(January 12th, 2012) This hike along the lower portions of Canyon Creek has been a long time coming. I discovered this area on Google Earth a few years ago but my interest waned thinking cattle grazing and private property would make exploring less than enjoyable or even impossible. But neither issue got in the way. My original idea was to hike in the canyon itself but I’m glad I decided to take the lazy route instead.
Lower “Canyon Creek” Hike
This hike starts just off the Strike Dam Cut-Off Road. From where I parked, I saw no signs of a canyon as I gazed over the amber waves of grass to the east. I jumped the fence and headed cross-country with my dog leading the way. It wasn’t long before I was on a low bluff overlooking the Canyon Creek canyon.
Once in this shallow and very dry river valley we headed south towards CJ Strike Reservoir. Things started getting a little more interesting pretty fast. The lower or southern part of Canyon Creek carves out a gradually deepening canyon until it reaches CJ Strike. The beginning of the canyon is rather narrow and choked with old tumbleweeds and large boulders.
My plan was to hike “inside the canyon” for a while before heading back to the car. I changed my mind when I saw just how rough and tumble the hike inside the canyon would be…at least initially. So I continued south along the western side of the canyon rim thinking I might eventually find a way down. That chance never came as the canyon got deeper and the sheer cliffs made a scramble down impossible.
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| From Canyon Creek Near CJ Strike Reservoir |
I was content to just take a nice walk along the canyon rim as this wasn’t planned to be more than a short easy exploration. But the longer I walked, the cooler the scenery got and the deeper the canyon became. So I continued heading south for a while. Actually I did a stupid thing by hiking outside the planned route I left with my wife. But being outside the canyon, I felt the chances of anything bad happening to me was remote.
Overall, this was a pretty darn cool hike. The views into Canyon Creek were outstanding. I did not actually think it would be quite as deep and dramatic as it was. I’d still love to get inside that canyon but it will take a little more planning, maybe some rope and a hiking stick. The rope would be “just in case”. I would classify this hike as an “easy to moderate hike” only because the off-trail aspect.
I believe the main reason this hike stayed in my hiking queue was the fact that I have done some exploration of Canyon Creek where it comes out of the Danskin Mountains near Mountain Home, Idaho. Who knew Canyon Creek becomes such a formidable canyon just 2 miles before the Snake River?
GSP Track of Lower Canyon Creek Hike
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The Stats on Hiking Canyon Creek near CJ Strike Dam
Mileage of Hike: 2.17 miles
Average Slope of Hike: about 6%
Elevation Gain/Loss: 367 feet
Mileage from Mountain Home: 20.3 road miles with about 2.5 miles on the cushy Strike Dam Cut-Off Road.
Link to Some More Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/tim.bondy/CanyonCreekNearCJStrikeReservoir?authuser=0&feat=directlink
Heath of the Land Along This Hike
As far as I can figure, my hike was done entirely on BLM lands. Most BLM lands are heavily grazed but this area seems to be the exception. While I walked past some cow patties, this area was about as clean as it gets in southern Idaho. But the primary ground cover is cheatgrass and most dog owners know this stuff isn’t good for them.
Trash and signs of human activity were almost non-existent. I did see a few recent tire tracks and an old tire down in the canyon itself. Not exactly sure how a truck got down into this area but it had to take some determination and skillful driving.
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