Blue Creek Bay Recreation Site and Trail, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
Time spent among trees is never wasted time. – Katrina Mayer
We have had a strange winter. The Inland Northwest has received less than half the amount of snow that it usually gets, and honestly, what it needs. The region counts on snow melt in the spring and summer so that our wild areas are not extremely dry and more prone to wild fires. However, the mild winter does make life easier. This semester I am in two schools full time. And we gave Thing One one of our vehicles and then traded in our other two vehicles for one vehicle. That means I am commuting to work on foot, which is 4.5 miles, because Barbarian Scientist works 60 miles away. I actually enjoy my walk/run to work, but sometimes it feels like another tax on my time. All of these non-negotiable demands on my time make it seem like other things ARE negotiable. Like my time in the wilderness. I have not hiked nearly as much as I am used to, or that I need. Being reminded today how much joy I feel will playing outside makes me contemplate how to ensure time in the wilderness is treated like the necessity it is.
Today I chose a trail system that I suppose is unpopular. Although I could have had companions on the trail, they would have joined me a bit grudgingly, so it was only Sam Dog and me. Blue Creek Recreation Site and Trail, in the Wallace Forest Conservation Area, is a bit underwhelming when compared to other trails we have nearby. I guess. I think it is perfectly lovely. Because there is not spectacular summit view or obvious payoff, it is an underused location, which I think is part of its virtue.
If you follow AllTrails, there are three trails here: Blue Creek Trail, Blue Creek Bay Orange Trail, and Blue Creek Bay Red Trail. You can do them separately, but if you make the drive out there, you may as well just look at the maps and see where they overlap and junction and make one hike out your time there. There are two trailheads. The lower trailhead is near the recreation sign (the first photo on this post), but has no facilities. Just a mile or so up the road is the upper trailhead, which is larger, has a bathroom, a map of the trails, and a rustic picnic area. The trail begins by climbing up the hillside, with a few switchbacks, and then you kind of meander along the ridge and through the trees. The trails are a mix of single track and double track, as well as forest service road.
This is the view you earn of the bay, and I suppose since Mineral Ridge National Recreation Trail is very close by, with a much bigger payoff, this may contribute to hikers and trail runners deciding this is a non-preferred location. Again, that means there is a good chance of being alone and that is winning.
Even though there was quite a bit of snow falling today, it was 37 degrees, so it was not sticking and it also made for quite a bit of mud.
This photo is from last fall when Barbarian Scientist and I hike Blue Creek. That was enough for him because when I said I wanted to go again all I heard was, “But it is soooo boring!” And so on. It isn’t. It is a beautiful piece of forest that we are fortunate to have. It feels more remote than it is, making it quite special. And besides, only boring people get bored, right?