This trail somewhat links the Hat Point Trail to the Snake River in the most direct manner possible. The route of both trails combined, do an amazing job to diminish the steepness on the drop into North America's deepest river gorge. While the Hat Point Trail is in good enough shape, the Hat Creek Trail is the disastrous stepchild. Perhaps that is why they gave it a different name. If you survive to the bottom, you get to see happy and fresh looking people whiz by on jet boats and rafts, and then you have to figure out your exit strategy. If you're doing the rim-2-rim of the deepest canyon, this could roughly be your route on the Oregon side, but see my bypass notes to save some time and grief.
At the bottom of the Hat Point Trail there is a 4-way intersection that only acknowledges 3 trails. The 4th unmentionable is the Hat Creek Trail that heads out into the field of grass, only discernible by a slight depression in the ground. If you look very closely you can see some slightly discolored grass that is the trail. The trail marches you through grass along a hawthorn-infested creek which you cross sometime after losing the trail. You get a relatively small teaser of what is to come with poison ivy when crossing this small perennial stream.
The trail sets out across a rough and rocky ridge with some nice visuals deep inside the heart of Hells Canyon. The danger that lurks is less about the rocky steep slopes and more about the poison ivy, rattlesnakes, and thorns that await in the bottom of Hat Creek. My recommendation is to see the notes and abandon the trail along the way and drop down the loose terrain to the river. If you want to press on with some type of hazmat suit, then you wrap around the ridge and follow a barely-discernible series of switchbacks down to the creek. At the creek, it is overgrown and stays near the creek through a narrow and steep pinch-point in the canyon. Since I skirted around the top of the trail like a mountain goat, I can't really say exactly what is in there, but it looked scary. Eventually the canyon opens some, with a random series of things that look like trails that plug you into the trail along the river, also at an unmarked junction.
Trail Notes
- 0.0 mi. Start down through the grass field where the Hat Point Trail intersects with the High Trail. Visually, you can just look for the shrubs along the creek and trend downhill through the grass and weeds staying on the north side of the hawthorn trees.
- 1.6 Eventually the trail starts to drop into the steeper part of the ravine after you pass an old corral. As the trail disappears it will be important to look for trail on the other side of the creek. There is an intersection with another indistinct trail where it crosses the creek, both traversing in opposite directions. Cross the creek and head SW.
- 1.8 Trail comes up over a minor saddle on the ridge by a basalt point.
- 2.2 Recommended bypass, heading straight down to river via the spine to the south. See the map notes on where to cut-off of the trail to avoid this section.
- 2.9 Arrive at hat creek and get your machete out. Trail is difficult to follow.
- 3.5 Arrive at the trail along the Snake River, just down stream from Saddle Creek.
