Trail 206 - Thompson Creek Trail
This trail is marked different on the Carto-Craft Map (ending in 2.5 miles at Ship Rock) and the Backcountry Surveys map (ending in 3.1 miles at the 201/209 ford near where TR205 starts). The north end of the trail is at the Thompson Creek Trailhead. I describe the trail from north to south.
Starting at the trail head the trail goes up over a small hump and then down to the creek. The trail follows the creek the rest of the way. At about half a mile you pass Whiteoak Hollow and cross a stream. On the north side of the stream you will see another trail running east, this is not an official trail, it goes half a mile or a mile into Whiteoak Hollow. You can continue bushwhacking beside the creek all the way up to TR224, a nice trek that has some neat sections beside the stream. It is a fairly easy bushwhack. TR206 continues beside Thompson Creek through some brushy areas, and beside some honeycombed boulders and rock walls. The trail crosses a few more streams and then winds into a hollow to view a beautiful waterfall not far from the confluence where Thompson Creek joins Hubbard and Quillan Creeks to become the Sipsey River. The trail continues beside high rock walls, and around the finger that sports Ship Rock and Eye of the Needle. The Carto-Craft map indicates that the trail stops at the start of the Sipsey but really there is a nice trail that continues to TR209. At the point by Ship Rock is also supposed to be a ford that leads to TR201 on the other side of the river. I never saw the marking for this crossing. The trail ends at 209, with TR205 branching off either before or after the start of 209 depending which map you believe. The last one or two miles of this trail from the water fall on are quite beautiful. There is a sandy beach, some premier camping spots, large rocks, and the river is especially beautiful here. This trail gets a three to four star rating and is easy.
Last Hiked: December 2000
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