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Curtis Ridge, 22 May, 2022
Twelve hikers and a dog enjoyed a hike with unparalleled views of distant snowy peaks, the bounteous green of spring, and a good helping of wildflowers. The route set off from near Hardware Ranch and followed Curtis Creek for about half a mile before crossing it on a sturdy metal bridge. It then climbed up a winding path to Curtis Ridge, where the views in every direction were spectacular. Finally it ended at a spring and a small pond.
After an early lunch near the pond we took a short walk up a nearby slope to look into Dry Curtis Creek, an impressive drainage that would have been useful for a loop hike if there had been a good trail down into it.
The wind came up after lunch and made it a bit chilly, especially in the exposed areas, but the sun came out from the clouds periodically and let us warm up a bit.
On the return trip one hiker found another trail that left the two-track we had been following and joined it again farther down.
There were a few moderately wet areas on the trail but the rest was dry and easy to travel. We never saw any people except near the camping area where the route started and ended.
Trip Summary:
- Twelve hikers: April, Susan, Young, Teresa, Dave P., Kathy, Jane E., Ralph, Joan, Jane P., Jo, Laurel (leader), and Zinnia the dog.
- Parked at the ATV parking area just past Hardware Ranch and walked a short section of dirt road until we reached Curtis Creek.
- Started hiking around 9:00, had an early lunch at the spring around 11:10 and ventured to the viewpoint into Dry Curtis Creek, started hiking back around 11:45, made it back to the cars by 1:25, and back to Logan around 2:10.
- Pleasantly cool temperatures, mostly in the 40s and 50s, mostly sunny but with a few clouds and a cool breeze at times.
- Hiked about 6.7 miles on an out-and-back route to a spring on Curtis Ridge, with about 1200 feet of elevation gain.
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| At the start of the hike | ||
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| Crossing
Curtis Creek |
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| Pointing out distant peaks | ||
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| Hiking up the
Curtis Ridge with great views all around |
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| Our destination, a spring-fed stock
pond |
The spring |
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| Lunch near the spring |
Dry Curtis Creek, as
seen from a
spot near the spring |
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| Enjoying the
view while hiking back down the trail |
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| Bluebells, Mertensia |
Redstem Filaree or Storksbill,
Erodium cicutarium |
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| Milkvetch, Astragalus |
Oregon Grape, Mahonia repens |
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| Arrowleaf Balsamroot, Balsamorhiza
sagittata |
Golden Currant, Ribes
aureum |
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| Valerian |
Purple mustard (maybe
Rockcress, Arabis) |
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| Wild Onion, Allium |
Larkspur, Delphinium |
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| Mountain Desert Parsley, Lomatium
grayii |
Indian Paintbrush, Castilleja |
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| Nine-leaf Biscuitroot, Lomatium
triternatum |
Happy hikers |
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Our GPS track shows about 6.7 miles
and 1200 feet of ascent.
You can look at our route using Google Earth or download our GPS file. |
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