Log Canyon - Horse Mountain Wilderness Study Area

Less than a mile down the road from our property in Teepee Ranch is access to the Horse Mountain WSA.

Wilderness Study Area entrance

This past Saturday we did this hike in Log Canyon. The ascent up this canyon is very gradual for the first couple of miles and both my wife I thought it would be ideal for both great- grandma ( my mother-in-law) and grandchildren. The path is a faint single track: a remnant of a mostly recovered road. It winds through a seemingly naturally evolved open, park-like setting.

Given the canyon name, I had expected to see at least a few stumps that would indicate any extensive timber cutting in days gone by. There were signs of fire ( though not recent), so perhaps that is how it has come to be this long meadow with widely spaced mature pines and only short sections of any undergrowth at all. There was very little actual stream bed, but a few spots of lingering mud ( with many elk hoof prints) made me think there may be seasonal springs. Along the way we saw some very fresh bear scat, the first obvious evidence that bears inhabit Horse Mountain. It was all -in-all a very pleasant stroll in a nicely greened up landscape (compared to last May's deathly dry pallor), despite the realization that I was indeed coming down with a cold.

The access we used  for Log Canyon is for Teepee Ranch owners and their guests, but it can also be reached from the public access on the west side of Horse Mountain.