Hennen Canyon: Griswold Lake

Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest

(map link)

DAY 1  |  DAY 2

I wanted to go to the top of Ruby Dome which, by a stroke of luck, happens to be at the end of the Hennen Canyon Trail. The other end is on the other side of a private campground from a nice county road. Summitpost suggests you are risking a ticket to park by the road and hike in. I couldn't see what the ticket would be for and "risked" it. There is a no parking sign on one fence where parking could, with a wild imagination, hinder movement through the gate, although not nearly as much as the fact that the gate is kept closed and latched. The fence on the other side has room for at least 4 cars that is getting regular use. Some take a campsite overnight to be able to drive to the trailhead, however the sign is clear that non-owner campers need to be the guest of an owner. They save 1.25 miles and 500 feet climb by doing that. It's the easiest miles of the hike and wasn't worth it to me. There's also a certain group that claims to drive around the electric arm that regulates it, but there's something glaringly wrong with that.

In the desert surrounding the Ruby Mountains

I didn't want to do the whole hike in a day, so went with the typical overnight of heading up to Griswold Lake to hike the peak the next morning and then head out. It's a pretty short hike up, about 4 miles from the trailhead, so I didn't bother to get going too early, nor did I hurry. I packed up the little 33L pack and couldn't quite get everything in, so strapped the food bag tightly to the side. That had the advantage of being some orange on display for hunting season. I hear that's a good thing to do and it's actually be best orange I've got. Otherwise, I've got a faded ball cap and I prefer to set a large brim all the way around on top of my head. I had it all ready so I could basically grab everything and go once parked.

Looking back to Spring Creek, a town outside Elko

I did hurry through that first 1.25 miles to the gate at the trail. A couple morning dog walkers came down the road, but otherwise I saw no one. Shoe prints and bike tracks indicate others pass by frequently enough. This trail does not enter the wilderness, so presumably one could ride a bike all the way to the peak with enough skill.

Gate at the start of the trail. The sign names it for the creek (Butterfield) while the Forest Service names it for the canyon (Hennen). The mileage is a bit short even for crows.

Just before the parking area, I stepped through a gate and latched it behind me. I was happy to be on trail. There is a little more private property before finally getting to the forest. The trail crosses a bridge over the creek immediately and I met a couple hunters separately on the way up. Neither one appeared to be actively hunting. Along with a hiker in the first mile, they were the last people I saw until I was almost back to the trailhead again.

The aspens show the line of the creek, but otherwise it's still desert where the trail travels

There's lots of rabbitbush blooming

There's no marker for where the private property ends and the forest begins. The trail doesn't change with the ownership. It's clear and easy across sage and under trees with one muddy spot to slow one down.

Just little Butterfield Creek under the aspens

Quite a range of colors of leaves on these aspen trees

Stark trunk

The end of desert character is near

The canyon gets more rocky and the trail starts to follow cairns. Many are not needed and a few mark different paths. I noted two and sometimes three trails running in parallel just out of view of each other. What seemed to be most obvious and used was often whatever was nearest the creek, often a bit closer than what is marked on the Forest Service topo.

A cairn marks trail that could go around to either side and hikers do both

The creek is already in shadow again

A bit of obvious trail

One piece of trail was particularly hard and required a little climbing. It was obvious it wasn't the only way since I was still seeing signs of horse use afterward.

Just one more step to get to Griswold Lake

There's a lot of climb to come up Hennen Canyon

I got to the lake without too much trouble and followed the trail a little further up, but not so far as to go away from the lake. There's a lot of flat ground to call a camp, but much of it is near standing dead trees.

The trail continues up the scree and dirt and rocks

Griswold Lake

Since there was plenty of evening, I chose a site, but then kept poking around. Plugging up the outlet, I found an old dam and following tracks across it, I found a site that was up higher from the water and surrounded by live trees. It wasn't quite as flat, but I decided there was enough flat to make me happy and moved to the spot south of the dam and up in the rocks. It was pretty close to where I'd picked out to camp on the map.

Water pooling after the dam. The lake wasn't quite high enough to reach it, but water is seeping through the rocks

I cooked and perched myself on a rock looking over the lake to where the trail should climb and oscillated between figuring that's a fine space to climb for a trail and thinking there isn't quite a route through it.

Griswold Lake from my camp, often used camping areas are on the left, trail climbs right up the middle

It would all sort itself out into success or failure in the morning. The first is preferred. The second would just have to be accepted if it were so. Best now to get a good night sleep.

Alpine glow on the canyon rocks on the far side of Hennen Canyon

same trip, next day ⇒


*Ruby Mountains 2022 photo album*




©2022 Valerie Norton
Written 20 Dec 2022