2.5 hr
Overview
You will be passing through some little visited sections of the Badger Lake Wilderness on this loop, but in the middle of this hike is the popular destination of Badger Lake: popular, that is, with both backpackers and four-wheel drive aficionados. The Post Camp Trail is a maintained trail that allows you to reach the middle section of Badger Creek, arguably its most attractive segment. From Badger Lake, you’ll be hiking up the rough and narrow Badger Lake Road (FR 4860-140), which may not see vehicles until the snowdrifts begin to melt away towards the end of May. Your trip back to your vehicle from this road is the big challenge: The Pine Creek Trail is not regularly maintained and may be obscured by considerable windfall – if this is the case, there’s a bailout option described below. Pick up the trail from the parking area, and keep right at the junction with the Threemile Trail to continue on the Post Camp Trail #467. This is a dry but very varied coniferous forest that includes Douglas-fir, grand fir, Engelmann spruce, ponderosa pine, western white pine, western hemlock, silver fir, and noble fir. Soon get your first views across the Badger Creek valley to Palisade Point and Lookout Mountain. The trail swings left and comes to the wilderness boundary at a large boulder outcropping with views across to the Divide Ridge. Cross a talus slope, and get a more expansive vista of the ridge from Lookout Mountain to Flag Point and Gordon Butte. Listen for squeaking pikas in the vicinity. Enter a shady ancient woodland with large Douglas-firs and western red-cedars. Many small springs issue onto and across the trail here. Reach the signed Post Camp-Pine Creek Trail Junction, and keep right over a footbridge that spans Pine Creek. The trail continues above Pine Creek and crosses an expansive talus slope that blooms with penstemon in late spring. The tread drops gradually in somewhat scrappy forest before entering shady cedar woods and crossing Goat Creek. A little further on, a spring flows onto the trail, and yo
Trail Stats
0.0 km
758 m
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0 m
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Photos
400px-BadgerLakeLoopMap
400px-BadgerLakeLoopMap
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250px-Ponderosa_overlook%2C_Pine_Creek_Trail
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250px-Corral_Falls%2C_Badger_Creek
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250px-Talus_slope%2C_Post_Camp_Trail
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400px-Campsite%2C_Badger_Lake