Salmon & Challis National Forests William’s Creek Cross-Country Ski Trails

Under Construction. Currently about done down through the William’s Cr Trail. 09/18/2008 – Minor edit 06/10/09 CRK

INTRODUCTION: (By Cliff Keene, Salmon Nordic Ski Association, Trip Planner, and US Forest Service Volunteer. Please note that I’ve tried to be accurate in the following, but none of this is “official” USDA Forest Service information.) You should use this at your own risk. Note that all items that are underlined in blue or red are links to other web pages. Click these to view added information and click the back button to return to this page. Alternatively you can “right click” and select “Open in New Window”.

Here’s a good general * description of cross country skiing in our area. In addition there are descriptions and links to various sites in my “SALMON, ID General X-C SKI PAGE”. Some general information is also found in my Weekly Cross Country Ski Trips and Trail Conditions Report.

The last “official” version of the Salmon Challis National Forests William’s Creek Summit Cross-Country Ski Trail Map and Descriptions was the 1993-1994 version. This map is currently available at the Forest Supervisor's Office, 1206 So. Challis Street, Salmon, ID 83467. Phone: (208) 756-5100. CLICK HERE for a copy of that map. The back side of the paper map has trail descriptions. Since 1994 there have been several changes that are not reflected on the map or in the descriptions.

Some changes are:
Several trails have been added including: Trail No. 010 Deep Creek Ridge Trail, Trail No. 244 Mukluk Trail, Road 5082 the Perreau Timber Sale Road, and lastly: there is an “Upper” Shoshoni Trail (only the “Lower” section was shown) and that trail was listed as trail 247 and it should have been # 243.

* “Trail Difficulty” was listed as Beginner, Intermediate, and Expert. These ratings are equivalent to: Easiest, More Difficult, and Most Difficult. In addition the difficulty ratings for some of the trails were not correct. The trail signs reflect these changes and I’ve made the corrections in the following trail descriptions. These “new” ratings are now standard and are defined in the US Forest Service Trails Handbook. The complete USFS Trails Handbook has been revised in MS Word Format. I think it’s a little complicated but CLICK HERE if you’d like to view the online version of the Handbook. I’ve copied the section pertaining to XC Ski Trails to my web Site. CLICK HERE for that version. I think the older version is less complicated and says about the same thing in fewer paged. CLICK HERE for my copy of the XC Ski portion of the simpler “OLD” Trails HB. Scroll to the bottom of the page for a table of values for the three difficulty levels. One of the most important criteria for trail difficulty rating is the percent grade. The greatest sustained grade over 300’ (and steepest 100’ pitch) for Easiest, More Difficult, and Most Difficult Cross Country Trails are: 7.5% (10%), 12% (20%) and 17% (N/A) – The new HB allows up to 25% for short pitches on their equivalent of the Most Difficult Trail Class.

I found an edited (probably about 1995) version of the 1993-1994 descriptions and have used that as the base for the following descriptions. I’ve added the trailhead(s) name for each trail and have tried to describe how folks normally ski the trails. Although many trails were designed to be skied downhill, most of us find that a down and up, or an up and back ski is quite practical. One problem with skiing up the steeper trails is that the blue diamonds are not as plentiful.

WELCOME to the Williams Creek Summit ski trails. To access the area, from the Hwy 28 – 93 Junction in Salmon, drive about 5 miles south on Hwy 93, (One mile past the Airport as shown on this map.- 1/ See Acme Map Notes Below), turn right (west) onto the William’s Creek Road and go about a mile and bear left (south), and bear right (west) and follow the road up William’s Creek (do not take the road to William’s Lake). Watch for the mile markers on the right side of the road. Our first trailhead is on the left at the Cougar Point Picnic Site at MP 10.4 (Four tenths miles past the 10 mile marker). Trailheads are located periodically for seven miles up to, and past William’s Creek Summit. Refer to this table of Trailhead Descriptions for more details. (Take your mileage at milepost 10 because mile markers past this point are often buried in snow or missing.)

