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Less of a trail than a road walk, the route up Quartz Creek offers quiet and solitude in the Middle Fork Valley. But despite being a road walk, it's quite rugged; the way is overgrown and many of the bridges that used to span creeks have been washed out. Deep gullies that can prove dangerous to cross are a feature of the trail.
The route for Quartz Creek is signed at the junction just before the Taylor River bridge, near the new Garfield Ledges trailhead. The road bed is not your typical flat, well-graded climb; as the trail heads towards Lake Blethen, the quality deteriorates, and brush creeps in from both sides.
The lake itself is unremarkable, but it's quiet. You may run into climbers heading to Rooster Mountain on this trail, but otherwise, you'll likely be solo.
Trailhead
