Wet Fun in Ash Creek
Details
Rating: 4 miles with very little steep climbing. The altitude is about 5000 feet. Some bushwhacking and cobbly rocks.
----
This hike is in conjunction with Mindful Scramblers.
----
About doggies: this hike is very dog friendly, but bring a leash just in case. Generally the local dogs don't run loose, but they do bark sometimes and that can draw away a visiting dog. The leashes would only be needed for very short stretches of the route in any case.
----
This hike starts with a nice warm-up across country for about an hour, and then reaches a wet running creek for the remainder of the hike, will splash down this creek or well over a mile having lots of fun, and at the end, there's an old-fashioned rope swing next to the water! :)
Features: a very nice creek, lots of natural stuff, and an old abandoned water canal that was used for local agriculture many many years ago. There's even an old buried wooden water pipe we may view, a very rare thing. And this one is 6 miles long!
----
The route goes up and alongside Upper Ash Creek near New Harmony. Ash Creek drains the north side of the Pine Valley Mountains (where the heavy snow is!). Currently the creek is flowing slowly, but by the hike day it make be higher or lower, depending on the rate of remaining snow melt. Should not be too strong, considering the light snowfall this winter.
----
Be aware that this creek travels through populated areas. However, it's a highly dispersed bunch of Rancho lots and the creek is a riparian zone, free from private land, so hassles with landowners are not a problem.
Also, there are numerous local roads we may travel on in case of need, so it's not like it's far out in the wilderness or anything like that.
Furthermore, it's where Ash Creek and Kanarra Creek come together, which happens in the middle of a 100 foot thick ancient lava flow. Thus it forms a kind of a mini-narrows, littered with very large broken lava rocks and splashing water. It's pretty nice but a bit slippery in spots, due to shoreline mud and wet rocks. You'll need to be pretty agile for this one!
The hike along the creek is generally fairly rough with lots of rocky cobbles and some tree branches. I don't recommend this hike for beginners unless you have some scrambling experience. Also, there's some weeds and so forth In places, so gators can help a lot.
This is not one of our premier well-curated backcountry Zion hikes! This is the real landscape of mid-elevation Utah. It does have considerable wildlife, including deer, lots of birds, and flocks of wild turkeys.
Prep: 2-3 big bottles of water.
We recommend leather gloves, stout boots, gators for the weeds, long pants, and optionally long sleeves. It's also a good idea to have a hat that can push through brush and branches if it comes to that.
About hiking the creek,it's possible to avoid getting wet, but it's far easier to just bring water shoes or old sneakers and walk straight down the creek. Lot's of fun too! :)
Meetup: We meet at the Leeds northbound I-15 onramp and carpool a few miles north to the hike site. If you are coming from the north, exit at the Black Ridge exit (#36) and park where the Old Highway begins, near the exit ramp. We'll meet you there.
See you there! :-D
----
Please Note The Following:
Meetup organizers are not tour guides and are not park rangers. Expect the same risks and take the same precautions you would if you were hiking alone. You are solely responsible for your own safety and well-being.
By signing up for and/or attending this Meetup event, you acknowledge, understand, accept, and agree that hiking and other outdoor activities can be dangerous and can cause serious bodily injury and possibly death.
The organizers of this group and current and former members cannot be held responsible or liable in any way for the actions of any participant - including you - at any event.
All attendees participate at an event at their own risk and are solely responsible for any damage to their property, and/or injury to themselves or their guests.
By signing up for and/or attending this Meetup event, you affirm that you understand this disclaimer and that you knowingly and voluntarily agree not to bring any type of claim arising out of or related to this Meetup event against the organizers of this Meetup group.