Gales Creek - Storey Burn Trail Loop

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · Fall Colors · River/Creek · Waterfall · Wildlife

This is a great run to see many different types of forests. There are a few waterfalls when the water levels are high. It can get muddy, and you'll get wet feet on this trail during the rainy season. There are no major viewpoints.

This biggest thing to watch for is at the junction of Storey Burn Trail and Gravelle Brothers Trail. Just keep going to the left, uphill toward Highway 6. It picks up to the left of the maintenance yard (Browns camp turnoff), not to the right like the map shows.

Vegetation can get overgrown in some spots and about 3ish miles (counter-clockwise) in there is a tree over the trail, so you have to duck under.

This is a great loop to work on your ups and downs!

First, determine which way you want to do the loop. If you like steep, short ups, with sloping downs, go clockwise. If you prefer sloping ups, and steeper, short downs, go counterclockwise. That is what I prefer, so this description is based on running in a counterclockwise direction.

Overall, the trail is singletrack on soft, smooth ground. It will get muddy in the rainy season, and you'll get your feet wet in a couple of places, but nothing more than your feet.

Start at the trailhead in Gales Creek Campground. You'll want the one that is closest to the bridge. There is a sign about mileage to Storey Burn Trail. The first 0.8 miles is pretty much uphill, until right at the end when you meet up with Storey Burn Trail. You'll cross a second bridge, and hit a T; go left for Storey Burn Trail.

This next few miles to the Storey Burn Road Trailhead, is a steady uphill as well, with some downs, but it is mostly up. This is where there are several streams that flow across the trail, most of which you can jump over, but there are two that you may get your feet wet crossing. As you get closer to the top, you are further away from the river and enter a beautiful forest area. You'll cross Storey Burn Road, and at the parking lot, the trail continues right by the kiosk.

This next section is 2 miles downhill. It can be steep at points, but it is all downhill through a forest. You'll go under Highway 6, and continue down and cross an ATV trail. This next part of the trail is flat, but in the rainy season it does get marshy, so expect to get wet feet. Here you'll see a few large, old growth stumps.

Once you cross the flat, you'll go up and meet Gravelle Brothers Trail. When you hit this trail, go left and uphill. Twice. This runs into an old logging road, and you'll keep going up to Highway 6. As you near the highway, you'll come to a staging area for sand trucks. Follow the barriers around the right side of the area. Once past that, you need to cross Highway 6 and go to the right toward the Summit Trailhead, about 0.2 miles. This is where you'll find the trailhead for the final stretch along Gales Creek Trail - Gales Creek TH to Summit TH.

These final 2.8 miles are mostly downhill leading back to where you started.