Deception Creek

We chose Deception Creek because it was a day of low clouds and little visibility, and there are no real views on this trail, except for a brief glimpse of Spark Plug Mountain from a landslide-opened area at about 3 1/2 miles. The trail and the creek the "view" here. You enter the Alpine Lakes Wilderness in about 1/2 mile and begin a slow but steady climb, above and away from the creek, but always within earshot.
After 3 miles you've already gained most of your elevation for this hike. The creek again makes contact with the trail, and there are supposedly camp sites here, but they were still under snow as of this date. Intermittent snow covers the trail in places from here on, becoming continuous at about 4 miles until you reach Fisher Creek at 5 1/2 miles. Deception Creek was awesome on the second half of the trail, narrowing into ravines, tumbling over pools and basins, with so many waterfalls I lost count. At Fisher Creek it is possible to cross on downed logs and continue to Deception Lakes & Pass, but that would require an overnight trip, so this is a good turn around for a day hike, round trip of about 11 miles.
A big shout out to our fellow WTA members who built a number of bridges, large and small, along this trail. We stayed safe and dry. Thanks volunteers!
When you're done, don't forget to stop at the nearby Deception Falls viewing area, just west of the trail on the north side of HWY 2. It's a short trail, just a few hundred feet, and the falls are quite impressive there.
We chose Deception Creek because it was a day of low clouds and little visibility, and there are no real views on this trail, except for a brief glimpse of Spark Plug Mountain from a landslide-opened area at about 3 1/2 miles. The trail and the creek the "view" here. You enter the Alpine Lakes Wilderness in about 1/2 mile and begin a slow but steady climb, above and away from the creek, but always within earshot.
After 3 miles you've already gained most of your elevation for this hike. The creek again makes contact with the trail, and there are supposedly camp sites here, but they were still under snow as of this date. Intermittent snow covers the trail in places from here on, becoming continuous at about 4 miles until you reach Fisher Creek at 5 1/2 miles. Deception Creek was awesome on the second half of the trail, narrowing into ravines, tumbling over pools and basins, with so many waterfalls I lost count. At Fisher Creek it is possible to cross on downed logs and continue to Deception Lakes & Pass, but that would require an overnight trip, so this is a good turn around for a day hike, round trip of about 11 miles.
A big shout out to our fellow WTA members who built a number of bridges, large and small, along this trail. We stayed safe and dry. Thanks volunteers!
When you're done, don't forget to stop at the nearby Deception Falls viewing area, just west of the trail on the north side of HWY 2. It's a short trail, just a few hundred feet, and the falls are quite impressive there.