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Cress Creek, Idaho
Climbing at Cress Creek takes you through a unique Snake River habitat, past globs hurled from volcanoes 18 miles distant and above one of the largest cottonwood forests in the world.
Sat Oct 17, 2009
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The Snake River coils and twists below the ridge at Cress Creek in this springtime shot, showing that the river's cottonwood trees have yet to bud. The cottonwood forest along the river is among the largest cottonwood forests in the world.
© 2009 Brian Davidson
You can’t go far in this part of Idaho without finding evidence of volcanism. I offer as evidence what looks like a glob of the exploded Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters slapped atop a pile of crumbly tan rocks atop a butte overlooking the South Fork of the Snake River near Heise, Idaho.
The glob is volcanic ash, spewed from the North Menan Butte, a volcano twelve miles to the northwest that erupted about 20,000 years ago, altering the flow of two rivers and liberally coating the surrounding plains with a layer of whitish ash.
But this glob looks isolated. Alone. It ought to have lots of other such globs around it. It does. But they’re scattered higgledy-piggledy all over the landscape thanks to something else it’s hard not to find evidence of in this part of Idaho: earthquake faults.
In the Heise area alone, there are four of them. Not terribly active, mind you, but active enough to jiggle and juggle the landscape to keep the Snake River in its appointed track as it emerges from the Snake River Mountains.
And in all these cracks, water flows. Some of it reaches magma below and returns to the surface as hot spring water. That’s where we get Cress Creek.
I hiked Cress Creek earlier this year with my three kids, before the buds came out on the trees. Even in mid-May, spring comes slowly in east Idaho. But they were game to go on an adventure with their Daddy and experience a bit of nature. Nature didn’t disappoint.
Cress Creek emerges from the northeast wall of the Snake River Canyon, sending its water coruscating in a thin trickle down the canyon slope in a little rill that, even in winter, is beaded with green. Where most of the canyon wall is covered with sagebrush and junipers, the rill where Cress Creek lies also has lodgepole pines, Douglas firs, birches, and quaken aspen trees, all of which suck water from the creek and lend their greenery to the otherwise arid landscape.
But the real green lies in the watercress from which the creek gets its name. Even in winter, the magma-heated water, which maintains a temperature of about 50 degrees, keeps the watercress green and growing, providing browse for deer and many other smaller creatures. Adventurous humans even eat the watercress from the creek, though picking it is discouraged, not only because of wildlife preservation but because of the natural water-borne bacteria that the animals are used to but humans are not.
The trail at Cress Creek comes in two parts. The first, about a mile long, winds through a more arid landscape of rock, junipers and a few trees. It’s there, at the start of the hike on a concrete path, that the Stay-Puft volcanic remnant is visible. At the first mile marker, however, the trail changes, going from paved to dirt, and entering the little green wonderland that borders the creek. At the fork in the trail where the pavement ends, I recommend first climbing up the canyon slope to your left, for views of the creek itself, followed by views of the Snake River and the valley below, stretching as far as the Menan Buttes, where the Stay-Puft stuff comes from.
For wildlife viewing, a quiet trek up the trail in the early morning or late evening is preferable, as the animals in the area, including deer, foxes, badgers, coyotes and many song birds and raptors, are most active during those parts of the day, though it’s not uncommon to see hawks and golden eagles soaring above the river below, or above the canyon wall, at any time of the day.
Early-risers or latecomers will also avoid other hikers, as the trail is popular locally. Those who come late can also enjoy watching the sun set and the lights in the valley come on, one by one, until night has come and the valley is filled with firefly light. If you opt for a late-night visit, bring flashlights, of course, to find your way back down the trail.
The dirt trail is another mile-long loop, with two overlooks to the river and valley below. I particularly enjoy sitting at the overlooks, listening to the wind blow through the brush and watching the river flow silently below. It’s also pleasant to stand on one of the wooden bridges that cross the creek, listening to the water flow and letting the bubbling of the water fill your ears with sound and mind with pleasant memories of the times you spent playing with the garden hose in the back yard. I know it does that for me.
Getting there: From US Highway 26, follow signs directing you to Heise Hot Springs. This winding road, after a few miles, will take you across the Snake River. Once across the river, turn immediately to the left and continue for about 1 1/3 miles to the Cress Creek trailhead.
