Salmon Falls Creek

Hikes: D, O.
Total Distance, D: 4-6 miles.
Difficulty: Level I.
Season: April 1-September 15.
USGS Map: Salmon Butte.
BLM 100K Map: Rogerson.
Dirt Road Miles: 1/2 mile good dirt.
PLSS Location: Section 18, T14S R1W.

Introduction: This is a beautiful hike with easy access. The author hiked it on Memorial Day 1998, on the first warm sunny day following that cold, wet Spring. The earth was just groaning: the better-than-average desert vegetation had had no moisture stress since the previous Fall, and with the sun and the heat, you could simply hear and feel the plants growing. Wow!
  The good vegetation is probably a result of the hike's nature: you follow a dry bench above Salmon Falls Creek and below the canyon rim. The creek is enticingly close, but the author didn't see a safe route down for cows or fishermen.

The Hike: Walk down the road to the bench, and simply follow the road for a mile and a half. Then, you reach an open area with a canyon to the left. At the end of the open area is a fence and a Wilderness Study Area boundary sign (D). Despite the author's best intentions, he has never made it far past here.
  It looks like the trail continues along the bench for at least another half mile, to Antelope Creek. Either at the drainage that comes into the bench at the WSA sign, or at Antelope Creek, you could climb up on the plateau rim and return to the trailhead via a high route.

Access: Drive south from Twin Falls on US-93 to Rogerson, and turn right on the paved road to Murphy Hot Springs. After about 8 miles you cross the dam over Salmon Falls Creek. Just after crossing the dam and climbing to the plateau, a dirt road goes through a gate to the right. Follow that road through the gate (leaving the gate in the same closed or open position that you find it in), and bear right. After a short distance the road divides, with a left fork descending a narrow gap in the cliff, and a right fork staying high a short distance to a view point. This is the trailhead.