Route 666

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · Fall Colors · River/Creek · Views · Wildlife

A reliable trail year-round, not too muddy after winter rain, wide-enough to avoid the summer chiggers. A little easier following map direction as the biggest hill is down at the route end.

Logging on trail possible M-F until April 22, 2021. Horses common during nice weather so dogs need to be leashed for everyone's safety.

Starts and ends at the Day Camp lot where horse trailers park. Follow the access road/trail at the right side of the lot to a 4-trail intersection. Take right on the graveled trail paralleling park road while crossing several small creeks and climbing some small hills on way to park campground.

Take a left at campground down a short but steep hill, across another creek, then meander through woods passing Deam Lake near beaver dam on right and area where eagles sometimes hangout. The dam is about 150-200 feet through the woods so takes some work to locate and is not visible when trees have leaves.

Take a left at the T, continuing on the graveled trail to a left at the next T which begins a long but gradual uphill hike. The gravel becomes less abundant, occasionally replaced by mud holes carved by horses of gentlefolk riders and the vehicles of short-walk hunters. Left again at the T, following a short length of pavement pass two houses on dead-end road with almost never any traffic.

The route switches back to graveled road then back to trail. Head through a cattle gate (to deter the short-walk hunters) along the same wide trail (but one that surrendered any pretext of affording gravel). Follow the ridge top and take in rewarding views of Deam Lake and the valley. Take a final left turn and begin a long down hill hike ending back at the Day Camp lot.

Deer, crows, turkey vultures, squirrels, coyotes and, with great luck, and eagle or beaver.