Wooley: Haypress Creek

Klamath National Forest

DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3

Red and orange for day 2. Click for interactive map

We headed out in the morning with the trail crew. There were a couple miles to the start of work because they had already gotten as far as the access trail to the private inholding along the way.

Wooley Creek, wild and scenic river, rages below.

The trail crosses Deer Lick Creek toward the right, wet foot currently, but the crew decided to brave the high log bridge using a long stick for extra balance.

Getting some little waterfalls on the way.

Some few western trillium.

A fairly dry foot crossing of Gates Creek at this high water level involves a long log walk beside the trail.

We left the trail crew to do their thing at the encounter of the first log on trail after the junction. It occurred to me that I had never actually encountered this trail before the winter maintenance, although the first time was only a few hours after. Just seeing the cut logs does not quite convey the scale of crud this trail manages to catch, and we weren't even to the most recent fire area. How does it manage to get so bad?

More snow on display around Medicine Mountain now. I still want to wander up its unmaintained old fire lookout trail.

We pondered the roll of foil, presumably ready to wrap the bridge over Haypress Creek a few years ago, but not worth carrying out although unused.

Some pondering of the waterfall on Haypress Creek.

The shadow of the bridge on the great deal of water far below.

Haypress Creek as it finishes its rush into Wooley Creek.

More wingstem monkey flowers clinging to a wet rock wall.

I must have talked sufficiently poorly about the trail up Black Mountain because Daniil hardly looked at it at all. See the cut through the large, rotting, burned log? And here a faint idea of a bit of tread? However, as it crosses the current trail, it becomes a bit more visible on its travel toward Haypress Creek and the old ford to cross it. We took this instead to spend time up close and personal with Wooley Creek.

We did not try to ford Haypress Creek where once people did.

Just as you cannot step in the same river twice, you cannot photograph the same river twice. Daniil is testing this out on the edge of Wooley Creek.

We did not try to cross Wooley Creek either.

We ate and continued on Wooley Creek Trail with thoughts of seeing the cabin. It must be still there. Someone would have mentioned if it wasn't.

A bee takes an interest in the few open flowers of a piper's Oregon grape.

We didn't last very long. There was an obvious trail split, and then we started climbing into another collection of downed trees. Motivation drained. We doubled back and had a look at the little camp the other trail went to instead. That trail wasn't in good shape either, nor was the old fire ring, but the tent sites could still serve. Also, Wooley Creek looked extra nice nearby.

Arrived at Wooley Creek with a water flow on the far side.

Stopping a moment to admire the milkmaids.

The rocky shore collects much river smoothed boulders.

A better look at what is a waterfall of sorts on the far side of Wooley Creek.

Somewhat standing waves as the water surges past.

We stayed a while, both failing to grab any photo of another bald eagle as it winged upstream. Then we headed back, clearing each tree as best we could without any tools in preparation for a crew to saw out what was left. In a few cases, it meant hikers were no longer pushed off the trail, which always seems like a win to me.

Little waters are good for photographing too.

A Pacific sideband stalking toward the western rattlesnake plantain.

Atmospheric rivers are what you need to fill the such ground rivers.

We found a tired trail crew finishing off their last tree for the day, but upon hearing that the next one, not that large, was the last that pushed people off the trail for a couple miles, they found the energy for one more. As a reward, the tree gushed forth with a deeply red liquid for a couple minutes. Where was such a small tree storing so much water? It was the most disgusting tree of the day. When that little display of horror had finished, and the rest of the log cut away from the trail, we turned back for camp.

Henderson's shooting stars in the light!

The water level is not high enough to really show off this waterfall.

More! Fawn! Lilies!

Tiny wood saxifrage. Wouldn't want anyone to think all the flowers are huge.

As it turned out, the trail had not quite become clear. There were still two particularly difficult and likely dangerous logs left. One had been a tight squeeze between dropped dirt and a huge trunk on the way out and at least this was fixed.

Back to Deer Lick Creek. The widest spot of clearish water, toward the left, is the trail crossing.

And so we arrived back at the trail side camp for a second night.

Continue on to the next day ⇒

*photo album*




©2025 Valerie Norton
Written 7 Jun 2025