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Wildlife Sighted: Many snakes, black bear and tons of deer, elk,
moose, mountain lion and bear scat
Seasonal Notes
Access road to Loon Creek Trailhead only open
from July-October.
Camping Notes
There is a sweet campsite next to
UL #2 that is right next to an old cabin that has a partially
collapsed roof. There is room for 2-5 tents depending on size, a
very nice fire pit with custom benches (one bench is supported by
large gears from old mining equipment) and the hot springs are only
a few paces away. There is another semi-large campsite just beyond
near UL #3 that is also nice but lacks shade. Briefings
08.18.06
After a failed attempt at Bear
Valley Hot Springs our pack troupe made a B-line for the Upper
Loon Hot Springs trailhead. Well, we didn't even come close. The FSR
from Sunbeam off the main highway was open only to fire traffic. The
expanding Middle Fork Complex Fire was now threatening the Loon
Creek Guard Station, Diamond D Ranch, Lost Packer Mine site and
Castro Historic Site.
07.23.03
We hit the jackpot on the 1st leg of a 4 day backpacking trip that would
eventually lead us to Shower Bath Hot
Springs. Upper Loon consists of 4 hot spring hot spots which are
passed in consecutive order as you trek up Loon Creek Trail towards Warm
Springs Creek. The 1st bearing a small 2 seater with just the right temps,
the 2nd having a medium sized 4 person soaker but was also a tad bit hot
(a bucket was on premises), the 3rd housing Loon's most glorious 10-15
person soaking pool that is fed by a hot waterfall and finally the 4th
which has 2 stagnant, low-flow algae laden pools not suitable for soaking.
Owen Cabin Hot Springs lies just
beyond.
Pool Temperatures
UL #1: Pool #1 (of 1): 101º
UL #2: Pool #1 (of 3): 115º-120º [other pools too cool for soaking]
UL #3: Pool #1 (of 2): 90º-98º [depending on where you were located in the
pool]
Water Clarity
UL #1: Semi-Clear
UL #2: Semi-Clear
UL #3: Clear
UL #4: Murky
Rating:
A [TOP] |
