Mud Flat Road Loop Drive

This is a great drive, christened the "Owyhee Uplands Scenic Route". It circumnavigates the Owyhee Mountains, offering excellent views of Steens Mountain, South Mountain, Juniper Mountain, and Deep Creek Valley. Along the way it accesses good hiking on the North Fork Owyhee, Juniper Mountain, Nickel Creek Table, Deep Creek, and other Owyhee Front summits. It also reaches another marvel: the BLM's North Fork Owyhee campground, its only one in interior Owyhee County. The road, which is also called the Deep Creek Road, is usually open around April 1. The best map for this drive is the BLM 100K Triangle map. Please remember that all mileages are approximate!

MILES CUM

0.0 0.0 Karcher intersection, where ID-55 meets Nampa Caldwell Boulevard; head for Jordan Valley on ID-55

2.5 2.5 Deer Flat turnoff; after leaving the Birds of Prey Area, the Snake River once cut across this area; it was diverted by the volcanic vents which make up the hills you see to the south

2.1 4.6 10th Avenue; Caldwell at 0300 in flood plain of Boise River; Squaw Butte at 0400; low hills visible beyond Caldwell divide the Payette and Boise River drainages; straight ahead is Owyhee Ridge, with Mitchell Butte, the very farthest north flat topped butte on Owyhee Ridge, at 0100; at 0900 are the high granite peaks around Silver City; almost all the other rocks from Silver City to Mitchell Butte are volcanics, mostly rhyolites

4.9 9.5 The highway turns due south towards Marsing; enter Sunny Slope area

3.0 12.5 Pass under Lizard Butte; after another half mile, when you begin to turn toward Marsing, Pickle Butte is the inferior butte ahead and to the left; the Snake River here is on one of its longest free flowing streches below American Falls Dam; crossing the river brings you into Owyhee County

3.7 16.2 Junction with US-95 (W1); turn left (south); the rock in this area belongs to the Poison Creek and Glenns Ferry Formations, typical southern Idaho lake sediments

3.9 20.1 Begin climbing a bluff on the edge of the Snake River's flood plain; the road cuts are uniformly white lake sediments, many very close to their original volcanic ash origins

1.1 21.2 Elephant Butte visible at 1000, with dark cap; the author has never been able to make out an elephant...good luck! Gap you pass through leads to the Wildcat Canyon drainage, which is all public land and suitable for springtime hiking

1.8 23.0 Start on new Elephant Butte road project; old highway visible at 0900

1.3 24.3 Cross old highway to right; you could hike for views of Wildcat Canyon

1.5 25.8 Incredible road cut in Tuff of Little Jacks Creek, followed by view into Squaw Creek; later road cuts have excellent views of multi colored ash layers

1.8 27.6 Buck Mountain hides behind large, square topped, blocky outcrop; behind it lie Tims, Dryden, and Piute Buttes; Piute is the ruggedest; these are made of Tertiary basalts, much older than the Quaternary basalts of the Snake River Plain

5.1 32.7 Squaw Creek Canyon behind you; you are on the Owyhee Plateau; Succor Creek basin is at right; the Mahoganies are the dark ridge beyond at 0100; Owyhee Reservoir is on the far side of the Mahoganies

3.7 36.4 McBride Creek Road; at 0930 you see Squaw Butte, 6740; leave Map 1 and enter Map 2

3.6 40.0 Enter Oregon; scenery gets boring until you reenter Idaho

2.5 42.5 Succor Creek Road to right leads to Leslie Gulch; you now follow Succor Creek for 5 miles.

6.3 48.8 Crest hill, enter Jordan Creek drainage (flows to Owyhee)

4.0 52.8 Jordan Craters road leads right to Cow Lakes and Jordan Crater, a very recent lava flow

8.0 60.8 Jordan Valley junction (W2); leave Map 2 and start Map 3; turn left on Yturri Boulevard; numerous trailers mark this as a mining boom town

3.0 63.8 Turn right at major junction (W3); pass area with good vegetation, on your left; from here on, numerous twists and turns require attentive driving; remember, you are potentially many hours away from help if you have an accident.

