Hike the DC/DC

[click picture to enlarge]

My dear fellow proper mountain women,

The hiking season is upon us! The weekends are going to start to get cooler, and the mountain trees will start to change color! To celebrate my favorite time of year to be in the mountains, I thought I would share with you my favorite hike up American Fork Canyon, The Deer Creek Dry Creek Trail... or as I like to call it, The DC/DC.

For proper mountain women in Utah looking for a new hiking adventure, this proper hike has everything. It's challenging and beautiful. The gorgeous views seen from this path over the saddle of Box Elder are different from anything else you see in American Fork Canyon. And because this isn't a popular trail you will have this stunning terrain all to yourself. Plus! There is a mountain spring along the trail (about half way through) that you can take a long cool drink out of and refill your water bottle... this hike does my proper mountain woman soul so good. 

You need to have two cars and run shuttle when doing this hike, and that's another thing I love about the DC/DC, no back tracking. You climb up and over the shoulder of Box Elder and then come back down the other side, slipping through the most wild wilderness and mountain terrain into the beautiful corner of Alpine. The beautiful gorgeous views seem to change on every leg of the journey, and you never see the same view twice.

I've drawn a crude map for you above, which is not to scale at all, but at least you will have some idea of what your up against if you decide to do this hike. Here are my directions to go along with the chalkboard map...

Drop off a car in Alpine at the trail head for Horse Tail Falls, which is up the road from the Alpine Rodeo Grounds. I like to start this hike from the Granite Flats side, so once you have a car waiting for you in Alpine, drive back down through Alpine in your second car, and then up American Fork Canyon. 

In AF Canyon, above Tibble Fork Reservoir, is the Granite Flat campground. As you drive into the giant campground (pass the little check-in station), there will be a trail head on the right side of the road, with designated parking for people wishing to use the trail (be sure to have your day/annual pass present in your dash when you leave it to hike). You will know you are in the right spot because as you start to hike you will pass a forest service sign that says Deer Creek - Dry Creek Trail 043.

From here you will begin your 3 mile hike up to Community Flats, which is the highest point of this hike (the saddle, if you will). Near the beginning part of the hike, if the trail looks like it splits, take the left fork.... going straight will lead you into the dirt road up to Silver Lake. The first part of this hike is very pleasant, you will be hiking under tall shady trees, and you will pass by the most blissful looking grove and beaver pond as you get a little higher. There are little lookouts on the left side of the trail as you start to hike above it. The trail will take you higher and higher, and behind you Tibble Fork will get smaller and smaller.

Past the beaver pond you will start to gain elevation going back and forth on the switch backs, which I think is the hardest part of this hike. You will soon be above the tree lines, and the shade will be gone. I always look forward to this one large tree on the switch backs that makes a good resting spot, I always stop here and have a snack. Higher and higher you will climb, and soon you will be able to see, not only Tibble Fork in the distance, but also Silver Lake - which is very exciting. The views of Box Elder shooting out of Deer Creek Canyon here will be very rewarding... I stop often on this part of the hike to catch my breath, and to take in the views (especially in the fall because the whole face of Box Elder will be changing colors right before you). 

Finally, the switch backs will end, and you will have a straight path across the mountain you are on, up through the boulders and rocks near the top of the mountain... and finally you will hike up onto Community Flats, which is the north shoulder and saddle of Box Elder. This wide open mountain meadow is breath-taking, it will open up a whole new view of mountains you haven't yet been able to see. (If you hike this in July, this meadow is crawling with wild flowers.) 

There are a couple trails that come through Community Flats, be sure to stay on the Deer Creek Dry Creek Trail 043. I always like to catch my breath and rest here in the meadow... sit down and enjoy the scenery, and then say goodbye to American Fork Canyon. 

From here, it's all down hill for 5.5 miles. The departure out of Community Flats is absolutely gorgeous. Here it is completely wild wilderness. Walking through the giant mountain peaks on either side of you... without a single person, or road, or man-made structure in sight... this is my favorite part of the hike. On one of the turns coming down, (a good way past the Community Flats meadow) you will pass water (on the right side of the trail) coming out of the side of the mountain and forming a little puddle near a log. If there is white pvc pipe with water coming out of it, that just means the Forest Service has put that there for you to drink and refill your water with. The water coming out of that pipe is pure and clean, and it is the most delicious cold water you will ever taste in your life.

[Note: I've been to this mountain spring five times in the past few years, and only once was the pvc pipe not there, but I still drank from the spring and filled my water bottle up and felt fine about it. The only problem, I think, with it not being there, is that it makes the spring hard to spot]

The trail will start to turn into an old jeep trail. Continue to follow it down through the trees. One of my favorite views from this part of the hike is the giant slabs of granite that look like have tumbled down the mountain, and have rolled to a rest next to the quakies and pine trees. Some have dark green moss growing on them, and in the fall the yellow leaves from the quakies fall on top of them, making the most lovely yellow/green contrast.

Once the jeep trail disappears, the trail will start to get rocky and you will start to work your way down into Alpine. It's basically a dry creek bed you are walking in... and that can be rough on the feet after a while. And it does seem to go on quite a while. The hike down on this side is about 5.5 miles. When you hear and see the falls you will know you are about 2.1 miles till the end of your hike. Another sign that you are close is that you will start to run into more and more hikers, who will be hiking up to see Horse Tail Falls.

I would say the worst part about running a shuttle to do this hike is that you still have to go pick up your car in AF Canyon when you finish - when all you want to do is eat a good meal and take a bubble bath. But I don't really mind the added driving... it's fun to see the beginning of the trail again, and see the trail you took up and over, so rewarding! Oh, I love it!

 

Please let me know if you end up hiking this, tell me know how it goes... or invite me to go with you!

Peace and pine trees,

Whitney

PS. Here's some good pictures of the DC/DC trail and mountain spring and here's what I would pack for a proper mountain woman hike.