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Naomi Peak Trails MAP No. 2 Naomi Peak 002 NORTH FORK-HIGH CREEK Map: Naomi Peak Trailhead: TH2. Approximately 2.5 miles north of Richmond on US 91. Continue about a mile past the Pepperidge Farm factory and look for a Forest Service sign on the right. TH2 is about 4.5 miles east. There is a campground about a mile before TH2. The trail starts 1.8 miles from the High Creek Campground. The road to the trailhead is not recommended. Distance: 3.8 miles to the Idaho line. Grade: 7% from High Creek Campground at 5520 ft to Trail 002 at 6000 ft. 3% to the Idaho line at 8400 ft.
The trail provides access to the northern portion of the Naomi
Wilderness Area. It enters Idaho at 8400 ft and climbs to 9000
ft, crossing the Bear River Range before turning east and descending
to FS{113} in White Canyon and on to the Franklin Basin Road.
The trail number changes from 002 in Utah to 003 in Idaho, and
the Franklin Basin Road changes from UTAH[406] to IDAHO[006].
A number of sawmills operated by Cache Valley residents were moved
from Utah to this area in Idaho around the turn of the century
to avoid Utah tax laws. 007 SMITHFIELD CANYON Map: Naomi Peak Trailhead: Turn east at Center Street in Smithfield, turn left at Canyon Road (almost Third East)and follow the road to the campground which is about 4 miles from Smithfield. TH5 SMITHFIELD CANYON at 6080 ft is at the end of FS[049] 1.5 miles beyond the Smithfield Canyon Campground at 5400 ft, which is about 4 miles from Smithfield. TH25 TONY GROVE LAKE, 8010 ft, is at the other end of the trail (see the Naomi Peak map). Distance: 3.2 miles to the saddle on the Bear River Ridge Trail 007. Two miles from the Ridge to Tony Grove Lake Trail 005 via Coldwater Spring. Grade: 16% from TH5 at 6040 ft to the Bear River Ridge at 8800 ft. 7% from the ridge to TH25 (8010). It is quite apparent that it is easier to follow this trail from Tony Grove Lake to TH5 SMITHFIELD CANYON. A scenic overview of the terrain can be seen from Mount Naomi (see Tr. 005-136) but that is another description. The vista from the saddle at the top is worth the effort if you decide to take the trip from the Smithfield side. It takes two hours to place a car at each trailhead and then to retrieve them. A bushwhacking sidetrip along the ridge toward the north (Mount Naomi) or the south (Mount Elmer) in June or July is a delightful walk through acres of wildflowers. 024 CHERRY CREEK Map: Naomi Peak Trailhead: TH3 CHERRY CREEK two miles east of Richmond. Go east to Third East, and then turn north. The road turns east and continues to TH3. The other end of Trail 024 is TH25 TONY GROVE LAKE. Distance: 6.9 miles to Cherry Peak on Trail 024, 4.0 miles from Cherry Peak to TH25 on Trail 005. Grade: 10% from TH3(5500 ft) to the base of Cherry Peak(9400 ft). Cherry Peak is 9765 ft. 3% from the base of Cherry Peak to the Bear River Ridge saddle(9720 ft) by Naomi Peak. 10% from the ridge to TH25. The trail follows Cherry Creek Canyon to about 9200 ft. It stays at about that level for approximately 1.5 miles to the intersection with the High Creek Trail 027. The trail rises to 9700 ft before crossing the main ridge about a half-mile north of Naomi Peak. The peak is not impressive at this point since it is only about 300 feet higher than the ridge-crossing trail. A loop can be made by returning along the High Creek Trail 027. Trail 005 to TH25 passes through some very beautiful glaciated ravines. The steepest descent is approximately the first mile. If you are planning to travel from end to end, allow time for placing cars or pickup at each end. The trailheads are about fifty miles apart by highway. 025 WHITE PINE LAKE Map: Naomi Peak Trailhead: TH25 TONY GROVE LAKE. Park at the Backcountry Trailhead for overnight hiking. Distance: 4 miles. 2.9 miles to the highest point. Grade: 5% from TH25 at 8010 ft to the highest point at 8820 ft. 7% from the highest point to White Pine Lake at 8380 ft. The White Pine Trail is very popular and has been in use for almost 100 years. The small White Pine Lake is in a picturesque setting. This trail goes over a ridge that is 400 feet high and then down to the lake. Allow time for the return trip before dark. The lake is situated between two 9700-foot peaks. There have been a number of accidents with hikers who attempt to climb the peaks, especially Magog, the south peak. There is a chance to see a moose or two if the hiker is not too noisy. On the other hand, some noise may avert being chased by one of the beasts. 027 HIGH CREEK Map: Naomi Peak Trailhead: TH2 HIGH CREEK. Approximately 2.5 miles north of Richmond on US 91. Proceed about a mile past the Pepperidge Farm factory and look for a Forest Service sign on the right. TH2 is about 4.5 miles east on FS[408]. There is a campground about a mile before TH2. Distance: 4.7 miles from TH2 at 6000 ft to High Creek Lake at 8760 ft. Grade: 11%.