3.6 67.4 Jordan Creek crossing; view southeast toward South Mountain; soon start long climb up Lone Tree Creek

1.0 68.4 Pavement ends at Pleasant Valley School; continue south

6.3 74.7 Unusual finely jointed columnar lava outcrops at right

3.7 78.4 Cross hill; South Mountain at left, juniper fields of the North Fork Owyhee ahead, pockets of good range along hillsides in this area

3.1 81.5 Blue Mountain, a prominent lone peak, at 0130; Steens Mountain, a long ridge, is due west at 0330; cliffs of the main Owyhee canyon in middle distance.

0.5 82.0 Junction with Three Forks Road (W4), which leads to the right; you should bear left

3.4 85.4 Dougal Reservoir

2.4 87.8 Flats to the left illustrate juniper invasion into deep soil sites, out of their rocky climax habitat; the trees are scattered now, but could soon fill in and choke out grass and brush with their highly acid droppings. In one more mile, you see a burned area where junipers were turned back; healthy range recovers well from fire, while unhealthy range recovers poorly. The BLM is establishing rotation cycles for portions of this area. They initially sell junipers for their high quality firewood, cutting low on the trunk, and then burn the slash and remaining grass. If their timing is correct, good grass emerges, which is eventually invaded by juniper again. The BLM eventually burns the area again, either in 20 years for grass production, or in 40 years after cutting the junipers for firewood. Either way, the cycle benefits wildlife.

4.8 92.6 Begin descent to North Fork Owyhee; the BLM's only Owyhee County backcounty camping area is at right; tennis shoe hike possible for a few yards upstream, before you encounter private land; leave Map 3, enter Map 4

1.9 94.5 End of climb from North Fork, which passes very good condition, out of cow zone grasses; the road to the left leads to outstanding views of South Mountain, and makes a great springtime hike while the roads are still muddy; excellent views to the right, of the North Fork canyon, which you parallel for a while

1.5 96.0 Enticing canyon to left connects with just mentioned road that climbs to view; could make loop hike

1.6 97.6 Cottonwood Creek canyon to left; in another 1/4 mile turn left (W5) and begin to climb the northwest flank of Juniper Mountain; the road that goes right (straight) goes to Three Forks the hard way; juniper skeletons in this area are mainly from man-caused fires; many will be harvested for firewood

6.3 103.9 Payne Cabin Road is legendary four wheel drive route to Crutchers Crossing on Owyhee

0.5 104.4 Poor dirt road climbs to right; this or Payne Cabin Road can be used in springtime for hiking access to Juniper Mountain

1.6 106.0 Brace Ranch Road; good views of Juniper Mountain to right, South Mountain to left

6.2 112.2 Cross fenceline; park .1 mile further (W6), and you can take a short hike to the left which puts you on Nickel Creek Table; this is part of the North Fork Owyhee Wilderness Study Area; the Nickel Creek Table hike takes you onto the Table at its northeastern end

1.4 113.6 Begin descent to Deep Creek; Nickel Creek Table cliffs very imposing to left

1.1 114.7 Trailhead for Nickel Creek Table hike (W7), a road to the left which briefly parallels the main road; leave Map 4, enter Map 5

3.0 117.7 Slight finger of ridge to right before you start final descent to Deep Creek offers excellent Level I hiking (on the USGS Slack Mountain map, used for the Nickel Creek Table hike) to views of entrenched meanders below; park and walk southeast along ridge to the canyon rim; there is excellent vegetation on benches just below the upper rim; you can work this walk into a loop hike that starts at the Deep Creek Crossing (see below)

0.2 117.9 Deep Creek valley is one of the West's most picturesque; the BLM is planning a campground somewhere in this area

0.4 118.3 Deep Creek Crossing; this bridge washed out in the early 1980's; take road to right for 1/4 mile, park and walk Level III tennis shoe loop down canyon; walk around two bends; then, before a creek comes in from springs on the south side, cut right and find a notch you can scramble up to the rim; then follow the finger of ridge (mentioned above) northwest to the road; then walk down the road to the bridge

1.9 120.2 Last views into Hurry Up Creek valley, as you pass Holland Reservoir

2.2 122.4 Area burned in 1987; starting here, you see several side roads which offer mountain biking

3.5 125.9 Mud Flat Guard Station: juniper invasion evident in this area

1.2 127.1 Juniper forest begins transition to curlleaf mountain mahogany forest; in places, however, mountain mahogany is being outcompeted by junipers--an unfortunate development, since mountain mahogany provides important deer forage

