I heard that the Hampton Creek road had been repaired in August, about 10 years after the Hampton Creek Fire and subsequent floods that washed the road out. I couldn't wait to go check it out. We went on a Sunday afternoon that was surprisingly cloudy.
The road goes right through the dry Hampton Creek creekbed. It's dry right now, but won't be come springtime, so we'll see how it looks then!
The road was nice and wide, but be aware that it is quite rocky!
Near the end of the road you can see a nice tall ponderosa pine and some mining structures from the old garnet mine.
We parked at the obvious trailhead parking and started up the trail. Soon we found lots of rocks with tiny little red garnets in them. You can also find garnets on their own in some of the alluvium.
As we continued up the trail, I got so excited to see a baby ponderosa pine!
The landscape looks so different. The skeletons of pinyon pine dot the landscape, but rabbitbrush seems to be the dominant plant now. It's easy to look way up canyon. I was glad for the clouds to block the sun.
The dog remained blissfully oblivious to a herd of elk on a far-off ridge.
Another baby ponderosa pine! It will be fun to see how these grow.
We hiked up a bit and then turned around. The trail at the beginning is awesome. How is that possible?
It's possible because a trail crew is working on it!
We stopped and talked to them a bit. They're from Friends of Nevada Wilderness and they've done a couple hitches already working on the trail and this is their last one for the year. But they'll be back the next two years to continue work on this trail and others in the North Snake Range as part of a Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act (SNPLMA) project to repair roads and trails in the area. This makes me so happy, I love hiking in this mountain range!
September 2008 trip report
It's possible because a trail crew is working on it!
We stopped and talked to them a bit. They're from Friends of Nevada Wilderness and they've done a couple hitches already working on the trail and this is their last one for the year. But they'll be back the next two years to continue work on this trail and others in the North Snake Range as part of a Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act (SNPLMA) project to repair roads and trails in the area. This makes me so happy, I love hiking in this mountain range!
So if you have the opportunity, you can go check out Hampton Creek now all the way to the trailhead (without hiking in an hour). It's great to be back!
More posts about Hampton Creek over the years:
September 2008 trip report
More about the garnet mine-2008
The pictures are so enjoyable. My home area of Middle Tennessee has beautiful views with lots of trees, but your long-distance views and dry air are special. If you ever want to send me a teaspoon of garnets, I will happily send you some gas $ for other trips. Dark red is a favorite color.
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