Sheep Canyon Trail starting from Blue Lake trailhead was one of my first hikes in PNW 6 or 7 years ago, and yet before the last Sunday I somehow never found time to do the whole loop. Well, I wanted to see more fall colors and remembered there was a lot of vine maple on this trail - so it was a go.
MSH from Crescent Ridge
The hike was about 11.5 miles and 2850 elevation gain
The trail started through fairly recent mud/rock avalanche (happened some time after my first hike there), but in about 1/3 mile it crosses Coldspring Creek and enters live, ancient forest
Blue Lake has a good side trail to it, I skipped it this time
Maples were definitely good on sheltered parts of the trail
...while being almost done for the season on windy slopes
Mushrooms added color, too
As did thimbleberries
I have nothing for scale, but these trees are big. Very clean forest, too - you can walk in any direction off the trail, not much undergrowth
At Sheep Canyon, I took the trail on the right uphill & along the canyon (trail straight crosses it on the bridge, I will come back that way). There were a couple of narrow views of MSH over the canyon, but the mountain was mostly hidden in clouds. The weather was still uncertain at this point.
But as I reached Loowit Trail's upper crossing of Sheep Canyon, it decided to clear up
The summit was still in the clouds, but as I'd learn later, it wouldn't be visible from this point behind a lower ridge. Canyon crossing was uneventful - 2 or 3 steep gullies probably up to 10 feet deep, and after so much rain the creek was still dry.
Lots of super-healthy beargrass up there (2-foot big "pillows"). Note to self - need to come back here in July. Also saw some lupine
Is it pretty late for paintbrush?
These Oregon Suns got not only the timing, but also the state wrong
Looking back at the canyon, with some snags killed by eruption. I was right near blast zone boundary
Still some red on huckleberries
Blast area here is mostly overgrown with young trees, that still allow the view of the mountain
Soon, the view of S Fork Toutle River Canyon opens up (second canyon behind a small ridge in this picture), and you can see all the peaks of Margaret Backcountry further to the NE
and fresh snow cap on Mt. Adams (right)
This lenticular started growing "in the middle of nowhere", I couldn't tell over which landmark it formed other than probably St. Helens crater walls made the wind blow this way
Still growing...
Looking back on the mountain as we started our descent
The trail goes along the canyon for a while, then ducks back into the forest. This was the only non-maintained stretch of the trail (probably 1.5 miles) with a few rough places, but certainly the most scenic part of the hike. Other parts of this loop look to be brushed out this past summer and in great condition.
Toutle Ridge sure looks interesting, and as I understand it's mostly state forest/BLM land, but with current road access it will be a multi-day trip. Probably next summer...
On the other side of the ridge, the trail gets close to this unnamed canyon. We'll cross the creek down there 2 miles later...
Back on the north side of the ridge - S Fork Toutle River, another trail junction and our lowest point of the hike
But a bit before the lower junction this sign (for those facing uphill) almost sent me backtracking. My map said 1.5 miles to Sheep Canyong Trail from that junction, so it looked like I missed it by 1.25 miles? Luckily I continued some more downhill and soon found my junction. No signs is better than wrong signs
Lenticular had grown quite a bit by now
Saw some more fall colors in the sheltered canyon
And those huge shrooms (not the biggest, I was just lazy to walk off-trail). Some blowdown here and wet crossing of 2 creeks, then a looong uphill.
Rounded the last ridge to this view of Sheep Canyon bridge. At least I don't have to walk down this one
St. Helens view from Sheep Canyon bidge
The last hour or so, I went by flashlight but it was a part I saw earlier in the day.
Great hike and very diverse - with lake, impressive old growth, flowers, huckleberries (earlier in the season), fall colors, mountain and canyon views, mossy creeks, areas desolated by eruption... Will certainly do this loop again next fall
St Helens - Sheep Canyon Loop 10.19.14
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Re: St Helens - Sheep Canyon Loop 10.19.14
great TR and photos...ST Helen host large Elk population... during rut will see hundreds but not where you hiked
- sprengers4jc
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Re: St Helens - Sheep Canyon Loop 10.19.14
Great pics! And good to know dogs are allowed on it so we can take ours. Those giant mushrooms are Bear's Head Tooth Mushrooms. They are edible, and sell for about $16 a pound in our local grocers .
'We travel not to escape life but for life to not escape us.'
-Unknown
-Unknown
Re: St Helens - Sheep Canyon Loop 10.19.14
Wow - good to know! I pick mushrooms but this is not the kind I know/ever tried. Yes this trail is good for dogs (some spots near canyons are high and steep, but most of the hike has little height exposure), and not crowded - I think I saw one group beyond the first 1/4 mile.sprengers4jc wrote:Great pics! And good to know dogs are allowed on it so we can take ours. Those giant mushrooms are Bear's Head Tooth Mushrooms. They are edible, and sell for about $16 a pound in our local grocers .
Re: St Helens - Sheep Canyon Loop 10.19.14
Funny - It was one of my first hikes too after moving to the area in 2007! The NF-8123 road was washed out 2 or 3 miles (I think the latter) before the trailhead when I went there. Not having a map, I walked from the washout and when I got there, the trailhead was quite impressive:Sheep Canyon Trail starting from Blue Lake trailhead was one of my first hikes in PNW 6 or 7 years ago
With a map, I could have driven to within a few hundred yards of the trailhead. I should do that loop again, it was very enjoyable... Thank you for allowing me to travel down memory lane!
PS: I have always thought that you and Pepper (and other hiking members of your family) were 100% natives!
Some people are really fit at eighty; thankfully I still have many years to get into shape…
- sprengers4jc
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Re: St Helens - Sheep Canyon Loop 10.19.14
2007 must be the year of the transplants, as we moved here from NC that year as well .
'We travel not to escape life but for life to not escape us.'
-Unknown
-Unknown
Re: St Helens - Sheep Canyon Loop 10.19.14
Me toosprengers4jc wrote:2007 must be the year of the transplants, as we moved here from NC that year as well .
Moved here in May 2007 from NY
Re: St Helens - Sheep Canyon Loop 10.19.14
No, we are originally from Belarus (Pepper is Utan), moved here in 2003. We didn't "discover" hiking until about 2006 - we knew there are some hiking trails here and there, but couldn't even imagine hundreds and thousands miles of them.Peder wrote:I have always thought that you and Pepper (and other hiking members of your family) were 100% natives!
Your photo of washout in 2007 - I remember it well; a year or 2 after my first hike there, I tried to get back to Sheep Canyon and hiked that closed road up to the lake. I think Sullivan in his book mentioned two other lahars in this place in mid-1990's. I think if I camped at Blue Lake and it came to downpour like we had last week, I'd leave the slide area fast.
Re: St Helens - Sheep Canyon Loop 10.19.14
Any good camping on the loop? I'm thinking of doing it this weekend. Are you interested?
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Re: St Helens - Sheep Canyon Loop 10.19.14
Did you make it out this weekend? We day hiked the loop on Saturday. There is one nice camp spot right at the beginning of the lollipop portion of the hike.miah66 wrote:Any good camping on the loop? I'm thinking of doing it this weekend. Are you interested?
Thanks,
Mike J
Mike J