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It is organized by trail, so that it will be easy for people to find information.
Please read our usage notes before starting. You can read reviews without joining the forum, but you have to join if you want to post. Click here to register.
Mark Twain National Forest - Irish Wilderness - Whites Creek Trail
Posted by: Nick Kasoff (IP Logged)
Date: October 16, 2005 08:07PM
Time: 7 hours and 15 minutes
Distance: 18.6 miles + 0.7 miles detour = 19.3 miles
Official Site: [www.fs.fed.us]
Trail Condition: Good
My Photos: [www.mohiking.com]
GPS Tracks: Garmin: [www.mohiking.com] Text: [www.mohiking.com]
On Saturday, October 15, we hiked the Whites Creek Trail in Mark Twain National Forest. It was a beautiful weekend, and Whites Creek is a great trail for distance hikers looking for a real challenge.
Because we planned to day hike the trail, we camped at Camp Five Pond, at the trailhead, the night before our hike. This is a beautiful little camping area, of which there are numerous photos in the album. There are outhouses which, judging by the fact that they were clean and not very stinky, must not get much use. And while we were surprised to find four other cars parked there when we arrived, we were the only people who camped there. (Most people who hike this trail camp at one of several points at the other end, taking two days to hike the trail.)
The trail has a north loop of 12.1 miles, and a south loop of 7.5 miles. We chose to hike counter-clockwise, starting with the north loop, since it is longer but more level. The south loop is much more hilly, so we thought we'd save the fun for the end.
Regarding trail condition: I rate it good because it was well worn and, with about a half dozen exceptions, easy to follow. I don't rate it excellent because there are many stretches that are not marked. The few places we got into trouble were where the trail veered, and there was a well worn but short spur where others had missed the turn. It soon became apparent we were off the trail, and we always easily retraced our steps and discovered our error. One exception to this resulted in a substantial but scenic detour: About nine miles in to the hike, there is a spur which goes to a primitive campsite by the Eleven Points River - we mistook this for the main trail, and didn't discover our error until we reached the end of the trail, where we surprised a man and two dogs.
Personally, I was disappointed at the scenery on the trail. While there was some variety, the woods have all started to look the same to me. There were a couple of nice views of the Eleven Points River, but for the most part, views were blocked by trees. I suspect this would be a much more scenic trail during the winter, and hope we'll have the opportunity to return.
All things considered, this is a trail well worth experiencing, if you are a physically fit hiker up for a challenge. The brochure from the Forest Service strongly urges you to take two days. We don't like carrying a backpack, so we ran through it in one day. But even with a late start, we had plenty of daylight, and had a great time. As I write this, my legs are a bit sore, which is itself testimony to the worthiness of this trail. And if you're going to hike it, I strongly recommend camping at Camp Five Pond - it's beautiful, quiet, and free.
Because there are no showers at Camp Five Pond, we spent Saturday night at Lake Wappapello. There are some photos of that in the album as well. Expect a report from that beautiful park soon.
One last note about finding the place: Access to Camp Five Pond is from Highway J, between US-60 and US-160. The road back to the camp is clearly marked, but the sign just says "Irish Wilderness" and makes no mention of the camp. There are photos of the sign in the album so you'll know what to look for.
Edited 2 times. Last edit at 10/16/05 08:31PM by Nick Kasoff.
Distance: 18.6 miles + 0.7 miles detour = 19.3 miles
Official Site: [www.fs.fed.us]
Trail Condition: Good
My Photos: [www.mohiking.com]
GPS Tracks: Garmin: [www.mohiking.com] Text: [www.mohiking.com]
On Saturday, October 15, we hiked the Whites Creek Trail in Mark Twain National Forest. It was a beautiful weekend, and Whites Creek is a great trail for distance hikers looking for a real challenge.
Because we planned to day hike the trail, we camped at Camp Five Pond, at the trailhead, the night before our hike. This is a beautiful little camping area, of which there are numerous photos in the album. There are outhouses which, judging by the fact that they were clean and not very stinky, must not get much use. And while we were surprised to find four other cars parked there when we arrived, we were the only people who camped there. (Most people who hike this trail camp at one of several points at the other end, taking two days to hike the trail.)
The trail has a north loop of 12.1 miles, and a south loop of 7.5 miles. We chose to hike counter-clockwise, starting with the north loop, since it is longer but more level. The south loop is much more hilly, so we thought we'd save the fun for the end.
Regarding trail condition: I rate it good because it was well worn and, with about a half dozen exceptions, easy to follow. I don't rate it excellent because there are many stretches that are not marked. The few places we got into trouble were where the trail veered, and there was a well worn but short spur where others had missed the turn. It soon became apparent we were off the trail, and we always easily retraced our steps and discovered our error. One exception to this resulted in a substantial but scenic detour: About nine miles in to the hike, there is a spur which goes to a primitive campsite by the Eleven Points River - we mistook this for the main trail, and didn't discover our error until we reached the end of the trail, where we surprised a man and two dogs.
Personally, I was disappointed at the scenery on the trail. While there was some variety, the woods have all started to look the same to me. There were a couple of nice views of the Eleven Points River, but for the most part, views were blocked by trees. I suspect this would be a much more scenic trail during the winter, and hope we'll have the opportunity to return.
All things considered, this is a trail well worth experiencing, if you are a physically fit hiker up for a challenge. The brochure from the Forest Service strongly urges you to take two days. We don't like carrying a backpack, so we ran through it in one day. But even with a late start, we had plenty of daylight, and had a great time. As I write this, my legs are a bit sore, which is itself testimony to the worthiness of this trail. And if you're going to hike it, I strongly recommend camping at Camp Five Pond - it's beautiful, quiet, and free.
Because there are no showers at Camp Five Pond, we spent Saturday night at Lake Wappapello. There are some photos of that in the album as well. Expect a report from that beautiful park soon.
One last note about finding the place: Access to Camp Five Pond is from Highway J, between US-60 and US-160. The road back to the camp is clearly marked, but the sign just says "Irish Wilderness" and makes no mention of the camp. There are photos of the sign in the album so you'll know what to look for.
Edited 2 times. Last edit at 10/16/05 08:31PM by Nick Kasoff.
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