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| Telephone Canyon Cabin |
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| Stepladder Peak |
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| View from Stepladder Trail |
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| Mummy's Toe from Archery Range Road |
Before there was the nice new Deer Creek Road highway (SR 158), a much smaller road took drivers from Kyle Canyon to Lee Canyon. This road suffered wash outs, snow drifts and general disrepair on a regular basis. The new road was built on much the same route, however, not taking the same space. Therefore, the old Deer Creek Road still exists, albeit in trail form. We have used much of the old dirt road for our hikes, new and old, but today was the first time that the club has hiked 6.5 miles of the old route at one time. There was an atmosphere of hiking down an historical trail as three ladies pieced together the route.
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| Dropping to Deer Creek Picnic Area Trailhead |
We began about 2/3 of the way from Kyle Canyon to Lee Canyon on Archery Range Road. (This point to point hike required leaving a car at the Stepladder Trailhead.)
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| Circling Mahogany Grove Picnic Area |
From the parking lot, we headed south past the traffic gate on part of the old road that is still being used regularly.
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| Old CCC Oven |
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| CCC Instructions for Well-Rounded Men |
When faced with a junction, we took left turns until we were dropping down a ramp that ended across the highway from the Deer Creek Picnic Area parking lot. We crossed the paved road then dropped down at the end of the parking lot behind the info signs. This is the only bushwhacking we did today even though there is somewhat of a trail that circles around the right end of the wash at the bottom of the hill. The rabbitbrush has grown up so much that the trail has been obliterated! We kept wading through the brush until we saw our way clear to the other side of the deep wash and connected with the old road on the other side bounded by a rock wall. Following the old road, we circled around the Mahogany Grove Picnic Area above us passing the old dumped refrigerator and zigging to the left. There are some benches placed on this nature walk trail.
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| Following Old Road to Hilltop Campground |
The nature walk trail had old CCC ovens displayed and informational signs about the Civilian Conservation Corps that was active during the Great Depression years.
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| Happy Hikers |
We climbed the hill next to the signs then dropped back into the wash on the other side. This wash used to be part of the old road. Next, the road veered up out of the wash to the right.
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| Junctioning at Campsite #9 |
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| Starting Gypsy Trail |
Continuing straight on the old road, we winded our way up a hill and ended up at Campsite #9 of the Hilltop Campground. This was our high point of the day. Turning right, we followed the pavement to the switchback and continued straight to drop down the hill curving to the left. This put us back on the new Deer Creek Road. Cross the road and turn right to get to the bike trail trailhead on the left. Turning back, stay on the trail closest to the highway. This is the Gypsy Trail, a bike trail with extraordinary views and several impressive bike jumps! The route has begun its descent on a gentle slope.
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| View down Telephone Canyon |
We took note of the bike jumps. One of them jumps over a large manzanita bush. Wouldn't want to miss!
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| One of Many Bike Jumps on Old Road |
At the bottom of the hill, we junctioned with the Robbers' Roost Trail. We turned down to the left to cross the pavement once again. This time, we crossed the road and turned right to get to a dirt road on the left.
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| Old Asphalt |
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| Crossing Highway at Robbers' Roost Trailhead |
Up until this point, we had been seeing many remnants of old asphalt along the route. But, here, we chose to deviate from the old road route for better hiking trail conditions. Down this little road, we turned right onto a bike trail marked with a sign post allowing hikers, bikers, etc. It wasn't too far before we passed a cache of old rusted tin cans on the left and the remnants of the Telephone Canyon cabin on the right. This cabin was most likely a structure built for storage at the time that telephone lines were being strung to service the resort cabins up in the Deer Creek area. We stopped here for our break.
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| Leftover Rusted Tin Cans |
Well into the hike's descent, we continued down the trail (or old road) and were approached from behind by three bikers. We stepped aside to let them pass and they were very friendly.
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| Telephone Canyon Cabin |
The trail curves obviously to the right off the old road onto a single track trail. They call this trail the Cowboy Washington Trail. Not sure why ....
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| Bike Trail |
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| Cowboy Washington Trail |
At a fork, we veered to the right while the bikers veered left ... the second time. Eventually, the trail rejoined the Old Deer Creek Road, complete with old asphalt. At a saddle junction we veered to the right and left to descend the beautiful Stepladder Trail. Again, we had chosen the better trail over the old road remnants that ran along the edge of the new highway. From the saddle to the trailhead, it is around 1.25 miles. This trail has been used by bikers a lot lately and it is becoming quite torn up underfoot. Nevertheless, the views of lower Kyle Canyon are stunning. We enjoyed our "girls day" and the historic value of the route.
6.5 miles; 500 feet of elevation gain; 2100 feet of elevation loss; 3 hours
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| Trail Beauty |
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| One more photo, Girls! |
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| Nearing end of Stepladder Trail / Hike |
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