A truly delightful hike along the Windy Creek trail (#362) to Windy Peak. Enjoy the sounds of Windy Creek flowing along the trail. Marvel at the devastation caused by a forest fire around year 2006 (as I was told) and the forest returning with new pine trees standing 3-12 feet tall. Spot the many animal tracks and scat piles along the trail and use your skills to identify them. Deer? Elk? Horse? Sasquatch? You decide.
Road: As reported by others, the 20 mile drive on Toats Coulee Road and FR-39 is mostly paved, with short sections of gravel. There are some potholes and a few areas of washboarding, but nothing to dissuade an average car. Also take care to avoid the cowpies left on the road by some of the many free-range cattle you will pass. The last 3 miles on FR-39-300 is all gravel, but it is in excellent condition. There is a vault toilet at the trailhead for the Windy Creek and Cathedral Driveway trails.
Trail: The Windy Creek trail is in excellent condition and easy to follow. The tread is generally smooth and soft and almost all blowdowns have been cleared (hikers have beaten a gentle path around two nested blowdowns). The trail crosses Windy Creek about 5 times, which means there are plenty of opportunities to restock your water supply, but also some muddy sections to trudge through. Water along the trail is available up to about 7400 feet elevation.
Somewhat surprising to me, the route was slightly different that that on my Gaia GPS App and on a Forest Service map I downloaded. From the trailhead, the trail goes north up a sandy bank and then northwest through a new growth forest, before crossing Windy Creek at about 3/4 mile. From there, the trail generally runs along Windy Creek, crossing a few times before deviating north of Windy Creek for about the last mile before Windy Peak. This last mile is also the steepest, with about half of the elevation gain of the hike. But push on as the views at the top are worth the effort.
Some numbers: 43°F at the trailhead at 7 a.m. and no other cars. Encountered 2 hikers on the trail during my return leg, and spotted 2 elk and 1 ground squirrel on the hike. At 1 p.m., it was 62°F at the trailhead and there were 2 other cars and a truck/horse trailer parked along the road.
Also, because this hike involved a very long drive, I elected to drive to the area the afternoon before my hike and camp at the Long Swamp Campground 3 miles from the Windy Creak trailhead. The Long Swamp campground had just the basic facilities -- a clean and stocked vault toilet, a bear-proof garbage can, and two picnic tables – but this was sufficient for my needs. On the down side, mosquitos were abundant and annoying at the campground.
Per the Forest Service, the Windy Peak trail (#342) is open from the trailhead near the Long Swamp Campground.
Comments