Middle Fork Ditch Creek Trail

Difficulty:  Moderate     Trail Use:   Light

Length:     5.73 miles from Ditch Cr Road to jct with Horsetail Cr Trail, ~1.5 miles to jct with North Fork Ditch Cr Trail

Elevation:    7413 ft at Trailhead, 7730 ft at jct with North Fork Ditch Cr Trail, 8772 ft at upper jct with Horsetail Cr Trail

Open to:  Hikers, Equestrian, Mt Bikes

Trail Highlights:

• This trail takes off from the road and goes through dense lodge pole pine forest for a ways.  It crosses several large open meadows with views down to the creek.  The trail eventually reaches an outfitter camp and crosses the creek. 
• The trail then reaches a junction for the North Fork of Ditch Cr Trail, where there is a small sign in a tree on the other side of the creek.  The Middle Fork Ditch Cr Trail takes off to the right and has recently been cleared and marked by the trail crew.
• The trail climbs up through large open hillsides and is faint in some places.  It has been marked with posts here and there and also look for recent chainsaw cuts.  It crosses the creek again and continues climbing through a mixture of open meadows and aspen and pine forest.  The trail eventually reaches a very large upper meadow where the trail basically disappears.  Stay to the left in this meadow and follow along its edge and you’ll see the trail pick up again before going through a small slot of pine forest.  The trail continues through the forest, crossing through several boggy areas where the trail again disappears.  Use your common sense in these areas and you’ll find the trail, which was cut out recently by the trail crew. 
• The trail eventually gets into a tight canyon where it crisscrosses the creek and is very hard to find.  There are several large trees down in this area making it impassable to stock.  There are plans to cut this area out in 2012.  The trail climbs steeply out of this tight ravine and up to another large open meadow.  From here the trail skirts along the edge of the meadow and eventually connects in with the Horsetail Cr Trail. 

Options:

• It is possible to loop this trail with the main Ditch Cr Trail which follows the old road which you walked up on the way in.  It can be very hard to find in places and should not be attempted without a good map and definitely know your route well before going.  Many people get lost in this area.  There are future plans of increased signage in the area in 2012.
• You can connect to the North Fork of Ditch Cr Trail which will take you to the Carmichael Fork and eventually down to Slate Cr Trail and the Gros Ventre Road.

Important Information

• Many portions of this trail can be hard to find.  Have a good map and know your route well.
• This trail is on the USGS quad map for Shadow Mountain and Mt Leidy .
• Always check the posted information at the kiosks for maps, updated material on forest regulations and closures.

At a Glance