* 1/ The Acme Map link should display the area between Salmon and William’s Cr. Summit. However you may need to zoom in or out to see both Salmon and William's Creek Summit. Before clicking on the link be sure to maximize the browser window size and hit F11 to view in “Full Screen” mode. This will allow you to see the entire route from Salmon. Also once the map has loaded, click on the spinning globe at the lower right to hide the small menu. You can zoom in and pan to view in greater detail or change to a satellite view.

Be prepared with a properly inflated spare tire, a full tank of gas, and either 4-wheel drive or chains. The “easiest” Wapiti Meadows Loop is marked with green diamonds (which are hard to see). All other trails are marked with blue diamonds, except for the Ridge Road and the Perreau Meadows Timber Sale Road which are snowmobile trails and are not marked, or are marked with orange diamonds. Another exception is where we’ve constructed an easier “by-pass” trail, where we also use green diamonds. Most of the green diamonds actually have a narrow yellow border for better visibility.

WINTER SAFETY … Be prepared for a variety of winter conditions!  ** Don’t ski alone, ** Let someone know of your route and schedule, **Carry a pack containing survival items, **Know the symptoms for frostbite and hypothermia, and know how to treat them ** If lost or experiencing equipment failure, REMAIN CALM, **Use a compass or backtrack to find a familiar spot ** If you have to spend the night, conserve your strength and daylight to prepare a fire and shelter, ** Wait for rescue. We’re often not as thirsty in the winter and it’s easy to get dehydrated so it’s important to have water handy. In addition be sure to have all of the enclosed Ten Essentials.

Know where you are. If someone can get to a phone, call 911 for the Lemhi County Sheriff dispatcher or call 208-756-8980.

TRAIL DESCRIPTIONS
Trip planning is often easier if one knows the mileage and difficulty of specific trail segments. After reading the following descriptions, CLICK HERE for my William’s Cr. X-C Ski Trails by Trail Segment Table. Trailhead Descriptions (Milepost & Left or Right) are based on going UP the William’s Creek Road. A description of, and the specific mileage to each trailhead can be found in my William’s Cr. X-C TRAILHEAD TABLE. <- click.

WAPITI MEADOWS LOOP – Trail #242, Easiest, Upper Aspen Loop Trailhead MP 12.5 on Right (or Meadow Trailhead MP 12.9 on Left).
The trail starts 200’ up the road on the left from the trailhead. Since this trailhead is sometimes not plowed, this trail is often accessed from the Meadow Trailhead by skiing about 0.3 on the Meadow Trail. The trail is co-located with the Left Fork of the Meadow Trail for about 0.1 mile, then bears right and for about 0.1 mile and bares right again to start a 1.3 mile loop. (Just before the loop the “Right Fork” of the Meadow Trail enters on the right.) This trail meanders through gentle terrain of open wet meadows and Lodgepole forest. This trail is marked by green diamonds.

MEADOW TRAIL – Trail #222, Easiest to More Difficult, Meadow Trailhead MP 12.9 on Left.
* Although this trail goes 2.5 miles to Cougar Point, snow conditions and time often preclude skiing the entire trail.
The trail goes 0.1 mile from the trailhead and forks.
The “Right Fork” is slightly more gentle and goes 0.4 miles to the Wapiti Loop trail. Folks often ski the loop and return to the trailhead. For a longer ski go left about 0.1 mile and join the “Left Fork”. Beginners can use this trail to access the Wapiti Meadows Loop. They should follow the short “by-pass” marked with green diamonds to avoid a short steep pitch.

The “Left Fork” goes 0.2 miles to the road and the start of the Wapiti Loop, continues 0.1 miles to the point where the Wapiti Loop bares right. For a longer ski continue about 0.4 miles down to a clear-cut and rail fence exclosure, and return.