Hiking this trail is an alpine experience. It is relatively steep
but rewarding. The North Fork Trail 002 branches off near the
trailhead. The trail crosses High Creek a number of times. High
Creek Lake is about a mile from Cherry Peak and Naomi Peak. Trail
005 to TH25 TONY GROVE LAKE can be picked up a short distance
from High Creek Lake. Naomi Peak is 0.25 mile from the saddle
where the trail crosses the Bear River Ridge. The distance from
the saddle to TH25 is 2.5 miles on Trail 005. 060 SMITHFIELD DRY CANYON Map: Naomi Peak (This trail is shown on the Mt. Elmer Map) Trailhead: Turn right off US 91 onto Third South Street as you enter Smithfield and drive east as far as possible, which will be near the boundary of the Naomi Wilderness Area. Distance: 7.6 miles to Trail 005. Grade: 8% from the Wilderness boundary at 6000 ft to the Bear River Ridge at an elevation of 9200 ft.
The trail starts through a rather narrow canyon but opens up as
you get higher. Red Ledge Spring is about 2.5 miles from the wilderness
boundary. Approximately a mile beyond Red Ledge Spring you encounter
Trail 006 that goes down Birch Canyon and back to Smithfield.
This trail goes out of the wilderness and onto private land. The
road may be gated. Trail 060 has a number of switchbacks from
the spring to the ridge. At 9000 feet, in the direction of Mount
Jardine, the main trail turns sharply to the south but shortly
turns northeast, avoiding the peak that is only about 0.25 miles
away. Another mile of travel along the Bear River Ridge will encounter
Trail 005 on the right and Mount Elmer to the north. Trail 005
continues on to Tony Grove Lake, Mount Naomi, and High Creek Lake.
135 TONY-COLDWATER SPRING Map: Naomi Peak Trailhead: TH25 TONY GROVE LAKE. The trail can begin either at the upper end of the campground or at the Backcountry Trailhead (TH25) that is one-eighth mile before the campground entrance sign.. Distance: 1.1 miles. Elevation at TH5 is 8010 ft; the spring is at 8400 ft. Grade: 8% maximum, 4% average. This is a short very rewarding walk with an elevation gain of about 400 feet to a stock tank and spring at the head of Blind Hollow. The trail number, 135, is not given on the Forest Service Visitor map because it is actually a segment of Trail 005, which is a National Recreation Trail. You can see much of the Bear River Ridge from the trail above the spring including Mount Elmer, which is a landmark object for much of Logan Canyon. The trail is well-designed and is in the shade of fir and aspen trees most of the way. Map: Naomi Peak Trailhead: TH25 TONY GROVE LAKE. The beginning of the trail is at the Backcountry Trailhead parking lot one-eighth mile before the campground sign. Park there. The trail crosses the highway to Trail 005. Distance: Trail 136 is listed in the Forest Service inventory as 0.5 miles. This is approximately the distance from the saddle on the Bear River Ridge where Trail 005 crosses, it to the peak. The distance to the saddle on Trail 005 from TH25 is 2.5 miles. Grade: 12%. TH25 is at 8020 ft; Naomi Peak is at 9799 ft. The grade is nearly 20% in a few short sections, even downhill in others. The hike to Naomi Peak is one of the landmark trips in the Cache area. The peak is the highest in the Bear River Range and it is a relatively short trip. The view from the top covers a substantial portion of northern Utah. You can appreciate the depth of the Smithfield Canyon trail when you look down on it. The upper parts of the High Creek and Cherry Creek trails can be seen as well as some of the towns in Cache Valley. Double Top on the north and Mount Elmer on the south are two of the landmarks of the Bear River Range. Mount Logan can be seen farther south. If the air is clear, the Uintah Mountains, an east-west range, can be seen about l00 miles to the southeast
and the Teton Range about 200 miles north. 137 DOUBLE TOP Map: Naomi Peak Trailhead: The trip can start from several points. One is just over a mile downstream from the White Pine Lake Trail 025. It can also be reached from Steam Mill Canyon Trail 139 and Steep Hollow Trail 138, both by following fairly steep deer trails to the ridge. Distance: 4 miles from Trail 025 at 8300 ft; 4 miles from Franklin Basin Road FS[006] via Steep Hollow Trail 138; 6 miles from FS[006] via Steam Mill Trail 139. Grade: 8% via 025 from White Pine Lake at 8380 ft. Double Top is 9873 ft. 12% via Steep Hollow from FS[006] at 7280 ft. 10% via Steam Mill from FS[006] at 6676 ft.
