly as Spruce. Temps stayed around 50 overnight. Enjoyed it, and Ill go back some day, but it reminded me how old and out of shape I am.
General Condition: Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined)
Hiked to Estrella Camp on Saturday with a group. We were left mid-morning and met up with a ranger when we got to Spruce Camp. The water was flowing well, but someone had thrashed one of the campsites and lit a fire despite current restrictions. We continued on to Estrella but things go a bit dicey just past Spruce, where the is a landslide, and the trail narrows considerably for 30-40 ft, and you almost have to hug a rock face. The path is crumbly with slide material. Once you get past that, the trail is fine. We were the first group there, and campsites filled up quickly once the sun started setting so get there early if you are going on the weekend and want your pick of the best campsites. Plenty of water at Estrella, but not flowing as quickly as Spruce. Temps stayed around 50 overnight. Enjoyed it, and Ill go back some day, but it reminded me how old and out of shape I am.
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Wonderer
Re: Salmon Creek Trail
Date Hiked: September 21, 2014
General Condition: Wilderness Freeway (Heavily used and/or well maintained)
Hiked from Hwy. 1 to Estella camp. The trail was clear and well maintained, and even a couple of areas where the trail had eroded were repaired recently.
It rained a bit a few days ago, and there was plenty of water at Spruce Camp (a few guys were actually swimming in the stream in a waist-deep pool). Continuing on toward Estrella Camp, we found adequate water there, but flowing pretty slowly. Ran into a cool couple at Estrella at one campsite, and a couple of families were at the one down by the river. Overall, a fantastic hike - trail was in very good condition, and there was plenty of water. Highly recommended!
General Condition: Wilderness Freeway (Heavily used and/or well maintained)
Hiked from Hwy. 1 to Estella camp. The trail was clear and well maintained, and even a couple of areas where the trail had eroded were repaired recently.
It rained a bit a few days ago, and there was plenty of water at Spruce Camp (a few guys were actually swimming in the stream in a waist-deep pool). Continuing on toward Estrella Camp, we found adequate water there, but flowing pretty slowly. Ran into a cool couple at Estrella at one campsite, and a couple of families were at the one down by the river. Overall, a fantastic hike - trail was in very good condition, and there was plenty of water. Highly recommended!
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jellybean
Re: Salmon Creek Trail
Date Hiked: August 8, 2014
General Condition: Wilderness Freeway (Heavily used and/or well maintained)
We did a one night trip to Estrella Camp. Be aware that hunting season just started for deer and we ran into a few in the creekbed near Estrella (not sure it was a good idea for them to be so near a campground hunting) so we relocated back to Spruce Creek.
There was still plenty of water flowing in Salmon Creek. Estrella Creek and Spruce Creek were low and but flowing slowly.
The trail is fairly clear of poison oak and it was easy to identify in the surrounding area because it was turning red. Nature seems to think it's already autumn with the ferns and sycamore trees turning yellow, too (probably due to the lack of rain this year).
Nice to see that all the folks camping at Spruce were cooperating with the "no campfire in the backcountry" regulations.
General Condition: Wilderness Freeway (Heavily used and/or well maintained)
We did a one night trip to Estrella Camp. Be aware that hunting season just started for deer and we ran into a few in the creekbed near Estrella (not sure it was a good idea for them to be so near a campground hunting) so we relocated back to Spruce Creek.
There was still plenty of water flowing in Salmon Creek. Estrella Creek and Spruce Creek were low and but flowing slowly.
The trail is fairly clear of poison oak and it was easy to identify in the surrounding area because it was turning red. Nature seems to think it's already autumn with the ferns and sycamore trees turning yellow, too (probably due to the lack of rain this year).
Nice to see that all the folks camping at Spruce were cooperating with the "no campfire in the backcountry" regulations.
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Golden Family
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Thu Jul 17, 2014 10:42 pm
Re: Salmon Creek Trail
Date Hiked: July 14, 2014
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
We hiked a 3 day loop, Up salmon Creek to lions den (night one) then down Cruikshank to Villa Creek to get water and Relax and then continue on to buckeye trail to Buckeye camp (night 2) and hiked out back to Highway 1 at Salmon Creek Trail head.
At the beginning of Day 1 Fully loaded with Water/food and gear... I thought uh oh! it was a steep grind right off the bat up Salmon creek trail. My Wife and my two sons 14 and 17. up to Spruce Camp and on to Estrella camp trail was well defined and passable. We stopped and Pumped water at Estrella Camp. There were several Slide areas... I kept wondering "is this the slide area everyone was mentioning" and then I came to the slide area... It really wasn't that bad. just kept our footing and were careful and it was passable no problem. However! North of Estrella trail became Difficult the trail had a lot of of encroaching brush.At times I had to actually get on my knees to get under brush which was no fun with a heavy pack, there was a lot of small land slides across the trail. We were on a mission and weren't about to turn back so we pushed on.. it was a tough hike up to the fire road the brush was tough to deal with and it was a Hot Day. it was pretty challenging for my family and I. There was a LOT of poison oak on trail if you are allergic do not attempt this hike. I learned a lot on this hike as we are not pro's and realized we really need to lighten our packs...i was over 30lbs. and my 17 year old son and wife were both 28 to 29 pounds of gear including water, after 7 miles of uphill it starts to wear on you. continuing on to lions den we where exhausted and tired it felt good to lay down. I think we picked a real tough time of year to attempt this loop. I was surprised that we did not see any wildlife? except for some squirrels. The views and the trail were Beautiful. once we went north on the fire road .01 mile to Cruickshank trail and got onto that trail heading towards Lions den camp the trail was WIDE OPEN we could have walked side by side it was real nice must have just recently been cut back. Lions Den Camp was nice with a great view up on the hill, there was a little creek there with just a little water... we could have pumped some water there in an emergency but decided we had plenty to get down to Villa Creek. I will Continue this post on the Cruikshank trial report.
