Summits: None
Trail route: Basin Trail, Black Angel Trail, Wild River Trail
Trail conditions: Mostly dry with a few patches of mud and wetness, low water on crossings with some completely dry
Weather: Cool start then warming up with a mix of clouds and sunshine
Total miles: 7.3
Total time: 5:25
Having now hiked all 48 4,000 footers in the month of July I was looking for some new territory to explore. I decided to do a loop hike that went into the Wild River Wilderness, an area that I've never seen. Joining me would be Larry and Jill.
It's a long five mile drive down a narrow dirt road off of Route 113 to get to the trailhead at Wild River Campground. I was the first one to arrive followed by Jill and Larry. We had to decide which way to start the loop and chose to begin the hike on the Basin Trail for a clockwise direction.
We crossed many brooks, some were bone dry and others had just a trickle of water reflecting the drought we are currently experiencing. There is a nice gorge that the Blue Brook cuts through with towering cliffs above. We arrived at the junction of the Basin Rim Trail and had a nice view to Basin Pond.
We were now on the Black Angel Trail and this would be our biggest elevation gain during the entire hike. We reached the height of land and then dropped down to the Wild River Trail. It was nice hiking alongside the Wild River but once again there was very little water flowing down. We did see a LOT of moose poop along the trail.
The loop was complete when we reached the Wild River Campground. This was a very nice loop hike on trails that I had never been on. Always nice to see new terrain and was glad to have the company of Larry and Jill for a fun day of hiking!
Enjoy the photos from this hike!
Sun rising on the drive to the trailhead
A pond on the drive into the Wild River campground
Foxglove
Long set of bog bridges
Brooks had little to no water
Blue Brook
Blue Brook flows through a gorge
Almost dry cascade
Barely enough water to get wet
Small waterfall
High cliffs above the brook
A face on the cliff wall
Basin Pond
Bluebead lily
Hobblebush turning red
Jill doing an easy water crossing
Larry has no problem keeping his feet dry with this water crossing
Colored leaves
Bridge washed out during massive flooding leaving only the concrete support foundation
Almost stepped on this garter snake
Wild River
Huge boulder in the river
Field of fireweed
Sun-bathing frog
Saw this bear and her cub beside the road on the way home
The bear and her cub ran up to the woods and "hid" behind a tree
Having Fun in the Great Outdoors!
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