a well-signed fork immediately beyond the gate (the left-hand road leads to a mining camp near the river) and continue to the end of the road at the wilderness boundary, just past a cabin at Cherry Flat.
From the boundary, the well-defined singletrack trail goes about 200 yards to a crossing of Sunday Creek, the first readily accessible water source. Above the creek you climb away from the river into dense forest of primarily Douglas-fir, with occasional incense cedars, ponderosa pines, and sugar pines. Drop down to a flat beside the Stuart Fork, climb moderately up the side of the canyon, down to another flat with excellent campsites, and then up and down again to a crossing of Little Deep Creek, close to its confluence with the river. Pass another excellent campsite, climb over a mound of glacial till (the first on the way up the valley), and come to a steel girder bridge spanning Deep Creek.
After climbing moderately over another small hump above Deep Creek, you descend to yet another flat, where water from a spring runs across the trail and a number of fine campsites lie between the trail and the river. Four miles into the journey, you’re probably now far enough away from the trailhead to ensure good fishing in the river. By August the water may be warm enough for swimming as well. A gentle ascent leads to the lower end of Oak Flat, a wide, gently sloping shelf, 200–300 yards away from the river, and heavily forested with large Douglas-firs, ponderosa pines, and black oaks. About 1 mile from Deep Creek, water from a fine spring spills across the trail, and about 150 yards farther, you reach the junction of Bear Creek and Alpine Lake Trails. The path on the left branches west to drop over a high bank to a forested flat and a large gravel bar beside the river. Excellent campsites, with an adequate supply of firewood, can be found on both the flat and the bar, above and below the ford. This crossing is potentially dangerous during high-water conditions. Fishing for pan-sized rainbows should be excellent.
From the junction, continue ahead on the Stuart Fork Trail, traversing 0.5 mile of dense forest before breaking out into more open terrain well above the river on the east side of the canyon. The trail runs along the embankment of the old La Grange Ditch through here, the first place you’ll notice much evidence of the mining efforts along the Stuart Fork. From this vantage point, you’ll also have your first look at the high Alps at the head of the valley. Some more first-rate campsites lie in a flat between the ditch and the river. The trail soon climbs away from the ditch on the brushy east slope, and then levels off before dropping through some terminal moraines on the way to a crossing of Salt Creek. The fern- and wildflower-lined stream runs swift, clear, and cold. The remnants of an old log cabin are slowly moldering back into the soil, and some poor-to-fair campsites are nearby.
Other Backpacking Options in the Area
If you would prefer not to retrace your steps all the way back to the Stuart Fork Trailhead and you have the luxury of two vehicles, a strenuous 30-mile, point-to-point trip over Sawtooth Ridge and through scenic Caribou Basin to Big Flat is one possibility. Another possibility is to go up Willow Creek and over the very steep divide west of Tri-Forest Peak to Big Flat, a 38-mile adventure. An even longer, 44-mile near-loop takes in the Four Lakes, Siligo Meadows, and Van Matre Meadows; crosses Stonewall Pass; passes through Red Mountain Meadows; and then descends to the Stoney Ridge Trailhead. From there you must walk a mile on a dirt road and then take the Elk Gulch Trail to the trailhead on Trinity Alps Road, just above Trinity Alps Resort and 2 miles below the Stuart Fork Trailhead. Additional shuttle alternatives are to go from Deer Creek to the Long Canyon Trailhead, or over the divide to Granite Lake and then out to the Swift Creek Trailhead.
North of Salt Creek, you climb around a shoulder of rock and ascend a series of switchbacks east up a draw before turning north again over and around more moraines. A half mile from Salt Creek, 7.5 miles from the trailhead, a steel truss bridge leads across the steep-walled, narrow canyon cut through dark sedimentary rock by the waters of Deer Creek. A pack stock bypass trail leads to a ford above a waterfall plunging into the deep pool below the bridge, which also provides access to the creek for acquiring water.
