OutdoorsJuly 20, 2000

Mary Aegerter

If you drive the road along the North Fork of the Clearwater River, it's easy to think that all of the hiking in the area must start with a 3,000 foot climb.

Luckily for those of us who like an occasional "easy" hike, that's not so. There are several trails near the North Fork that travel along the creeks and rivers.

Though none are flat, many let you walk several miles of relatively level trail. The trail along Isabella Creek toward the Mallard Larkins stays low and in the cedars for at least its first 4 miles, to Falls Creek.

Most of the trees along the way are far from being old growth at two to three feet in diameter, but some are quite big, especially if you take the short side trip up Elmer Creek and visit the Heritage Cedar Grove. (Subject of my next column)

The area around Isabella Creek and its tributaries forms the inset in the oddly shaped Mallard Larkins Pioneer roadless area, that island of green reprieve in an area of sometimes heavily industrialized forest.

The reason for the inset isn't hard to understand: it held marketable timber stands.

The trail up Isabella Creek starts as a road, as do many trails. But after 20 minutes or so, the trail swings left down and into the trees.

About half way to this junction you'll pass a creek with a small waterfall, the first of many drainages the trail traces in and out.

Often the areas above and below the stream crossings are stacked with years of tumble-down logs.

The valley below the trail

is heavily wooded and green, and for much of the way to Falls Creek, Isabella Creek

Daily headlines, straight to your inboxRead it online first and stay up-to-date, delivered daily at 7 AM

isn't visible. Mostly the trees are cedar, but you'll also find some fir and some Pacific yew, especially the farther in and higher you

go. (If you're ambitious and hike uphill after Falls Creek, you'll get hemlock at the ridge.) I imagine this hike would be relatively cool most anytime in the summer due to the shade.

Above the trail and across the creek the higher areas of the Mallard Larkins are visible. First, there's Goat Ridge, then Isabella Point.

Later, both Heart and Mallard Peaks can be seen. All have rocky outcrops with some vegetation, lots of which was almost red in mid-September. I especially enjoyed looking at these ridges and peaks, for I hiked near them when I went to the Mallard Larkins two summers ago. I enjoy doing that - hiking in areas I've seen as "scenery" and looking back at where I was before as "scenery" now.

The trail is wide and in excellent condition. There are mile markers at miles 2,3 and 4, but they measure mileage from the old trailhead and thus suggest that you've hiked further than you actually have. At about mile 4, the trail turns up Falls Creek and heads uphill and into the Mallard Larkins. It's steep but not a bad 2½-mile climb to the ridge.

I saw a grouse and a couple of birds along the way, and a lot of grasshoppers in the open areas. And I heard what I think was a bear in an area I'd just passed through as I puffed uphill. In the lower areas I saw red, orange, yellow and blue-colored berries, and a spectacular orange shelf mushroom. On top, there was fresh snow and lots of blown-about vegetation.

Trail 95 joins with the trail along the ridge of Mallard Larkins. I walked a ways along it, hoping for a view, but I didn't get one. Just a nice log to sit on while eating lunch and contemplating the trip downhill past the place where that bear must have been.

Directions: Turn left over the bridge into Orofino and onto the Grangemont Road. Drive 26 miles to its end, then turn left onto Highway 11 and left again onto the Beaver Creek Road at Headquarters. When it crosses the North Fork, continue on road 700 rather than turning and following the North Fork upstream. Turn onto road 705 in 3.3 miles.

You'll cross a bridge 1.5 miles later, and the road ends at the trailhead 2.2 miles after the bridge. There's a sign.

Information: North Fork Clearwater National Forest, (208) 476-4541.

Maps: USGS Mallard Peak

Daily headlines, straight to your inboxRead it online first and stay up-to-date, delivered daily at 7 AM