Secret Canyon

Weather:  61º, sunny

About this Hike:  The mystique of Secret Canyon and Secret Mountain Wilderness continues to allure me. Coming off a rainy spell, I decided to hike to Secret Canyon today to see if the waterfall was flowing. I hiked in via Chuckwagon, having parked along the side of the paved Long Canyon Road. Even if FR-152 were open (barricades are up), I would never attempt this in my truck. The mud, the ruts—152 is hardly a road anymore. It's a shame too, because it limits how much of this area one can explore in a day, with at least five extra miles hiking by using Chuckwagon as an access point. 

The Secret Canyon waterfall had decent flow to it today. Being as I reached it by noon, I opted to press on. Every other time I've done this trail circumstances have never allowed me to go much beyond the waterfall. Today that changed. I pressed into Secret Canyon.

There were plenty of creek crossings, although always with solid rock bridges. The creek was flowing enough to be pretty, but not enough to impede crossings. The canyon was cold in spots, with some snow remaining while icicles hung off the red canyon walls. At one point the creek narrowed into a little slot canyon. 

The trail crossed the creek, climbed up above it, and then dropped down to cross again.  This cycle repeated often. Beyond the red canyon walls, this secret area is filled with ponderosa pine and some firs. It is beautiful. However, it does feel very remote, and I had a foreboding sense today. No worries though, the only wildlife I saw was a deer. My footing was always solid. And remote as it feels, Edge of the World sits just above Secret Canyon on the rim top. 

I opted to turn around about halfway into Secret Canyon per the All Trails GPS track. The trail was getting more overgrown and harder to follow. I figured it would just get more treacherous the deeper I went. While old-growth pine and red rocks are beautiful, the scenery was getting to be a little underwhelming. 

The hike out felt endless. I was tired and a little sore. If only the Secret Canyon parking area is where this hike ended with my truck waiting to carry me out on a graded gravel road! There was still close to three miles back along FR-152 and then Chuckwagon. 

With a properly equipped ATV I imagine one can explore a lot more of Secret Mountain Wilderness. Maps indicate miles of forest roads on the rim top near Edge of the World. There are some intriguing trails up there, although I get the impression most of those exist only on maps and in memories these days. I'll be honest—the mystique is wearing off. I'm beginning to think I've seen the best of what I can access in Secret Canyon.