Where: North of Lake Arrowhead
Length: 4-mile round trip
Elevation gain: 377 feet
Challenge: easy to semi-difficult
The trailhead for one of our mountain’s more remote routes is situated at the northern end of Highway 173. Beyond the Caltrans barricade, the long-unused roadway (covered with grass-filled cracks) meanders downhill toward Hesperia. Fortunately, you don’t have to be concerned about the intentionally intimidating closed gate. Just find a parking spot on the highway’s margin about one-tenth of a mile south of it (near a concrete bridge). Steps away is the understated entrance to the Deep Creek Trail. Understated? Yes. There’s no prominent signage, and only two close-set rocks serve as the portal.
First, though, an important word about how to get there. Lake Arrowhead Village is a convenient launching point. Drive onto Highway 173 from the four-stop-sign intersection and motor north past the launching dock, Arrowhead Lake Association headquarters, the massive retaining wall and Mountains Community Hospital. Keep going beyond North Bay Road and drive along the winding, undeveloped stretch of Highway 173 past Grass Valley Road (entrance to Deer Lodge Park), the U.S. Forest Service Rock Camp, The Pinnacles trailhead and nearby shooting range. Drive uphill for a ways, then downhill. Finally, you’ll arrive at the informal parking area. (Watch for the concrete bridge.) From the Village it’s nearly 11 miles and from North Bay Road, six miles.
On the Trail
So, let’s go hiking! The initial broad beaten-earth path, just off the road, gives way to a narrow trail that fluctuates along much of its course between and one- and three-feet wide, with two feet being the happy medium. Chaparral is the principal vegetation with scrub deciduous trees acting as the supporting cast. Pines and firs are absent in this transition zone from an alpine biome to the High Desert.
Hikers encountered on the trail are Alisa Salazar, who recently moved from San Diego to Cedar Glen, and Jose Salazar, her cousin from San Diego. Toby is their canine companion.
The initial section proceeds moderately downhill, tracing the course of Deep Creek on the left. At this point the water is more than 100 feet below you and, thanks to our wet winter, its flow is robust. Notice how rocky some of the hillsides above the creek are, revealing their close geological kinship to The Pinnacles and surrounding formations.
Notice, too, that some sections of the trail veer more sharply downward. Because the pathway is typically covered with fine, loose gravel, it’s important to be cautious. One proven technique is to “shoosh” down the really steep spots without lifting your feet.
Continuing your descent, you’re getting closer to the creek itself. At about the 0.4-mile mark, you’re just above the flowing water and a large pool. Scramble down the loose-soil slope for some 15 feet and relax for a few minutes. The water music is lovely!
Once you return to the trail and hike onward, you’ll notice that Deep Creek now drops more dramatically into the canyon. The trail descends less sharply, then levels off for a short stretch. At the 0.7-mile mark, you’ll come to a small boulder field that briefly obliterates the pathway. Clamber over it and head mostly uphill.
When you’ve been hiking for exactly one mile, you’ll arrive at a promontory that surveys hillsides immediately above the creek and almost-barren mountains in the eastern distance. The flowing water is some 200 feet below you. After pausing to savor this buena vista, continue on the trail to the right, heading briefly downhill. Now, though, the pathway runs steeply uphill. This is the trail’s most aerobically challenging section.
When the route finally levels off, you come to another viewpoint, where the creek is likely more than 400 feet below you. The closest hills form a wide V, framing distant mountains and creating a shape that looks something like a B-2 bomber. An excess of on-the-trail imagination? Probably.
Venture onward for another half-mile or so until you come to a dramatic downward turn. Extending for hundreds of feet, this section leads to the hot springs and their storied bathing pools. Here’s the issue, though: The descent is so steep that traction cleats for your boots or hiking shoes are strongly advised. This is a foray for another day, and we’ll call it the Deep Creek/Hot Springs Trail.
You’ve reached the two-mile mark. Without the cleats and erring on the side of caution, make a U-turn and retrace your steps. The return trip will be more challenging because, on balance, it’s more uphill. Expect it to take longer than your outward-bound trek. Overall, anticipate a hiking adventure lasting between 90 minutes and two hours. The maximum elevation is 4,730 feet.
NOTES: While this is a relatively remote trail, it’s still one of the more popular routes in the western San Bernardino Mountains. As spring segues to summer, daytime temperatures climb into the 80s. Nineties are the rule during summer’s peak. So, the most comfortable hiking windows are early to mid-spring and mid- to late fall
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