Sunday Morning Hiking Series #61 - Dry Creek Gulch Event Cache

Series Description

For those new to this hiking series, these are social hikes around the Salt Lake area for the purpose of caching, enjoying the outdoors, and getting to know fellow cachers. There tends to be a range of fitness levels that show up for the hikes. As the emphasis is on being social, don't worry if a steep leaves you puffing. I'll be right there clinging to a tree and puffing with you. Our usual meeting time is 8am, and we leave the parking area by 8:05am. The other primary feature of these hikes is that they are short and can be accomplished by noon. Trails tend to be a little emptier on Sunday mornings and we'll be done in time for anyone who has Sunday obligations to attend an afternoon service. If you don't have to be anywhere in the afternoon, there's frequently a longer trail to take. If you would like more information about the whole series of hikes, check out the others in the series in the bookmark list at the right.

NOTE FOR NON-CACHERS: Since there has been a trend toward non-cachers joining us due to cross posting of hikes on hiking groups, just a heads-up. Yes, it's a hike and you are certainly welcome to join us. However, it is a caching hike which means if there are caches along the trail we are going to go search for them. That may mean stepping off the trail briefly or an involved search and/or bushwhack off trail. We are happy to teach you about geocaching. We like to spread our obsession. Just come with the expectation that there will be detours from the trail and it will likely take longer to do the hike with this group than most other groups you've gone with. Searching the woods for a piece of paper in tupperware using billion dollar satellites is fun. Try it, you might like it.

Description for this Hike

Many moons ago gotwings and I set out to do last month's hike and this one as a big loop. We eventually figured out that wasn't happening. Based on that experience and to minimize the desire of some to go chasing more caches in this direction, I thought I would simply schedule the two hikes back to back. The upper reaches of this trail are truly a creek bed. They call it Dry Creek for a reason. In distance it's a bit shorter than last month's hike along the ridge, just under 4 miles, and with less elevation gain though it does climb steadily from the trailhead. Once we're past the well used part of the trail the terrain gets a bit rougher, rocks and downed trees (and dead coyotes :-))to scramble around. I would like to make it to the ridge to the east of the top of the gulch. Climbing from the gulch to that ridge will likely be the steepest part of the hike. Again this hike will take longer than the allotted 4 hours to achieve that goal, and again, don't let that deter you. There is plenty of fun and caching to be had for as far as you want to go.

The event coordinates are for the trailhead behind the Jewish Community Center. The parking is quite limited so let me encourage carpooling. If all else fails, Primary Children's Hospital's free parking deck is about a quarter mile to the east.

Since we will be hiking along a gulch, there will actually be a fair amount of shade. That doesn't mean, leave the sunscreen at home! It is July so bring plenty of water; it is a DRY creek after all. If you plan to hike the whole distance be sure to have some snacks as well. When you are packing for this one you may want to throw a set of binoculars in your pack. Just a hint! This is another dog friendly trail.