Rub it and Run

Mill Creek Canyon – Wasatch National Park – Salt Lake City, UT – June 24, 2008

I was in Salt Lake City recently for a meeting and was able to work in a great trail run through the Wasatch National Park.  When I arrived in Salt Lake I immediately went to the REI store on the East side of town.  After spending more then I had in my wallet, I wondered over to the map section to search out a trail.  It was my lucky day because Mark, a REI employee and a local hiking club member asked if I needed help.  I told him that I was a Trail Nerd from KC and what I was looking for.  He directed me to a trail system less then 5 minutes from the store.

 

 

I parked on the side of Mill Creek Canyon road in coincidentally an area called Mill Creek Canyon.  There are several places to park and good signage to gain your bearings and find the trail head that you are looking for.  I decided to park at “Church Fork” and take the connector trail up to the actual trail head for the “Mill Creek Pipeline – Loop (TR-301).  It is listed as a moderate for Aerobic level and Intermediate for technical level. 

 

There is a fairly reasonable climb from the road to the actual trail head.  The road is about 5685 ft and the connector intersects “Pipeline” at about 6000 ft. in a half mile distance.  Enough to get this Flat Landers heart rate elevated.  From there it is a “gradual” climb for the next four miles peaking at about 6800 ft at “Elbow Fork”.  This is where you can choose between a couple trails.  There is a small ranger shack, trail head and map/message board.  You are also back at Mill Creek Canyon Road.  You can turn left and take a short 3 mile jaunt up to Mount Arie with an elevation of 8,621 ft or you can cross the road and small foot bridge to take “Look-out peak loop” trail (TR-309) which is the direction I chose.

 

 

“Look-out Peak” starts out with a significant climb with switch backs peaking out at about 7400 ft.  The trail follows the south side of Mill Creek with the flow.  There are some heavily brushy areas of the trail where it is evident that does not see much regular traffic.  However, it is easily navigate able and the brush does not impede the trail.  There were a few moments when I was just waiting for a bear to appear.  However, I was assured from Mark at REI that no bears had been seen in this area of the National Forest....that he was aware of.  After you reach the high mark of 7400 ft it's all down hill from there back down to Mill Creek road at Terrace Picnic Grounds.  I then ran the road back to my car about ½ mile because I was worried I would be late for a dinner appointment.

 

There is a fee of $3.50 per car that you have to pay on the way out at a park ranger kiosk.  That’s a very small fee for such a great place to run.  There are many picnic areas and several restaurants along Mill Creek road.  I plan to check out one of the restaurants on my next visit after exploring a different trail. This is a very nice trail system with good climbs and scenery.  The trails are marked very well and maintained.  I'd recommend this area to anyone wanting to get a good run in close to the city.

The Butterfield Hiking Trail - May 25, 2008

The Butterfield Hiking Trail is a loop backpacking trail located in the Devils Den State Park in Arkansas (8 miles south of Fayetteville).  The trail is named after the Butterfield Stagecoach which ran in the area from 1858-1861. It begins inside the Devils Den SP and after about 3.5 miles leaves the park and goes through the Ozark National Forest for about 10 miles before entering the park again and finishing at the start.  The total mileage is about 15 miles.  You have to obtain a permit at the Visitors Center in Devils Den before going on the trail if you are going to use the sections out of the park.

Typical trail on the Butterfield 

The trail crosses Lee Creek at the suspension bridge inside the park and again near campground “A” where it sees its lowest point of 719 ft elevation.  After the campground it is a steady climb to Mt Olive.  The highest point on the trail is at Mt Olive (1780 ft) neat mile 3.75 just after crossing Hwy 74 if going clockwise on the loop.  The total ascent and descent is about 1700 feet each.

This photo was taken near Mt Olive.  All of the under brush in this area had been burned.  I never found out if it was a controlled burn or started by accident.  It was a pretty erie feeling running through this area.

There are many old homesteads and family cemeteries along the trail.  Some are marked and remnants of building structures and stone fences are sometimes visible.  There is a book in the Visitors Center about the families that settled in the area.

There are many scenic areas along the trail.  This area is well known for the natural sandstone and limestone crevices.  It is the largest park in the United States with both types of geological formations. One area along the trail is called Vista Point Overlook and Quall Valley at about mile 5.  This is a very dramatic and deep crevice.  From above it is almost entirely concealed by trees.  Follow the trail around to below and there is a small off shoot trail that leads into the crevice.  It is kind of a mystical place.  Many of the rocks are covered in lichen and moss.  The nearby stream flows through cascading miniature falls and collects in pools.

This is a photo from the top of a crevice in Quall Valley

This is the same crevice looking up from below

The trail runs along Blackburn Creek for sometime and through a couple of designated remote camping areas (Rock Hole Camp).  There is also a camping area (Junction Camp) at the confluence of Lee and Balckburn Creek.  There is a connector trail that leads to this area. It is about 900 ft at this location and has been all down hill from Mt Olive for the most part.  The trail turns north at this point and follows Lee Creek back to the beginning where it finishes inside Devils Den.

The trail is marked fairly well with a few exceptions.  I found myself of course a couple of times.  With a map and GPS it was easy to get oriented and back on the trail.  There are many other horse and old roads inside the Ozark National Forest that make navigation a little tricky at times.  The trail has plenty of runnable surface but it also has some very rocky to boulder sections that make running impossible.  It is very much well worth the time to check out this little Arkansas gem.

No way you run up this.....maybe down

I finished the 15 mile trail in 4hrs 13min including stops for pictures, taking in the scenery and figuring out the trail route a few times.  I’d rate this trail 8 out of 10 on the Wyco scale.  It is a moderate to intermediate difficulty level.