The Lower Meadow Trails are more difficult (both forks have steep pitches): When snow conditions are good one can continue about 0.5 more miles past the clear-cut to the “Cougar Point” William’s Cr. Road Cutoff Junction”. Normally one will bare left onto the “William’s Cr. Road Cutoff”, 0.3 miles to the Lower Aspen Loop Trailhead. Snow conditions usually preclude continuing to the right 1.3 miles to the Cougar Point Trailhead. When skiing these lower sections a shuttle car is often left at the Cougar Point or Lower Aspen Loop Trailheads. Without a shuttle car or with fresh snow, it’s often better to park at these trailheads and ski up and back in your own tracks. Skins are helpful. These lower trails are on the high end of more difficult unless the snow is soft and deep.

BUCKHORN TRAIL – Trail #242, More Difficult, William’s Cr. Summit Trailhead MP 13.8, (or ski up from Meadow Trailhead MP 12.9).
* Previously this trail was skied best by starting at the trailhead 2.5 miles north of Williams Creek Summit on the Ridge Road. From the trailhead, this route follows sections of an old road. The beginning 0.2 mile is gentle, then, for 0.5 miles, the trail drops steeply until it enters a large meadow and crosses the Williams Creek Trail. (For more of a challenge, some folks turn onto the William’s Cr. Trail at this point.). The Buckhorn trail continues 1.1 miles to the Meadow Trailhead. With two short climbs, the trail meanders gently downhill until the last 0.6 miles where it increases in steepness to the trailhead and Williams Creek Road.

 The Buckhorn Trail ends across the road from the Meadow Trailhead, and a common practice is to ski up the trail and back, or to ski up the trail and down the William’s Cr. Trail. There are two sections that are very steep which required the use of climbing skins, or a detour off the trail. * Both of these are now have more gentle “by-Pass” trails marked with green diamonds. These would still be a challenge for beginning skiers but have been used easily by advanced beginners. They are signed “More Difficult” (as opposed to “Most Difficult” for the original location).

ASPEN LOOP TRAIL – Trail #223, Easiest to More Difficult, Upper Aspen Loop Trailhead MP 12.5 on Right (or Meadow Trailhead on Left).
The Upper Aspen Loop trail starts at the trailhead. Since this trailhead is sometimes not plowed, this trail is often accessed from the Meadow Trailhead by skiing about 0.3 on the Meadow Trail Left Fork, and 200’ down the road. The first section is gently rolling rated easiest, and suitable as an out and back for strong beginners. At approximately 0.5 miles, the trail junctions with, and is co-located with the Williams Creek Trail, dropping significantly through open meadows for 0.5 miles, where the Lower Aspen Loop Trail bares right to climb 0.4 miles up to the Lower Aspen Loop Trailhead and Williams Creek Road. These sections are rated more difficult.

RIDGE ROAD – Trail #020, Easiest to More Difficult, William’s Cr. Summit Trailhead MP 13.8.
This road (AKA the Salmon River Mountain Road), though groomed for snowmobiles, is heavily used by skiers. When not icy, it can be a good trail for beginners, due to its width, low grade, packed base, and many vistas. It also serves as access to the North Moccasin, Williams Creek, Buckhorn and Perreau Meadows Trails, and the William’s Creek A-Frame to the north; and the Deep Creek Ridge – Mukluk, and Upper Shoshoni Trails to the south. Conditions vary on this trail, depending on the timing of snow, temperatures, and levels of snowmobile use. Skiers need to maintain a watchful eye and ear for snowmobiles and be prepared to step off the side of the trail to allow them to pass safely.

WILLIAMS CREEK TRAIL – Trail #078, More Difficult to Most Difficult, William’s Cr. Summit Trailhead MP 13.8.
This trail starts 2 miles north of Williams Creek Summit on the right side of the Ridge Road and continues 3.2 miles to the Big Fir Trailhead on the William’s Creek Road. Skiers may want to walk down the 1^st 100 yards which is very steep. We hope to have a by-pass around this section soon. The beginning 0.6 miles is steep and narrow and requires skill in turning and stopping and is rated Most Difficult. At this point the trail crosses the Buckhorn Trail, continues through a flat meadow 0.3 mile to the point where the Perreau Meadows trail enters from the North. From this point, the trail descends through forest and steep meadow for 0.8 miles to the Upper Aspen Loop, 0.5 miles more to the Lower Aspen Loop, and 1.0 mile further to the Trailhead. Numerous loops can also be planned from these other trails. CLICK HERE for a table of specific mileages.

