Taryn Sandulyak

Taryn Sandulyak

Sykes Hot Springs via Pine Ridge Trail

04/14/16

We started on Sunday at 10 in the rain, which was perfect for that epic first climb. People were pouring out of the mountain heading home. We hiked all the way to Sykes the first day in about 6 hours with a stop for lunch at Terrace Creek. We found a decent, but not very flat campsite at Sykes. We were so tired by the time we got there, we chose not to keep looking for some of the "better" sites down the river, as the rain had made the river pretty deep. We had planned to stay at Terrace creek the next day but when we stopped for lunch, it seems crowded and busy so we opted for the Barlow Flat campground and we were so happy we did. After a morning soak in the hot spring, we took a leisurely 3 mile hike, enjoyed a beautiful, secluded spot right on the water. The 7 miles back are a bit arduous because of the steep descent, but the views are so worth it. It was great in the spring - all the wild flowers were out but there wasn't much poison oak. I would highly recommend it!

5.0