Rock Creek – Deep Creek Trail, WY

Posted: August 10th, 2009 | Author: Roger Ludwig | Filed under: Wyoming | Tags: Arlington, Crater Lake, Deep Creek, Medicine Bow National Forest, Rock Creek, Southeast Wyoming | 2 Comments »

Highlights: A lovely, long trail following the creeks of a deep, shady canyon.  It’s a popular place to stretch out because it’s so easy to get to, so well constructed and the surroundings are so peaceful and expansive.  The trail was given National Recreation Trails certification back in 1979 and along with the recognition received funding for lots of neat little bridges.  The recent Forest Service plan recommends the area be designated Wilderness.   An optional spur leads to Crater Lake, a spring-fed gem embraced by towering granite walls.

Location: The northern reach of the Medicine Bow Mountains, near the town of Arlington, 40 miles west of Laramie.

Elevations: Arlington trailhead, 7,920’; Deep Creek campground trailhead, 10,066’.

Distance: 12 to 13 miles from end to end, one way.

Maps: Medicine Bow National Forest; USGS Arlington, White Rock Canyon, Morgan and Sand Lake quads; Forest Service pamphlet “The Snowy Range Hiker.”

Guide: Marc Smith’s Hiking Wyoming’s Medicine Bow National Forest – Third Edition, Bill Hunger’s The Hiker’s Guide to Wyoming.

Trailhead: To reach Arlington from Cheyenne, WY, take I-80 90 miles west to the Arlington exit (#272).    Go south on FS-127 1-1/2 miles to the trailhead and parking.  The Deep Creek campground is on FS-101, which can be reached from WY-130 about four miles west of Centennial or from the Arlington exit by going 1-1/2 miles west on the south service road to FS-111, taking it 13 miles to FS-101, where you turn left and go 1-1/2  miles to the campground.

The Hike: The description will begin at the bottom, at the northern trailhead near Arlington.  Rock Creek spreads out broadly here, a sheen of shallow, silver water.  The canyon stretches for miles ahead, a deep, broad “V” cut 1,000 feet into the rock.  The hillsides are open sage, pierced by rock outcrops; the trail floor soon leads into the shade of a mature aspen grove.   A moldering cabin and tailings pile mark the site a of miner’s failed dream. But yours has just begun.

Before long the aspen give way to lodge pole pine, pines which thickly carpet the canyon’s walls for miles.  The creek narrows into a long run of rapids, sparkling and laughing below.   This is the way it continues, mile upon mile giving hikers a Zen-like tranquility.  In the forest shade hides a rare orchid, the clustered lady’s slipper with its drooping green to brown flower and mottled purple pouch.

The high point to the east is Rock Mountain where a Canada lynx was sighted long ago.  Deer, elk, mountain lions, and bear are more common.  Boreal owls haunt the forest.  The creek hosts rainbow and brook trout.

After 4-1/2 miles the canyon forks and the trail stays to the west, now following Deep Creek.  A short way further a snowmobile trail is marked, heading up onto the ridge.    One-half mile after the fork a well signed trail leads up and west to Crater Lake.  Here’s a tough choice.  You can continue along Deep Creek as it begins to widen and open through some wet meadows to the trail’s end at Deep Creek camp ground and FS-101, or take the steeper trail up into the woods to Crater Lake.

Crater Lake was not formed by a crater, although it looks like it.  It’s a “hanging lake,” left by a receding glacier long ago.  Fed by springs, the lake is deep and clear and is held in a tight embrace by curving walls more than 200 feet high.  There is a campsite on the lake shore.  The trail continues along the shoreline to the north and ascends the walls to FS-113 high above.  Many visitors come down to fish for pan sized brookies and to enjoy the scene.

Pointers: This hike makes a nice overnight with a stay at Crater Lake.  With friends, and a car at each trailhead, you can enjoy a long descent or an uphill challenge.   Many will just trek as far as they like and turn back.  Or this could be the first leg of a longer backpacking trip, crossing the road near Sand Lake and continuing on Sheep Lake trail 8.2 miles through the Snowy Range roadless area to Brooklyn Lake, then following the road to the North Fork trail and 4.4 miles more to North Fork Campground.

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