For years I have been told “you should hike up Neffs canyon it’s beautiful”, or Neffs canyon is a great hike”. I felt as if I was missing out on something because I had not hiked Neffs canyon. Well I did it and I’m not too impressed. Don’t miss understand it was a hard hike and I got a good workout but I think it was talked up a lot or maybe I have just done some spectacular hikes.
I started up Neffs canyon on 06/06/09 at 2:15pm and was hoping to reach Mount Raymond and Gobblers Nob from Wildcat Ridge. This was a big goal as I ventured into new territory; also I have been sick for more than a week and felt drained.
The trail starts out on an old road for about a half mile and starts a single track trail when it reaches the stream. At the stream the trail branches in a number of directions. The first crosses the stream and goes up North fork to access climbs on the north face of Mount Olympus. Others cross a few yards up stream and either dead-end or connect together into the main trail. One other does not cross and follows up the stream to I don’t know where. I took it for about 100 yards before I realized it was wrong and turned around. The trail became steep and rocky; it was loose rock which varied in size from pea gravel to softball sized rocks and continued this way for 2 miles. The trail crosses the stream 5 times in 2 miles so the potential for wet feet is high. After 2.25 miles the rocky trail stopped and it was just steep, I believe that the poor trail condition was a big part of my dislike. At 2.75 miles there is a beautiful meadow surrounded by cliffs, and a great view down the canyon.
It wasn’t long before the trail disappeared in snow fields, at 8400 feet, and I was left to find my way through the snow and trees. After a steep section the canyon opened up and flattened out and I had a few draws to choose from to ascend. Unfortunately I picked the wrong one. I went up a draw east of the spring and it got steep and loose. At times I was sliding down the hill while trying to traverse. When I got to the ridge I could see where I should have been, west was a nice open saddle directly below Neffs springs.
I hiked the ridge to some cliffs and didn’t see a safe way around or over them. I was out of energy cold and felt some vertigo from being sick and I thought it unwise, given the circumstances, to find a way over or around to continue the hike. I watched a couple storms pass by; it was cool to watch the thunder storms from the perch I had on the cliffs. I got cold up there and started down but not before scrambling around the base of the cliffs to see if there was a way around.
I hiked down to the saddle and slid down to Neffs springs, this was defiantly the way I should have gone up, and down out of the snow. I got very frustrated on the down hill because I could not go fast for fear of twisting my ankle on all the loose rock. I like technical trails and have run down many; but this one was not technical just loose. When I got back to my car I was tired and had a good workout but not impressed with the experience. There are many other trails, I believe, that have all of the good views and much better trails. I will probably do it again when I feel better but run the ridge and down another trail.
