Near French Creek Trail
A young Mule deer in velvet about 30 yards off the trail. August 18, 2019
Near French Creek Trail
Trail eventually opens up into a beautiful flat meadow with small creek crossings.
Near French Creek Trail
Quite a few waterfalls to view.
Near French Creek Trail
Lots of scenic and peaceful creek crossing.

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Hike Trail

French Creek Trail

4.3 (3 Ratings)
Excellent singletrack that is a popular multi-use trail.
5.2
mi
Distance
46
ft
Gain
strenuous
Difficulty
ViewsWaterfall

Route Details

Flatter
Steeper
5.16mi
Distance
46ft
Elevation Gain
1,496ft
Elevation Loss
25%
Max Grade
10,303ft
High Point
8,852ft
Low Point
Path Type
Point to Point
Description
A great hike. This trail can be linked with other trail and roads to make a nice loop, or can be hikeed as an out-and-back. As mapped the trail starts at the junction with Tipple Trail. The actual trailhead is off of Hwy-130. Take the Tipple Trail east and then turn right onto French Creek Trail. This hike starts at over 10,000 feet, so saying it is seasonal is an understatement. Don't plan on hiking it until mid-June depending on how the past winter's snowpack was. French Creek Canyon is very scenic, with several waterfalls worth a stop and look. Sunshine Falls is marked with signage. One of the most fun characteristics is that most small stream crossings have large cobblestones for crossings. The only cautions on the FCT proper are: There are several old school water bars where some very sharp rocks were used as reinforcement.Expect a few trees to be down because the remoteness and ruggedness mean that people rarely do chainsaw involved trail maintenance.

Route Conditions

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Contributors
John Marno