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
We hiked a 3 day loop, Up salmon Creek to lions den (night one) then down Cruikshank to Villa Creek to get water and Relax and then continue on to buckeye trail to Buckeye camp (night 2) and hiked out back to Highway 1 at Salmon Creek Trail head.
At the beginning of Day 1 Fully loaded with Water/food and gear... I thought uh oh! it was a steep grind right off the bat up Salmon creek trail. My Wife and my two sons 14 and 17. up to Spruce Camp and on to Estrella camp trail was well defined and passable. We stopped and Pumped water at Estrella Camp. There were several Slide areas... I kept wondering "is this the slide area everyone was mentioning" and then I came to the slide area... It really wasn't that bad. just kept our footing and were careful and it was passable no problem. However! North of Estrella trail became Difficult the trail had a lot of of encroaching brush.At times I had to actually get on my knees to get under brush which was no fun with a heavy pack, there was a lot of small land slides across the trail. We were on a mission and weren't about to turn back so we pushed on.. it was a tough hike up to the fire road the brush was tough to deal with and it was a Hot Day. it was pretty challenging for my family and I. There was a LOT of poison oak on trail if you are allergic do not attempt this hike. I learned a lot on this hike as we are not pro's and realized we really need to lighten our packs...i was over 30lbs. and my 17 year old son and wife were both 28 to 29 pounds of gear including water, after 7 miles of uphill it starts to wear on you. continuing on to lions den we where exhausted and tired it felt good to lay down. I think we picked a real tough time of year to attempt this loop. I was surprised that we did not see any wildlife? except for some squirrels. The views and the trail were Beautiful. once we went north on the fire road .01 mile to Cruickshank trail and got onto that trail heading towards Lions den camp the trail was WIDE OPEN we could have walked side by side it was real nice must have just recently been cut back. Lions Den Camp was nice with a great view up on the hill, there was a little creek there with just a little water... we could have pumped some water there in an emergency but decided we had plenty to get down to Villa Creek. I will Continue this post on the Cruikshank trial report.
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scott113341
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sun Jun 22, 2014 2:21 pm
Re: Salmon Creek Trail
Date Hiked: June 20, 2014
General Condition: Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined)
Hiked on Salmon Creek trail northbound from Highway 1 up to the fire road.
From Highway 1 up to Spruce Creek Camp the trail is clear. Nothing out of the ordinary to report.
Spruce Creek Camp to Estrella Camp is also clear, but there are many places where the trail has been washed out, making for a precarious crossing (we had packs on). There is one large slide in particular that other hikers have mentioned. It is about 20m across and very steep, very dangerous. We had to shuttle the packs across this slide.
North of Estrella camp the trail becomes difficult. We decided to push through, but there was a LOT of encroachment from brush, and many yucca plants lining the trail. TONS of spider webs. Long pants an absolute necessity for this section. Sunglasses or some sort of eye protection is also a must or you'll get poked in the eye by a stray branch.
We found water along the trail at:
On our way up the canyon we stopped at Lower Salmon Creek Falls for a little romp in the pool. Great spot, I highly recommend it!
We saw one man on a day hike at Spruce Creek Camp while we were packing up camp.
General Condition: Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined)
Hiked on Salmon Creek trail northbound from Highway 1 up to the fire road.
From Highway 1 up to Spruce Creek Camp the trail is clear. Nothing out of the ordinary to report.
Spruce Creek Camp to Estrella Camp is also clear, but there are many places where the trail has been washed out, making for a precarious crossing (we had packs on). There is one large slide in particular that other hikers have mentioned. It is about 20m across and very steep, very dangerous. We had to shuttle the packs across this slide.
North of Estrella camp the trail becomes difficult. We decided to push through, but there was a LOT of encroachment from brush, and many yucca plants lining the trail. TONS of spider webs. Long pants an absolute necessity for this section. Sunglasses or some sort of eye protection is also a must or you'll get poked in the eye by a stray branch.
We found water along the trail at:
- Spruce Creek Camp
Salmon Creek (highest confirmed water about 1.5 miles north of Estrella Camp)
Estrella Camp
On our way up the canyon we stopped at Lower Salmon Creek Falls for a little romp in the pool. Great spot, I highly recommend it!
We saw one man on a day hike at Spruce Creek Camp while we were packing up camp.
