DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME : Rotteneggs.com text files and message bases are for INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. DO NOT undertake any project based upon any information obtained from this or any other web site.We are not responsible for, nor do we assume any liability for, damages resulting from the use of any information on this site.
(25 votes) Published: May 23, 2000 12:00 a.m. Viewed 1295 times
The Fossil Creek Springs Trail is well worth the hike and a wonderful way to spend a day’s outing. My son (age 21) & I started out from Strawberry about 10 AM. We drove down Fossil Creek road about 9 miles to the Trailhead at the Irving Power Plant, left one vehicle there and came back 5 miles to the Fossil Creek Springs trailhead with the other vehicle. We then hiked down an old jeep trail about 2.5 miles to the springs. Here a million gallons of mineralized 72F water gushes from the springs every hour creating a lush environment which supports numerous types of bushes, trees, birds, and other wildlife. Here you can swim, picnic, study fossils from an ancient sea that washed over the area millions of years ago, and explore the waters of travertine pools along the creek.
We arrived around Noon and enjoyed our picnic lunch and also cooled off by swimming in the small pools. There is a wooden flume built in 1916 which supplies water to the Irving & Childs power plants which still rely on its water to turn their power generating turbines. The flume trail follows the wooden flume about 4 miles to the Irving power plant. After leaving the springs area we hiked towards the Irving power plant about 1/4 mile until we reached the dam. Here again are two larger pools at the base of the dam for swimming and diving. After spending an hour or so here we continued our hike to the Irving power plant. This took us about 2 hours. We then got our vehicles and were back in Strawberry by around 5 PM, tired but looking forward to hiking this trail again at a different time of year.
This has been my favorite hike so far! Trail maps and info can be picked up at the Pine/Strawberry Chamber of Commerce in Pine or at the Windmill Corner Inn in Strawberry. Happy Hiking!
Edit Page
Message frank_grimes
Add Comment
Add to Favorites
Email to Friend
