Momyer/Vivian creek loop

[HH8]

mo-myer

Hey "Mom, yer" startin to piss me off - just kidding!

[Ellen]

mo-myer

Hey "Mom, yer" startin to piss me off - just kidding!

[Patrick]

Well, Mo Myer seems to be the general consensus. So, I guess I will once again be ignoring the advice of the Mill Creek Ranger Station.



Note: I don't have anything against them. I realize they are volunteers and should be commended.
Just sayin...

[Hikin_Jim]

Well, Mo Myer seems to be the general consensus. So, I guess I will once again be ignoring the advice of the Mill Creek Ranger Station.



Note: I don't have anything against them. I realize they are volunteers and should be commended.
Just sayin...

I miss the days when they had the senior citizen grant. The seniors were super nice and super helpful.

HJ

[zippetydude]

I'm sorry, but you're all wrong. The correct pronunciation of Momyer is "HELL".

JK, but Florian, you sure hit the nail on the head. I couldn't resist taking a shot at it today, and I swear, trailhead to DLS takes longer than the SF lollipop! Lots of heat and up and down, I didn't even make the peak, and I got home in a stupor! Man, if I needed a lesson in humility, I picked the right trail. Ugh.

By the way, it's such a beautiful trail from around 8000' on up, it's a good thing it's kinda tough beforehand, or it would be swamped. But it's a great workout before you even get to the really nice areas.

So, HJ (or anyone, but HJ always knows...), what are those 4 creeks between the Dobbs cutoff and the saddle? Two flow really solid, although I drank (unfiltered) from all.

z

[Hikin_Jim]

I have a sort of love-hate relationship with the Momyer-Alger-Falls Creek trails route to Dollar Lake Saddle. Particularly the section from the the new trailhead up to the Alger Creek Trail junction. Poorly done and adds a lot of unnecessary miles.

So, HJ (or anyone, but HJ always knows...), what are those 4 creeks between the Dobbs cutoff and the saddle? Two flow really solid, although I drank (unfiltered) from all.

I only speak map, but I'll give it a shot.

The four major drainages you pass after the Dobbs cut off are marked as points "A" through "D". None of those have any official name (official as in USGS recognized), but "B" is locally referred to as the West Fork of Falls Creek, and "C" is the North Fork of Falls Creek. The USGS recognized Falls Creek is the East Fork and is marked by points "E" through "H," and that's some wild country, country I've yet to explore.

Back to your question: The West and North Forks of Falls Creek, particularly the North Fork, are extremely reliable. The North Fork is basically the outflow of High Meadow Springs. I can't imagine the N. Fork ever going dry.

HJ

[Ellen]

Howdy Z

The correct pronunciation of Momyer is "HELL".
z

Absolutely agree. The climb takes forever (Twillight Zone time) and there's no breeze.

I now only do it as a loop -- Momyer > trace trail > ridge > Dollar Lake saddle > down Momyer (or is it called Alger creek?) > Falls creek trail > Mill creek. I wear pants since the trail trace is so overgrown, but that's still preferable to going up and down that sucker.

Miles of smiles,
Ellen

[zippetydude]

Hi Ellen. Of course, given that it kinda kicked me around on the weekend, you know what my first thought was the next morning...."Hmmm, I must be getting out of shape. Gotta go hit that trail some more!" That's the right response, correct?

Thanks for the map HJ. Incidentally, I think the continual roller coaster ride on the Alger Creek Trail must add up to extra elevation gain. I know when I've done the PCT out of Snow Creek the GPS incicates 12,932 total elevation gain instead of around 10,000. If anyone has a total on Momyer to Alger Creek to DLS, I'd be interested to see it.

z

[Hikin_Jim]

I now only do it as a loop -- Momyer > trace trail > ridge > Dollar Lake saddle > down Momyer (or is it called Alger creek?) > trace trail > Mill creek.

Ellen,

The "trace trail" is the Momyer Creek Trail; the upper section is unmaintained, but the whole thing from the Momyer Creek trailhead to the ridge is the Momyer Creek Trail.

The lateral trail from the trace trail to Dobbs cutoff is the Alger Creek Trail.

The trail from Dobbs Cutoff to Dollar Lake Saddle is the Falls Creek Trail. The Falls Creek Trail was built by John Dobbs in the 1890's and is the original route from Forest Falls to the South Fork area and Barton Flats. The lower section from Forest Falls to Dobbs cutoff was closed by the Forest Service because it passed through some private land -- even though a legal right-of-way existed (I mean the thing was built in the 1800's for crying out loud). Unlike the Momyer Creek Trail, the lower section of the Falls Creek Trail doesn't screw around and gets you into the backcountry in short order.

HJ

[Florian]

Unlike the Momyer Creek Trail, the lower section of the Falls Creek Trail doesn't screw around and gets you into the backcountry in short order.HJ

The first time i climbed San Gorgonio sometime around 1975 was via the Falls Creek trail as an overnight backpack. I camped at High Meadow Spring after hiking up the Falls Creek trail. The next day i hit the summit and came down the Vivian Creek trail. Is is still possible to hike the lower Falls Creek trail or is it pretty much blocked/gated now?

-Florian