Cow Creek Trail – October 24, 2026

Hike coordinator: Terry Andreuci

Narration by Lane Harris

If you’re looking for beautiful fall colors, the Cow Creek Trail provides ample fall foliage to admire. If you’re looking to practice your log-hopping and creek-crossing skills, well, this trail is an excellent choice for those as well. With the exception of Terry and John, who had already prehiked this trail, the rest of us really had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. Although Terry did announce his disclaimer of several creek crossings and a “few” log crossings, I can’t help but think, retrospectively, that we may have been a tad misled…

In Terry’s defense though, he did consult with me several days prior to the hike, wondering if he should change the destination. I believe I said something to the effect that as long as there aren’t any “showstoppers”, then let’s just do it. Surely, my advice won’t come back to haunt me…

Although the club has hiked here many times in the past, this was my first time here, so I was eager to see what the trail had to offer. The trail begins benign enough, with a gentle levelness through a mix of fir and big leaf maple. Very quickly, the trail begins to descend down towards Cow Creek and the first creek crossing. With very little rainfall, the creek was low enough that access to the other side was achieved by stepping on large, exposed rocks. This first, relatively easy crossing was immediately followed by the first log crossing. This was easily dealt with by stepping up on one end of the log and walking about 20 feet down it’s length before hopping down the other side. So far, nothing too challenging.

From here, we continued along the mostly level trail, thankful that it wasn’t raining, and just taking in all the gold and yellow scenery. There were more creek crossings, and yes, even more log crossings. Terry was amazing as a spotter whenever someone needed an assist over the creek or needed help getting up and over a log. (Is it just me, or is having someone in the role of spotter an indication that you might be hiking on the wrong trail?…)

As we made our way through the sometimes-overgrown trail, and scrambled over or around multiple fallen trees, it was quite apparent that trail maintenance had been pretty much non-existent here for a while. Although we didn’t come across any showstoppers, the fallen trees certainly slowed our progress. There were enough of these logs across the trail that I believe anyone who was keeping track surely lost count and just said, forget it!

At one point, we got off trail a bit in a flat marshy area, but by using my innate trail-finding skills, I was able to get us back on track. Actually, its no secret that if you ever discover that you have lost the trail, look for cut logs or cut stumps. In forests, trees are typically only cut down near the trail, and a log that has been cut with a saw can usually mean the trail is adjacent to the cut end. On this hike, it was a large cut stump that led me to the trail again. And, you’re welcome.

The plan was to hike to the point where the trail makes a final creek crossing, approximately 3 miles in for a 6-mile roundtrip hike. Several of us were tracking our progress, and as 3 miles came and went, jokey comments like, “oh, it’s probably just around the next corner” and “are we there yet?” were lightheartedly bantered about. (NOTE: I checked the track of our hike after I got home and discovered we were less than 1/4 mile from the last creek crossing… so close!)

As we approached the 3 ½ mile mark without reaching this supposed last creek crossing, it was a group decision that led us to stop and have lunch at an old prospector’s campsite. We even found an old, rusted-out prospecting pan near a fire pit. While sitting there and taking a well-deserved break from log-hopping, I said out loud to everyone, “The good news is we’re halfway done. The bad news is we’re halfway done”. Hey, I just call them like I see them.

After lunch, we promptly reversed course, to do the obstacle course once again. But hey, at least it was in the other direction this time! So much better… not!

With all that being said, there were areas of the trail, notably after the 2-mile mark, where the trail was quite clear of debris. With the ability to now pick up the pace on these clearer sections, I thought about how wonderful this trail would be if it hadn’t been mired by all the fallen trees. Having to stop to make your way over them really takes the gas out you and takes a lot of the enjoyment out of the hike. I truly hope this trail gets some much-needed TLC soon, or sadly, it just may not be hikeable for much longer.

If you decide to go hike the Cow Creek Trail, it’s probably best to do it in the summer or fall, as the swollen creek during the winter and spring makes any creek crossing a surefire way to give your boots a good soaking. Oh, and make sure you’re up on you log-hopping skills.

Pictures below by Terry Andreucci and Lane Harris

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