Dickey Creek Trail #553

This trail is in the Bull of the Woods Wilderness and provides a direct route to the popular Big Slide Lake. The trail passes through deep forest in the Dickey Creek drainage for the first three miles, and then climbs to the ridge above Big Slide Lake. This trail typically provides the earliest access to the Bull of the Woods Wilderness.

The trail begins at Forest Road 6340-140 and ends at Schreiner Peak Trail #555. Beginning at Forest Road 6340-140 (2,900’), the trail follows a decommissioned section of Forest Road 6340-140 for 0.6 mile. At the end of the old road, the trail begins a steep descent into a heavily forested area. This portion of the trail is very steep and unstable ground causes trail shifts, USE CAUTION, especially if carrying a heavy pack. 1.2 miles after leaving the decommissioned 6340-140, the trail crosses a large meadow with a pond just to the south (2,600’). The trail leaves the meadow and continues to follow the valley floor a further 1.4 miles to Dickey Creek (2,880’). The trail crosses Dickey Creek and picks up directly across the creek to the southeast. After crossing the creek, the trail begins to climb the northwest slope of Big Slide Mountain and reaches the junction with Big Slide Lake Trail #553A (4,340’) (0.1 mile west) after 2.2 miles. From the junction, the trail continues up a steep climb for 0.5 mile to the trail’s end at the junction with Schreiner Peak Trail #555 (4,680’).

Trail Description and Map (PDF File)

At a Glance