What to bring: Camera and binoculars, good hiking shoes, a picnic lunch if you so desire, and time to spend along the trail, listening and watching as nature watches you.
Be aware: I have seen rattlesnakes in the area, including on the trail, so be wary where you walk.
You can’t go far in this part of Idaho without finding evidence of volcanism. I offer as evidence what looks like a glob of the exploded Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters slapped atop a pile of crumbly tan rocks atop a butte overlooking the South Fork of the Snake River near Heise, Idaho.
The glob is volcanic ash, spewed from the North Menan Butte, a volcano twelve miles to the northwest that erupted about 20,000 years ago, altering the flow of two rivers and liberally coating the surrounding plains with a layer of whitish ash.
But this glob looks isolated. Alone. It ought to have lots of other such globs around it. It does. But they’re scattered higgledy-piggledy all over the landscape thanks to something else it’s hard not to find evidence of in this part of Idaho: earthquake faults.
In the Heise area alone, there are four of them. Not terribly active, mind you, but active enough to jiggle and juggle the landscape to keep the Snake River in its appointed track as it emerges from the Snake River Mountains.
And in all these cracks, water flows. Some of it reaches magma below and returns to the surface as hot spring water. That’s where we get Cress Creek.
I hiked Cress Creek earlier this year with my three kids, before the buds came out on the trees. Even in mid-May, spring comes slowly in east Idaho. But they were game to go on an adventure with their Daddy and experience a bit of nature. Nature didn’t disappoint.
Cress Creek emerges from the northeast wall of the Snake River Canyon, sending its water coruscating in a thin trickle down the canyon slope in a little rill that, even in winter, is beaded with green. Where most of the canyon wall is covered with sagebrush and junipers, the rill where Cress Creek lies also has lodgepole pines, Douglas firs, birches, and quaken aspen trees, all of which suck water from the creek and lend their greenery to the otherwise arid landscape.
But the real green lies in the watercress from which the creek gets its name. Even in winter, the magma-heated water, which maintains a temperature of about 50 degrees, keeps the watercress green and growing, providing browse for deer and many other smaller creatures. Adventurous humans even eat the watercress from the creek, though picking it is discouraged, not only because of wildlife preservation but because of the natural water-borne bacteria that the animals are used to but humans are not.
The trail at Cress Creek comes in two parts. The first, about a mile long, winds through a more arid landscape of rock, junipers and a few trees. It’s there, at the start of the hike on a concrete path, that the Stay-Puft volcanic remnant is visible. At the first mile marker, however, the trail changes, going from paved to dirt, and entering the little green wonderland that borders the creek. At the fork in the trail where the pavement ends, I recommend first climbing up the canyon slope to your left, for views of the creek itself, followed by views of the Snake River and the valley below, stretching as far as the Menan Buttes, where the Stay-Puft stuff comes from.
For wildlife viewing, a quiet trek up the trail in the early morning or late evening is preferable, as the animals in the area, including deer, foxes, badgers, coyotes and many song birds and raptors, are most active during those parts of the day, though it’s not uncommon to see hawks and golden eagles soaring above the river below, or above the canyon wall, at any time of the day.
Early-risers or latecomers will also avoid other hikers, as the trail is popular locally. Those who come late can also enjoy watching the sun set and the lights in the valley come on, one by one, until night has come and the valley is filled with firefly light. If you opt for a late-night visit, bring flashlights, of course, to find your way back down the trail.
The dirt trail is another mile-long loop, with two overlooks to the river and valley below. I particularly enjoy sitting at the overlooks, listening to the wind blow through the brush and watching the river flow silently below. It’s also pleasant to stand on one of the wooden bridges that cross the creek, listening to the water flow and letting the bubbling of the water fill your ears with sound and mind with pleasant memories of the times you spent playing with the garden hose in the back yard. I know it does that for me.
Getting there: From US Highway 26, follow signs directing you to Heise Hot Springs. This winding road, after a few miles, will take you across the Snake River. Once across the river, turn immediately to the left and continue for about 1 1/3 miles to the Cress Creek trailhead.
What to bring: Camera and binoculars, good hiking shoes, a picnic lunch if you so desire, and time to spend along the trail, listening and watching as nature watches you.
Be aware: I have seen rattlesnakes in the area, including on the trail, so be wary where you walk.
