Downton Creek Trail

Dogs Off-leash

Features Commonly Backpacked · Lake · River/Creek · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

This is grizzly country, so take the usual cautions.

Turn off Highway 99 onto the Downton Forest Service Road -- a high clearance road with old bridges and some rocky spots. Continue for 0.5 kilometers, then turn onto the Branch 2 Road. This is a narrow, grown-in, rough road for 3 kilometers. Park at the landing (before the creek crossing).

Look for a trailhead sign above the road on a stump. Run on singletrack following the creek to subalpine meadows. Cross some wet meadows and continue west to Holly Lake. This is a good destination for a run or backpackers can camp at the lake. The trail continues on to alpine destinations in the Cayoosh Range. Return by the same route.

Many Coast Range wildflowers over the whole route in summer.