Something for everyone

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

By Jake Nichols

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-Flat Creek Road offers something for just about every level of adventure. Novice mountain bikers have recently embraced the 4.5-mile stretch from trailhead to Flat Creek Ranch. The road takes no prisoners when it comes to automobile travel, but with only 600 feet of elevation gain spread evenly over the distance, the relatively flat terrain is easy on the legs. In fact, that’s how the Flat Creek got its name.

Fly fishing enthusiasts swarm all over one another to get a cast into Flat Creek where it runs through the Refuge. But along Flat Creek Road, wise anglers beat the crowds by picking some choice spots in creek, which is always visible from the road.

Mountain trekkers looking to summit the belly of Sleeping Indian, or beyond to Blue Miner Lake, also hike or drive into Flat Creek Road to pick up the trail near the ranch at road’s end. Even relic treasure seekers won’t be disappointed. There is an old plane wreck and a decaying electricity plant along the way as well. Read on …

To access the trailhead, drive the Elk Refuge Road straight past the turnoff for Curtis Canyon (4.6 miles). At 6.9 miles, the road ‘Ts’ - stay right. The left fork will run you through Long Hollow and eventually all the way to Kelly. By now, you can see Sleeping Indian (Sheep Mountain) straight ahead. Another 2.3 miles and you can park it at the kiosk.

A lightly used path heads down toward the creek. Stay on the two-track to the left. After just over a half-mile, take a break. Ditch the bike and walk to cliff edge on the right and look down. You’ll see what looks like an old sluice house in the creek. This ‘power plant’ housed three massive turbines and provided electricity for all of Jackson through the early 1960s. Lock it in your GPS at 43°32’56.60”N; 110°36’7.93”W.
Continue east on the road. At 4.25 miles in, a large rock marks a spot on the waterway that widens out and offers a swim or some decent-sized cutthroat. The last quarter mile before the closed gate that marks Flat Creek Ranch is often pocked with big horn sheep, dotting the mountainside to the north.

Take care to end your trip at the closed gate that marks the private land of Flat Creek Ranch. The ranch was homesteaded by Cal Carrington in March 1901. He liked it for its seclusion. “I could see the sheriff a-comin’ either way,” he said. The property is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. At this point, Lower Slide Lake is 7.5 miles due north. Some adventurous climbers head straight up here - a grueling 3,000-foot rise to Blue Miner Lake in the belly of the Sleeping Indian.

On your way back, don’t miss a chance to detour up Dry Hollow to the north. This road will shoot off to your right .35 miles after you get back to your car. Take this road about a mile and get off on a faint trail that continues north. Continuing on this trail and eventually bush-whacking on a 340 degree course for 2.7 miles. GPS users head for 43°35’49.13”N; 110°34’34.20”W.

What you will find there is the wreckage of a C-130 aircraft that was carrying presidential support bound for New York. No one knows why the plane crashed on August 17, 1996. All nine souls on board were lost.

Courtesy photo
A trek you might not expect.

PERMALINK:
Something for everyone | Planet JH News Article: Sports & Recreation

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