0.4 127.5 Sharp curve to left yields views of Rough Mountain and the high Owyhee Mountains

2.2 129.7 Jarbidge Mountains visible to right, across Antelope Flat; white boxes are a private project to help mountain bluebirds

2.7 132.4 Big Springs Ranch road; area from here to Poison Creek is in poor condition, plus was severely impacted by the 1987 drought

5.4 137.8 Four way junction at head of Poison Creek (W8); a good side road to the right climbs .9 mile to fenceline; a four wheel drive road heading left from there offers good hiking route to summit of Bald Mountain (USGS Snow Creek map); from here, you start descent down colorful Poison Creek Canyon; at times you'll have views of Rough Mountain to the left, which is a long ways up there!

4.9 142.7 First views across Snake River Plain to Bennett Mountain; near here, the BLM plans to develop a picnic area; leave Map 5, enter Map 6

5.3 148.0 Main junction (W9); bear right on road to Grandview; you are now well on the flats; at 0300 you see the great fault which creates the steep front of the Owyhee Plateau; the gulches east of here are, in order of closeness, Shoofly, Halfway, and Little Jacks

1.7 149.7 You are traveling on terraces in lake sediments of Chalk Hills; one wonders what this barren area looked like before livestock grazing, and how many passes by sheep, horses, and cattle did it take before the hills were stripped of whatever protective cover they had; the deep, wide gully of Poison Creek offers clues that vegetation has decreased and run off has accelerated; this suddenly increases the work the stream bed must do, and causes the downcutting that makes a gully; at the same time, the soil carried off by the water silts in the creek and kills the aquatic life

4.5 154.2 Watch for old Triangle Dairy delivery trucks in gully to right; soon after that, you enter the greasewood zone with alkali soils

1.9 156.1 Good road to right leads 2.2 miles to Jacks Creek Canyon Road; that road washed out in 1987 and is barely passable for cars; leads to Jacks Creek hike

5.9 162.0 High Owyhees visible at 0930; War Eagle to the north, Hayden Peak and Quicksilver Mountain to the south

1.7 163.7 Junction with ID-78 (W0); turn left for Grandview; at Grandview Junction, you have three choices: turn right (north) towards Mountain Home and eastbound I 84; turn right (north) for Simco Road, which leads towards westbound I 84; or continue straight towards Murphy and Nampa

