Sipsey Wilderness Question

[hank9481]

A group of us have a weekend trip planned for Jan 16-19 to Sipsey, and I have a quick question for anyone who may have knowledge. Our plan right now is to start at the Gum Pond TH and hike a counter clockwise loop on 208, down 204 to the river, across 209 then up 200/207 to Gum Pond. 3 days/2 nights.

My question involves actually crossing the Sipsey Fork. We've never hiked in the 201/202 area and have given some thought to adjusting our plan to see the cabin, cemetery, etc., but I am uncertain what the current condition of the river is. We'd rather not cross something waist-deep. I'm sure we'll stick to our original plan to be safe, but any insight would be greatly appreciated.

[Chriss]

Once you get to the 209/200 junction you should be able to walk 1 mile North to a bridge that crosses. I crossed last January at the 209/200 junction and the water was only ankle deep. It will all depend on the rain in the days before your trip. Should be a fun loop! I did that same loop starting at the Sipsey Trailhead. One suggestion though, if you choose to cross the creek, take an extra pair of socks to cross over and then hang them on the outside of your pack once your are across.

I believe the distance is about a mile to the bridge that crosses. Could be +/- a bit but not much off. Someone will chime and confirm I am sure.

[hank9481]

Thanks, much appreciated.

[dukhntn]

It seems to me you are asking about crossing the sipsey fork at the 209/202 junction, or possibly where the 209 crosses and goes uphill to 201, not just at the 209/200 junction. If you are flexible You should be able to lay eyes on the river once you come down 204 and hit 209, then decide if the level looks ok to cross. The one time I laid eyes on the 209/202 crossing it looked deep, but there was a lot of rain 2 days before. I have crossed the SF on the 209 and betwixt the 206 and 209 and it was ankle deep. You can look up the sipsey gage on the USGS site, but I've no idea how the gage height relates to water height at the crossings. Squidbilly, bammacker, jnunniv or countless others should be able to help you with that.

[Bad Biscuit]

Regarding the water crossing at 209/200.... Using the water depth gauge here subtract aprox 3 ft from gauge height to get an estimate of the water level at 200/209. You'll also want to look at the discharge in cubic feet per second. The water may not look too high, but it could be moving quickly still making crossing difficult at the official crossing.

Coming from your direction (or counter clockwise) you can stay on the west side of Borden Creek from 209 all the way to the Borden Creek bridge (just west and downhill of the new trailhead parking), cross on the bridge if needed, and go on your merry way. The trail is on West Borden is "unofficial" but you shouldn't be any trouble following it, so crossing at 209/200 is a non issue. IF the water is higher at 209/200, it may be higher everywhere. I've never had a problem crossing anywhere regardless of rain - but you have to be smart and plan an alternate route if needed. You may also just have to explore a bit to find a downed tree or a spot where the water is wider (which means more shallow). FWIW, I've crossed in shoulder deep water but I was on a day hike with a small pack and not a full load, so I'm less picky - it's part of the adventure!

If crossing at 201/202 and 209, you may have to scout for awhile to find a crossing or make alternate plans. I personally wouldn't plan to cross in this area if the water level was elevated.


FWIW, in the past 60 days, the lowest level was 8.8 cu ft/sec with a gauge height of 3.19 ft on 11/24/2014 to a max of 5880 cu ft/sec with a gauge height of 22.65 ft on 12/24. (yes, you read that correctly!!!) You have to be careful out there when it begins to rain....

[hank9481]

Thanks folks, I think we will plan to loop from Gum Pond across to Bee Branch/204 then along the River on 209 and up around to Gum Pond as originally planned and avoid the uncertainty of the river this time of year. Much appreciated!

[Mr. Jowee]

I've been to Sipsey only once, in June of last year. The crossing at 209/200 was maybe shin deep, but it was waist deep at the 200/207 crossing.

As mentioned, there is an unofficial trail that follows 200 on the west side of Borden Creek. If you take this path, you'll miss one of my favorite features of the wilderness; the cave on 200. It's about 30 feet long, pitch black on the inside, and not to be missed! Even if you do forgo the crossing at 209/200 and decide to take the alternate route and cross at the bridge, it's worth doubling back for just to check out.

As for the 200/207 crossing, the unofficial trail will continue to follow the river, mirroring 210 as it winds along Braziel Creek. There were much better (i.e., shallower) crossings along this path, as well as a downed tree that spanned the creek.