It is apparent from these elevations that the easiest route is
Trail 025 assuming that you are at White Pine Lake, although it
is the poorest defined trail. If you start from Tony Grove Lake,
the grades will be different. However, the Steam Mill and Steep
Hollow trails are shorter and steeper. The Steam Mill Trail from
the lake to the ridge is quite steep, and you may end up bushwhacking
to the top. The same is true at Steep Hollow beyond the end of
the old road. In either case, once on the ridge the slope to Double
Top is relatively easy, and the terrain is open. This open area
is the main ridge of the Bear River Range. The trail goes on north
into Idaho. 138 STEEP HOLLOW Map: Naomi Peak Trailhead: 4 miles from TH26 FRANKLIN BASIN on US 89. Beaver Mountain turn-off. is still 4 miles farther on. The trail starts as a road heading west off of the Franklin Basin Road FS[006]. Distance: 4 miles to Double Top, 2 miles of the trail is a road. Grade: 12% to Double Top; 8% to the end of the road.
The map in the booklet only shows the upper portion of the road.
The lower portion is well-defined so it was deleted to allow the
inclusion of the trails to the west. This trail is the shortest
one to Double Top, but it includes about a mile that is not well-defined.
A rocky section leads to the ridge and there is a deer trail that
follows a fairly good path along the rocks. 139 STEAM MILL Map: Naomi Peak Trailhead: 0.25 mile from TH 26 FRANKLIN BASIN on US 89. Cross the Logan River bridge and turn left until the dirt road ends. Cross the stream and follow the trail west or follow another trail north for a few hundred feet and then cross the stream. It circles around back to the main trail. This area is currently on state land, and there may be some campers in the area. Distance: 5 miles from TH26 at 6640 ft to the lake at 6840 ft. The ridge is 9400 ft. Grade: 7% to the lake. The trail shown on the included map is only the upper part of Trail 139. It starts climbing west of the dirt road along rising, open country and then it turns right and follows a ravine that is parallel to Steam Mill Canyon. Eventually the trail becomes more level and turns west into the canyon, following an old road to the lake area. At the end of the last century this area was the site of a sawmill. The lake was built for the mill. Later a steam engine was hauled up along the road and was used at the sawmill until the boiler blew a hole in the side. The boiler is still on the side of the trail, and some Civil War-era shell casings were found at the site of the mill. The trail goes beyond the lake about a mile, following a ravine that goes to the Bear River Ridge. Double Top can be seen to the north from the ridge. 005 HIGHLINE--A NATIONAL RECREATIONAL TRAIL Map: Naomi Peak/Mount Elmer Trailhead: TH7 GREEN CANYON FS[050] or TH2 HIGH CREEK FS[048]. Distance: 20 miles. Grade: See the data on the segments making up this trail. This trail was approved as a national trail by the chief of the Forest Service in 1980 as part of a National Trail System. It is entirely in the Mount Naomi Wilderness Area and follows the main ridge of the Bear River Range from Green Canyon to High Creek. It is not the Highline Trail that was described in the previous edition of CACHE TRAILS as will be explained under the Great Western Trail description. The Mount Naomi Wilderness boundary is about 2 miles from the end of Green Canyon Road FS[050]. The trail goes up to the ridge and follows it to Mount Elmer, passing around the north side of the peak and then down into Cottonwood Canyon. It crosses the canyon and then heads back up the east side to Coldwater Spring Trail 135 and Tony Grove Lake. From here it follows the Naomi Peak and High Creek Trail 005 past Mount Naomi, over the saddle to High Creek Lake, and down High Creek Canyon to the TH2 trailhead. Since this trail is in the Mount Naomi Wilderness Area, the conditions for its use are more stringent than for non-wilderness areas. Mountain bikes are not permitted and the number of hikers per group is limited. Camping is permitted, but the density of camps is limited and open fires are discouraged.
Information on wilderness travel is available at the Forest Service
office. The regulations are necessary in order offer more of a
wilderness experience but still allow access. Although this is
not in the primitive wilderness class, it is protected by the
same regulations. It conveys the kind of experience met by the
early explorers of the region. back to contents |