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0.0	0.0	Karcher intersection, where ID-55 meets Nampa Caldwell Boulevard; head for Jordan Valley on ID-55
2.5	2.5	Deer Flat turnoff; after leaving the Birds of Prey Area, the Snake River once cut across this area; it was diverted by the volcanic vents which make up the hills you see to the south
2.1	4.6	10th Avenue; Caldwell at 0300 in flood plain of Boise River; Squaw Butte at 0400; low hills visible beyond Caldwell divide the Payette and Boise River drainages; straight ahead is Owyhee Ridge, with Mitchell Butte, the very farthest north flat topped butte on Owyhee Ridge, at 0100; at 0900 are the high granite peaks around Silver City; almost all the other rocks from Silver City to Mitchell Butte are volcanics, mostly rhyolites
4.9	9.5	The highway turns due south towards Marsing; enter Sunny Slope area
3.0	12.5	Pass under Lizard Butte; after another half mile, when you begin to turn toward Marsing, Pickle Butte is the inferior butte ahead and to the left; the Snake River here is on one of its longest free flowing streches below American Falls Dam; crossing the river brings you into Owyhee County
3.7	16.2	Junction with US-95 (W1); turn left (south); the rock in this area belongs to the Poison Creek and Glenns Ferry Formations, typical southern Idaho lake sediments
3.9	20.1	Begin climbing a bluff on the edge of the Snake River's flood plain; the road cuts are uniformly white lake sediments, many very close to their original volcanic ash origins
1.1	21.2	Elephant Butte visible at 1000, with dark cap; the author has never been able to make out an elephant...good luck! Gap you pass through leads to the Wildcat Canyon drainage, which is all public land and suitable for springtime hiking
1.8	23.0	Start on new Elephant Butte road project; old highway visible at 0900
1.3	24.3	Cross old highway to right; you could hike for views of Wildcat Canyon
1.5	25.8	Incredible road cut in Tuff of Little Jacks Creek, followed by view into Squaw Creek; later road cuts have excellent views of multi colored ash layers
1.8	27.6	Buck Mountain hides behind large, square topped, blocky outcrop; behind it lie Tims, Dryden, and Piute Buttes; Piute is the ruggedest; these are made of Tertiary basalts, much older than the Quaternary basalts of the Snake River Plain
5.1	32.7	Squaw Creek Canyon behind you; you are on the Owyhee Plateau; Succor Creek basin is at right; the Mahoganies are the dark ridge beyond at 0100; Owyhee Reservoir is on the far side of the Mahoganies
3.7	36.4	McBride Creek Road; at 0930 you see Squaw Butte, 6740; leave Map 1 and enter Map 2
3.6	40.0	Enter Oregon; scenery gets boring until you reenter Idaho
2.5	42.5	Succor Creek Road to right leads to Leslie Gulch; you now follow Succor Creek for 5 miles.
6.3	48.8	Crest hill, enter Jordan Creek drainage (flows to Owyhee)
4.0	52.8	Jordan Craters road leads right to Cow Lakes and Jordan Crater, a very recent lava flow
8.0	60.8	Jordan Valley junction (W2); leave Map 2 and start Map 3; turn left on Yturri Boulevard; numerous trailers mark this as a mining boom town
3.0	63.8	Turn right at major junction (W3); pass area with good vegetation, on your left; from here on, numerous twists and turns require attentive driving; remember, you are potentially many hours away from help if you have an accident.
3.6	67.4	Jordan Creek crossing; view southeast toward South Mountain; soon start long climb up Lone Tree Creek
1.0	68.4	Pavement ends at Pleasant Valley School; continue south
6.3	74.7	Unusual finely jointed columnar lava outcrops at right
3.7	78.4	Cross hill; South Mountain at left, juniper fields of the North Fork Owyhee ahead, pockets of good range along hillsides in this area
3.1	81.5	Blue Mountain, a prominent lone peak, at 0130; Steens Mountain, a long ridge, is due west at 0330; cliffs of the main Owyhee canyon in middle distance.
0.5	82.0	Junction with Three Forks Road (W4), which leads to the right; you should bear left
3.4	85.4	Dougal Reservoir
2.4	87.8	Flats to the left illustrate juniper invasion into deep soil sites, out of their rocky climax habitat; the trees are scattered now, but could soon fill in and choke out grass and brush with their highly acid droppings. In one more mile, you see a burned area where junipers were turned back; healthy range recovers well from fire, while unhealthy range recovers poorly. The BLM is establishing rotation cycles for portions of this area. They initially sell junipers for their high quality firewood, cutting low on the trunk, and then burn the slash and remaining grass. If their timing is correct, good grass emerges, which is eventually invaded by juniper again. The BLM eventually burns the area again, either in 20 years for grass production, or in 40 years after cutting the junipers for firewood. Either way, the cycle benefits wildlife.
4.8	92.6	Begin descent to North Fork Owyhee; the BLM's only Owyhee County backcounty camping area is at right; tennis shoe hike possible for a few yards upstream, before you encounter private land; leave Map 3, enter Map 4
1.9	94.5	End of climb from North Fork, which passes very good condition, out of cow zone grasses; the road to the left leads to outstanding views of South Mountain, and makes a great springtime hike while the roads are still muddy; excellent views to the right, of the North Fork canyon, which you parallel for a while
