Once off, we were ready to head up Jenny Creek, literally.  Now don't cringe, but this trail has been for years 'part' of Jenny Creek.  A long time ago, the creek jumped it's banks and took the least path of resistance, which was the existing trail.  This makes Jenny Creek unusual and different from all other Colorado trails (except for a portion of Taylor Pass), a chance to run up (and down in our case) a creek.

    The trail follows along side Jenny Creek, and eventually up and in the creek.  With the high runoff from snow banks we were to eventually encounter, the water in Jenny Creek was running high and clear!  Seemed a little strange driving up the creek bed, but like I said, this is the trail.  For a good hundred yards or so in two different locations we were running up the creek.

    The higher we got on the trail, the more frequent the snow banks were to play on the trail.  Some drifts got to be pretty high until the last person in line got what was left of it.  Just a clue of things to come as we soon found out higher on Jenny Creek. 

    Then we started up the north side and climbed various small rocky hills thru some moderate rocky sections.  Without to many choices to pull off, I found a nice spot by an old cabin enough for 10 Jeeps to park off (while not impacting anything) the trail for a nice lunch by Jenny Creek.

    From the cabin, the trail follows through the trees and various rocky sections.  Once we reached near the end of the trail, we started to see more and more small snow banks on the trail and in the trees.  Then we came across a pretty big one covering the trail right at a turnoff to a campsite.  This snow bank had a go around, but just 100 yards later was the mother of all snow banks! This puppy was huge as it engulfed the trail and the ridge.  More snow banks lie further up the trail as we were less the a few hundred yards from partially frozen Yankee Boy Lake.  Mother Nature still has her winter grip up here, and another few weeks all the snow may melt.  Even the Moffat Road was closed (our way out) with some huge drifts.

    So, 'what goes up, must come down'. We turned around, and headed back down the Jenny Creek Trail.  The same fun rocky sections were encountered, as we drove on past the cabin and back into Jenny Creek going downstream this time. 

    Luis was in the lead and discovered the big rock at the first stream obstacle a little to friendly with his TJ.  He had taken a little to far left of a line and took out his driver step (why do they put those on anyway?).  He also left a small portion of his red paint as the 'rock' took a nice tap on the 'naked' rocker panel.  Plans are for some Durango Rocker Panels I hear.  We all took turns coming off the rock down into the stream crossing avoiding the 'Garza Rock'.

    On to the trailhead through the thick trees and back on the Moffat "your on your own dodging potholes" Road.  We reached the turnoff up to Apex at about 3:30pm, and decided not to try Miner's Gulch (as I had not planned the big snowdrift at the top of Jenny Creek).  

    Thanks to Max "Air" Baker for the free air off his York compressor at a rest stop.  A great day of Jeeping in Mid-June though winter seems to have socked in higher elevations of the high country. I enjoyed the day, as the rookies and the experienced all did very well.

Thanks to all that attended, I hope everyone had a fun time. 

Jenny Creek, a fun classic "Jeep Trail"…

 Bill "Willy" Hallinan  HoboJeepers

Thanks to Neil McMorrison and Kristin Jacobson (6-16-2001) for the digital photos...

Here are some other Jenny Creek Trip reports:

** 2000 ALL-4-FUN Jenny Creek Trail** 

**Jenny Creek Jeep Trail** 

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