A short steep climb heads up the north bank of Deer Creek and east into the piled-up moraines south of Morris Meadow. A half mile from the bridge, Cold Spring flows copiously across the trail, and a small clearing nearby offers a few excellent campsites. You continue climbing, moderately to moderately steeply, another half mile to the south junction of the Deer Creek Trail heading east toward Four Lakes. A level stroll from there leads through open forest and patches of meadow to the north junction. Just beyond the second junction, you stroll out into the wide, lower end of expansive, lush Morris Meadow, 8.7 miles from the trailhead.
A midsummer evening at Morris Meadow can be truly memorable—an exquisite tableau of deer grazing in waist-high grass, backlit by the setting sun reflected off the multicolored backdrop of Sawtooth Ridge rising 2,000 feet above the forest fringe at the north end of the meadow. The main part of the meadow is roughly a mile long by a quarter mile wide, covering the flat floor of the glacier-carved upper Stuart Fork Valley. On the west side, tilted and glistening slabs of granite sweep up to remnant snowfields under the 8,886-foot summit of Sawtooth Mountain. To the east, Sawtooth Ridge tapers off into a massive forested ridge separating this valley from the Willow Creek and Deer Creek drainages. Stuart Fork, hidden from view by a tangle of willows, alders, and incense cedars, meanders down the west side of the valley. White-flowering yampa dots the green expanse of meadow grass in August, and pale bog orchids hide among the sedges in marshy areas. Earlier in the summer, wide expanses of lupine and Indian paintbrush add splashes of blues and reds.
Many excellent campsites lie hidden in patches of forest interspersed with small meadows at the south end of Morris Meadow. A horse packer’s camp is in a grove of incense cedars jutting into the west side of the meadow, and more campsites can be found in the forest at the north end. Please refrain from camping directly in the meadow—plenty of more environmentally friendly sites should be available along the forest fringe. Freeloading deer, too often successful, have been a problem at Morris Meadow, as are chipmunks and ground squirrels. Make sure you either hang your food effectively or use a bear canister.
To Camp or Not to Camp at the Upper Lakes?
Before continuing up the valley, you should consider whether you want to haul your backpack all the way to Emerald or Sapphire Lake, or use Morris Meadow—or one of the other camps as far up as Portuguese Camp—as a base camp and then day hike to the high lakes. The distance from the south end of Morris Meadow to Emerald Lake is a mere 5 miles, which equates to not much more than a 2-hour hike with day packs. Campsites at Emerald and Sapphire Lakes are fair at best, accommodating only about 20 people without serious overcrowding. Campfires are banned at all of the Stuart Fork lakes and only one small campsite at Emerald Lake has any trees suitable for hanging food, which are an absolute necessity if you don’t have a bear canister.
Camping is possible at Mirror Lake. However, you must be in good shape and possess the requisite off-trail skills to carry a backpack all the way up there. Mirror Lake is seldom crowded but more than two small parties camped there will adversely impact the sense of solitude. You can check at the ranger station in Weaverville to determine if any other groups plan to camp there during your visit.
Follow the trail along the east edge of Morris Meadow to the far end and into the open red fir forest beyond. A 0.25-mile stroll through grass and ferns of the floor of this beautiful mature forest leads past a few good campsites close to the now much smaller Stuart Fork. A moderately steep climb up the east side of a narrow canyon travels through patches of forest, waist-high ferns, and open, brushy slopes. Two miles past Morris Meadow, as the canyon turns west, a marvelous, cold-spring-fed rivulet gushes across the trail. Moist soil on both sides of the spring continues for some distance, as you pass through lush thickets of alders and bigleaf maples. Small openings filled with masses of flowers—larkspur, monkshood, leopard lily, bog orchid, and fireweed—crowd the trail.
Another half mile brings you into an area of small meadows and willow flats, bisected by the diminishing Stuart Fork, where a few good campsites are nestled beneath groves of quaking aspen and fir. Farther on, at the
