Caples Creek Loop Trail

Easy to lose trail in the snow.

Great trail.

Very nice trails to walk/run/disperse along the rivers.

Been out there three times this season. A fine spring warm up hike but not strenuous. Can get very busy

We had a GREAT time hiking along Caples Creek. This was my first Primitive Trek! 3 1/2 miles, 2 1/2 hours, 400 feet elevation gain, a bridge, a rock scramble, a recent fire, a creek crossing, moccasins, and fellowship!

It was a nice, challenging hike although a lot of the trail was through the fire damage from last year's Caples Fire. We're looking forward to trying this trail again after a few years reforestation.

Beautiful trail and pretty well maintained. We went counter clockwise which was a great decision for us. There were a couple of steep climbs but not as bad as if we had gone clockwise. Lots of places to access the creek which is a plus when you have dogs with you. Lots of great camping spots (when camping is allowed again).

Really easy to get to. It’s been burned recently. All fallen trees have been cleared. Great camping spots throughout. Nice views of the creek.

Hiked the Sliver Fork Loop, 10.1 miles, clockwise yesterday. Easy trail to follow, easily waded crossing of Caples Creek at Government Meadow, then pretty easy to follow trail up the ridge. The descent back down the Silver Fork side of the drainage was a tad dicey, as trail seemed to have been obiterated by some mechanized clearing. Once we recovered the trail lower on the slope the rest of the hike was uneventful.

Great trail. We didn't see many people until the end. Even with all the burnt trees, the hike was beautiful. This trail is mostly in the shade too. Water was cold, but still nice to get in and cool off.

If you follow this trail,, there will be two creek crossings that must be made. We took logs but some people waded across (2 to 3 feet deep). There is no way to follow the trail at the east end of the loop because of debris and pine needles continually covering the "path". If we didn't have the map downloaded, there would have been no way to find the trail. Beautiful, fairly easy hike with a lot to see (meadows, giant trees, rock formations,creek waterfalls, etc). Thunder and lightning at 3:00 pm with a downpour made the last mile a sprint.

Took anti-clockwise route to complete the loop. clockwise would be a little bit more challenging with higher gradients. A lot of burnt trees throughout the trail as noted by other hikers too. At some points it might be difficult to find the trail but if you keep following the footprints you should be fine or you can download offline maps or carry gps.

As others have noted, it’s very easy to lose the trail!! We made it to around govt meadow and then missed the switchbacks to go up the ridge... ended up going down and then had to bushwhack straight up the side of the hill ~600 ft through lots of ash and burnt trees to find the trail again.... download your map offline and bring a compass! If you don’t have a lot of daylight left, I’d recommend turning back and not try to complete the full loop.

Burn scared along the trail it does allow for nicer views toward the river.

No problems to Government Meadow, creek crossing just beyond was fine. Could have found a log to make it across up or downstream, but opted to take off our shoes and wade. Knee deep, swift and ice cold. Then tried to do the full loop, but missed the turnoff to go uphill at the small pond, and went right and downhill instead. Eventually lost the trail once it got closer to the creek due to the burn and downed trees, and missed the correct crossing location to get back to the main trail. We continued down the south side of Caples Creek off trail for another mile or more, and eventually crossed the creek on a couple of big logs and rejoined the main trail. It was a hot day, and quite dusty for much of the hike due to the burned earth. Interesting at first because of the meadows and wildflowers along the main trail, but it turned into a slog after the pond. Out and back to the creek near Government Meadow would have been better.

Took the 9 mile loop in clockwise rotation. Found nice big log crossing about 500 ft upstream of trail crossing. Backtracked to the trail and continued through the forest to the small lake or pond. After that the trail continued and was a little sketchy in places but made sure I could see a piece of trail ahead before leaving it behind. Four or so major deadfall trees fell across the trail but was always able to hook up with it on the other side. The last deadfall before the hill fell parallel and on top of the trail so that was a little more challenging to trace. Once we made it to the hill climb there were no more deadfall. Down the other side of the hill there was a logging operation that tore up the trail. Trail continues to the left at the bottom of the disturbed area. From the it's smooth sailing to Caples Creek which is magnificent at this time. We clocked 10 miles so not sure about 9.1 on the app. Tough and challenging hike but beauty all around. The fire was prescribed last year to clear undergrowth and allow sunlight to the forest floor.

Planned to hike the 9mi Old Silver loop trail. Hiked to the log crossing and found the log broken in 2 in the creek. Found another log upstream to cross over. Lots of ashes and broken down trees from the fire on the other side. We hiked all the way up to the lake and up to the next creek crossing, but couldn't find the switchback trail up to the ridge. Went back and forth looking but had to hike back. Just too big of a mess on that side. So disappointing!

this is one of my favorite early season hikes. the confluence is a great photo opportunity. if you cross the bridge and expect to cross capels creek above government meadows you will need to find a log crossing, a little sketchy at high run off. the meadows are pretty wet well into June so trek around them to prevent damage. a lot of bear sign so hang your food.

80% burnt, poor trail marking, not recommended for now...

5-23-20 This trail is closed through May 29th.