Trail Overview
Teeley Creek trail starts on the east end at an intersection with Big Creek Trail, and is narrow and exposed right away, riding through a dark and shaded forest of western hemlocks. The dirt is loamy and smooth, but the trail is very narrow as it side-hills along the hillside, with a significant steep slope off the side of the trail. There is a switchback and a rock obstacle right away. The rock obstacle is made harder by a giant fallen cut log blocking your approach. The trail continues with some steep climbs and descents, all while traversing the hillsides on a very narrow path and a couple switchbacks. It descends down to several very nice viewpoints over Granite Lake and Bertha May Lake. There are a couple wooden benches overlooking the lakes that make for a great rest stop. It will be more likely to see hikers on the west half of the trail coming up from the Teeley Creek Trailhead. There are a couple stream crossings near the lakes as well, sometimes with embedded roots and rock faces in the entrance or exit to the water crossing that are more technical. After the intersection with 250, the descent down to the Teeley Creek Trailhead has a couple technical spots as well. You have to go underneath a tunnel cut out of a giant log, and then through a small rock garden section full of loose round rocks, and then over a damaged wooden bridge. The trail ends at a small parking area with space for a couple vehicles. This trail is open to motorized use from 7/1 to 2/29.
Difficulty
This is an intermediate trail due to several obstacles throughout the route that often involve blunt dug out root ledges, or embedded rock faces. There are a couple rocky stream crossings with roots in the approach as well. Expect moderate switchbacks, and significant exposure during narrow sections. There are steep grades throughout much of the route.
