If you're looking for a mellow hike, with some stunning swimming holes along the way, Opal Creek is a great option. Not only are those swimming holes stunningly beautiful and crystal clear, but they are shockingly cold, so this is a good hike for a very warm day. When I was there on Saturday, the air along most of the trail was hot, dry, and filled with the smell of smoke from the wildfires burning to the east, but down by the creek the air was noticeably cooler and crisper. Early on in the hike (near the abandoned logging post), Matt and I opted for only a waist-deep dip since the water was so darn cold, and we just weren't warm enough yet to find that refreshing. We hiked on to Opal Pool, which is probably the deepest of the swimming holes, and also incredibly cold. It's a great place to stop for lunch, and if you're feeling up for a thrill you can jump in from the large surrounding rocks.
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| Check out the awesome font on this sign! |
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| Opal Pool. |
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| Opal Pool from up top. |
After Opal Pool, we looped back past Jawbone Flats, an old mining outpost that still has a few rusty remnants of the old inhabitants. The trail is much more exposed here, and we certainly felt the heat, but soon enough we were back on the shaded trail headed downstream to our first swimming hole.
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| Rusty remnants at Jawbone Flats. |
Matt was slightly more brave and tested the waters first. I opted for the brain freezing dive-in method over the prolonged wade-in process that seemed more like torture than refreshment! The water was freaking cold, but I have to say I felt pretty awesome once I got out!
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| The falls along Opal Creek. |
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