NORTH MOCCASIN TRAIL – Trail #225, Most Difficult, William’s Cr. Summit Trailhead MP 13.8.
Shuttle a vehicle to a small plowed area on road #101 __ miles past the Deep Creek Road junction. One fork of the trail ends about ___ miles before the parking area and the other fork ends about ___ miles after the parking area.

Park the other vehicle at Williams Creek Summit and ski along the Ridge Road 2 miles north to the trailhead. From that point, 2.6 miles of downhill forest skiing brings you to an open meadow. At the beginning of the meadow you can take the trail to the left or you can continue straight through the meadow. The left fork generally follows an old road through the trees and may have better snow conditions. The meadow route is shorter.

PERREAU MEADOWS TRAIL – Trail #624.5, More Difficult, William’s Cr. Summit Trailhead MP 13.8.
This trail is 1.9 miles long, and starts 4 miles north of Williams Creek Summit along the Ridge Road. The first four-tenths of a mile take you down through Perreau Meadows. From Perreau Meadows the trail follows an old blazed trail which winds its way through forest meadows and open benches for another 1.2 miles before it intersects with the Williams Creek Trail ($078).

LOWER SHOSHONI TRAIL – Trail #243 (Shown as #247 on the map), More Difficult to Most Difficult, William’s Cr. Summit Trailhead.
The trail starts on a primitive road, turns left off the road and crosses Moccasin Creek after about two-tenths of a mile. It continues up a fork of the creek a total of seven-tenths of a mile to the steep (currently unmarked) upper trail. The upper trail is incomplete, but will be a 3.3 mile loop for advanced telemark skiers after completion. Intermediate skiers can ski up the bottom of this trail, potentially a 2.6 mile round trip. Park at Williams Creek Summit for both the upper and lower sections. To access the lower trail, ski or walk west along the Moccasin Creek Road six-tenths of a mile to the trailhead on the left. (There is a one vehicle parking area at the trailhead.)

A-FRAMES - Try staying at Williams Creek A-Frame. There are several A-frames on the Forests. Only $15/night! For reservations and more information on the A-Frames, contact the Salmon and Challis National Forests’ Headquarters at 208-756-5100.

TRAILS NOT YET ON THE MAP:

DEEP CREEK RIDGE: – Trail #010, More Difficult to Most Difficult, William’s Cr. Summit Trailhead MP 13.8.
This trail starts 0.6 miles south of Williams Creek Summit on the right side of the Ridge Road.

MUKLUK: – Trail #244, Most Difficult, William’s Cr. Summit Trailhead MP 13.8.
The Deep Cr. Ridge Trail currently feeds directly into this trail.

UPPER SHOSHONI: – Trail #243, (This is a Telemark Trail steeper than Most Difficult), William’s Cr. Summit Trailhead 13.8.
The trail starts 0.7 miles up the Deep Cr. Ridge Trail and feeds into the Lower Shoshoni Trail.

PERREAU TIMBER SALE ROAD – Road #5082, Easiest, William’s Cr. Summit Trailhead mp 13.8.
This trail starts about 2.9 miles north of Williams Creek Summit on the right side of the Ridge Road. This trail is only about 0.2 miles beyond the A-Frame. It’s about a mile out to the Perreau Meadows Trail, so this allows one to make a loop down that trail and back to the Ridge Road. Suggested loop for those staying at the A-Frame.

By: Cliff Keene, 1405 Tendoy Ave, Salmon, ID 83467 Email is: ckeene41-b4 followed by an @ and then yahoo.com

This Web Page is: http://home.custertel.net/~ckeene41/xcskiwmscr_traildescr.htm

Word Count 2,874.
Latest update     06/10/09 19:15 PM
Previous update  09/18/08 21:00 PM
Earlier update     02/15/05 12:15 PM
Minor Edits marked with (**).