Parker Falls to Sipsey/Parker Junction

[deegeed]

Hi all,
I was thinking about going from the Randolph Trailhead to Parker Falls, and then following Parker Branch to where it meets the Sipsey. Any thoughts? How difficult is it to find Parker Falls from Randolph? I don't mind a little bit of a strenuous hike, but is it too much? Just wanted to get some expert opinions. Thanks.

[Uncle Wayne]

Hi all,
I was thinking about going from the Randolph Trailhead to Parker Falls, and then following Parker Branch to where it meets the Sipsey. Any thoughts? How difficult is it to find Parker Falls from Randolph? I don't mind a little bit of a strenuous hike, but is it too much? Just wanted to get some expert opinions. Thanks.

No, it very doable and a scenic trip too.  We've done that many times, the last time late October last year.  You'll encounter some blowdowns etc but that's to be expected in a wilderness.  Just drop off in the drainage to the left as you pull into the parking area.  Or if you want to avoid some bushwhacking, walk west up the Cranal road to the first road on the right, just a couple 100 yards or so. Follow the road until you see the cabin or private land boundary and then drop off into the woods to the right.  Work your way around the private land / cabin and hit the drainage mentioned earlier.  You'll pass a couple of bluff shelters, the second one has a mortar hole inside.  Pully has a photo of a Beech tree near the shelter with a late 1800 date on it.   The drainage will converge with the main branch of Parker after the second shelter.

To give you something to do while you're hiking,  there's a Beech tree along this route that has a late 1700 or early 1800 date carved in it.  (I don't remember which right now)  It's close to the junction of Parker and Hubbard to help narrow it down some.  Check out all the old Beech trees along this route.  Several interesting arborglyphs in this area.

Enjoy and good luck.   Give us a trip report when you get back.

[Jackalope]

I'm planning on trying that myself this weekend and intended to post the same question.

I am also thinking about returning to trail 201 from the waterfall marked on the "sipseyonepage" map as "Parker Cascades". It looks to me like you can follow the feeder stream that according to the map joins Parker Creek from the east at the cascades back upstream until it plays out and then continue east up the drainage to 201. According to that map, it looks like it is just over a half mile and less than a quarter mile from where the stream plays out.

Does anyone have any experience or insight with this route? It seems to me like it would make for some pretty cool dayhike loops centered around trail 201 if this is doable like Randolph Trailhead to Parker Creek to 201 down to White Creek and back out 201.

[deegeed]

Thanks Uncle Wayne, that eases some of my concerns. I think we're going to try to do a two night, three day loop, with staying around Eye O' The Needle the first night, hiking along 209, with a detour to Bee Branch, staying around Feather Hawk Falls that night, and hiking out via 202. Getting pretty excited! Thanks again.

[Uncle Wayne]

I'm planning on trying that myself this weekend and intended to post the same question.

I am also thinking about returning to trail 201 from the waterfall marked on the "sipseyonepage" map as "Parker Cascades". It looks to me like you can follow the feeder stream that according to the map joins Parker Creek from the east at the cascades back upstream until it plays out and then continue east up the drainage to 201. According to that map, it looks like it is just over a half mile and less than a quarter mile from where the stream plays out.

Does anyone have any experience or insight with this route? It seems to me like it would make for some pretty cool dayhike loops centered around trail 201 if this is doable like Randolph Trailhead to Parker Creek to 201 down to White Creek and back out 201.

Yeah, that's an easy way in and out.  I haven't been that way in almost 10 years so I'm sure there are several blowdowns but have done that drainage with my Scouts several times in the late 90's.

[elbowman]

Deegeed,

I have been up to feather hawk falls, and I can't remember anywhere in the canyon itself that would be a good camping spot. But if you follow 202 up the hill from the river, on the top of the bluff over looking FH falls, there are several really nice spots up there. If I am not mistaken, there is a path, don't know how good, down the bluff to the falls. And I also think this water fall only runs right after a rain. Last time I was there there was no water flow.

Eric

[montysano]

Just to add to the general knowledge: there is an unofficial trail that goes from FS 210/Kinlock Road to Parker Falls.  Going north on FS 210 from Cranal, the trailhead is within 100 feet of where the paved road turns to gravel (which is also the county line).  It runs almost like a tunnel through a pine farm, then drops right into the Falls.

[deegeed]

I thought about going that way, but I was worried about having to bushwhack out on the last day. By the way, did you ever go, Jackalope?

[Jackalope]

Trip report from this weekend -

We started at the Randolph trailhead and walked west up Cranal Rd to the forest service road then up the road to the cabin and down the drainage and on to Parker Falls. No problems falling off down into the drainage, the rock shelters were nice and there was plenty of water flowing on Parker Creek so the waterfalls were great.

Past Parker Falls we were on the east side of the creek and ended up high up on the bluff looking down on the cascades. I think we would have been better off on the west side of the creek since it looked to have a clear path running beside the creek from what I could see. Can anyone provide some insight into that?

We then made our way to the feeder stream just below the cascades that hits Parker Creek from the east where the creek bends around to the north. We planned to follow that drainage out to trail 201 but couldn't get up the bluff and out of the canyon. I guess more athletic folks could have gone up the waterfall but it was too slick and technical for us so we backtracked and went back up the way we came down and then back to the stream above the waterfall.

We then followed the stream, as planned, in a southeasterly direction and back up the drainage to 201. It was tough going with steep hillsides and LOTS of blow down. I think it was a mistake going that way as looking at the map I see another drainage out of that stream that goes in a more east northeasterly direction that would have at least been much shorter.

Once back to 201 we went down to the river and set up camp above the rapids. It was a beautiful night for camping. We didn't even need jackets and I slept like a baby without even zipping my bag.

The next day we hiked back up the west side to 201 which was a treat because the Mountain Laurel was budded up and just beginning to bloom. I am guessing in a couple of days, if not already, it will really be putting on a show.

There were three or four new blowdowns on 201 going out that were not there the last time I was on that trail four weeks ago but nothing that poses any problems. In fact, I was surprised that there were clear paths around them already.