THREE FORKS PARK

SEPTEMBER 2013

THREE FORKS PARK MEADOW

WATERFALL ALONG THE WAY TO SCOTT LAKE

BELOW SCOTT LAKE

JUST BELOW SCOTT LAKE

VIEW ALONG THE WAY TO SCOTT LAKE

I'd always seen trail signs for Three Forks Park when I was hiking around the Green River Lakes area as a kid, and wondered what it was like. In September of 2013, after a hike to the top of Square Top Mountain, we decided to head over to Three Forks Park from our campsite in Beaver Meadows, and from there hike up to Scott Lake since we'd seen some impressive photos of it on-line. 

Its probably called Three Forks Park because three creeks combine at its southern end to create the Green River (the Green River is really just a small creek before this point). The Green River is really small and shallow here, and has a milky color. There is no bridge crossing the river, but we were able to walk over it on some fallen logs at the southern end of the meadow. From here we just followed the outlet to Scotts Lake (Wells Creek). There is no trail here, so you will need to make your own way. After a bit of a climb, the canyon opens up a bit into a boulder-filled valley with some nice views of the surrounding peaks. The canyon then narrows dramatically just before reaching Scotts Lake. 

Unfortunately, we were not quite able to make it all of the way to the lake. We came to a really narrow, rocky passage that was wet from the creek and the rain that was beginning to fall, and couldn't find a safe way up a particularly steep section. If our lives depended on it, we probably could have found a way up, but we determined it wasn't worth the risk, and turned back to our camp. I believe the conventional way to see Scotts Lake is to hike up Tourist Creek to the north, and then work your way south. We didn't think to do this, since the route up Wells Creek didn't appear too tricky on the aerial maps we had looked at. 

If for some reason you do choose to hike this route, beware of bears. Near the beginning of the canyon there was an area along the creek with very large boulders with many dark cave-like areas between them. While walking past this area on our way down, we heard a loud roar coming from the shadows under the boulders. I remember instinctively running away from the area as soon as I heard it, and looking over my shoulder the rest of the way back to Three Forks Park. I'm sure it was a bear that didn't want any trouble, they just wanted to let us know we were getting a little too close to their home. I'm sure very few people ever hike up that canyon, so it probably makes a pretty good home for a bear.