1.5	96.0	Enticing canyon to left connects with just mentioned road that climbs to view; could make loop hike
1.6	97.6	Cottonwood Creek canyon to left; in another 1/4 mile turn left (W5) and begin to climb the northwest flank of Juniper Mountain; the road that goes right (straight) goes to Three Forks the hard way; juniper skeletons in this area are mainly from man-caused fires; many will be harvested for firewood
6.3	103.9	Payne Cabin Road is legendary four wheel drive route to Crutchers Crossing on Owyhee
0.5	104.4	Poor dirt road climbs to right; this or Payne Cabin Road can be used in springtime for hiking access to Juniper Mountain
1.6	106.0	Brace Ranch Road; good views of Juniper Mountain to right, South Mountain to left
6.2	112.2	Cross fenceline; park .1 mile further (W6), and you can take a short hike to the left which puts you on Nickel Creek Table; this is part of the North Fork Owyhee Wilderness Study Area; the Nickel Creek Table hike takes you onto the Table at its northeastern end
1.4	113.6	Begin descent to Deep Creek; Nickel Creek Table cliffs very imposing to left
1.1	114.7	Trailhead for Nickel Creek Table hike (W7), a road to the left which briefly parallels the main road; leave Map 4, enter Map 5
3.0	117.7	Slight finger of ridge to right before you start final descent to Deep Creek offers excellent Level I hiking (on the USGS Slack Mountain map, used for the Nickel Creek Table hike) to views of entrenched meanders below; park and walk southeast along ridge to the canyon rim; there is excellent vegetation on benches just below the upper rim; you can work this walk into a loop hike that starts at the Deep Creek Crossing (see below)
0.2	117.9	Deep Creek valley is one of the West's most picturesque; the BLM is planning a campground somewhere in this area
0.4	118.3	Deep Creek Crossing; this bridge washed out in the early 1980's; take road to right for 1/4 mile, park and walk Level III tennis shoe loop down canyon; walk around two bends; then, before a creek comes in from springs on the south side, cut right and find a notch you can scramble up to the rim; then follow the finger of ridge (mentioned above) northwest to the road; then walk down the road to the bridge
1.9	120.2	Last views into Hurry Up Creek valley, as you pass Holland Reservoir
2.2	122.4	Area burned in 1987; starting here, you see several side roads which offer mountain biking
3.5	125.9	Mud Flat Guard Station: juniper invasion evident in this area
1.2	127.1	Juniper forest begins transition to curlleaf mountain mahogany forest; in places, however, mountain mahogany is being outcompeted by junipers--an unfortunate development, since mountain mahogany provides important deer forage
0.4	127.5	Sharp curve to left yields views of Rough Mountain and the high Owyhee Mountains
2.2	129.7	Jarbidge Mountains visible to right, across Antelope Flat; white boxes are a private project to help mountain bluebirds
2.7	132.4	Big Springs Ranch road; area from here to Poison Creek is in poor condition, plus was severely impacted by the 1987 drought
5.4	137.8	Four way junction at head of Poison Creek (W8); a good side road to the right climbs .9 mile to fenceline; a four wheel drive road heading left from there offers good hiking route to summit of Bald Mountain (USGS Snow Creek map); from here, you start descent down colorful Poison Creek Canyon; at times you'll have views of Rough Mountain to the left, which is a long ways up there!
4.9	142.7	First views across Snake River Plain to Bennett Mountain; near here, the BLM plans to develop a picnic area; leave Map 5, enter Map 6
5.3	148.0	Main junction (W9); bear right on road to Grandview; you are now well on the flats; at 0300 you see the great fault which creates the steep front of the Owyhee Plateau; the gulches east of here are, in order of closeness, Shoofly, Halfway, and Little Jacks
1.7	149.7	You are traveling on terraces in lake sediments of Chalk Hills; one wonders what this barren area looked like before livestock grazing, and how many passes by sheep, horses, and cattle did it take before the hills were stripped of whatever protective cover they had; the deep, wide gully of Poison Creek offers clues that vegetation has decreased and run off has accelerated; this suddenly increases the work the stream bed must do, and causes the downcutting that makes a gully; at the same time, the soil carried off by the water silts in the creek and kills the aquatic life
4.5	154.2	Watch for old Triangle Dairy delivery trucks in gully to right; soon after that, you enter the greasewood zone with alkali soils
1.9	156.1	Good road to right leads 2.2 miles to Jacks Creek Canyon Road; that road washed out in 1987 and is barely passable for cars; leads to Jacks Creek hike
5.9	162.0	High Owyhees visible at 0930; War Eagle to the north, Hayden Peak and Quicksilver Mountain to the south
1.7	163.7	Junction with ID-78 (W0); turn left for Grandview; at Grandview Junction, you have three choices: turn right (north) towards Mountain Home and eastbound I 84; turn right (north) for Simco Road, which leads towards westbound I 84; or continue straight towards Murphy and Nampa