JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — Dog Creek is a great place to bring dogs if you have them; so, in that way, it’s a perfect name. Hikers and bikers enjoy this little gem of a trail that is close to town and usually ready for use early in the season.
The main reason Dog Creek is well-suited to users with canine companions is that it offers lots of opportunity for splashing and cooling down—in Dog, Little Dog, Pup, and Cabin creeks. In the heat of the summer there is little wildlife to risk your dog chasing—maybe a moose or two—and getting far off-trail and out of sight isn’t easy in here, either. Bikers enjoy this trail because it’s a challenging single-track ride that doesn’t have too brutal of a downhill aspect to it. In fact, elevation gain through the first three miles is practically nothing: 500 feet.
Dog Creek is very green in spring. So much new growth. Keep a sharp eye out for numerous tent caterpillar webs with the tiny bagworms squirming about in their webs like they do. This caterpillar will eventually morph into their pupate form: a moth. Penstemon will be out, the red kind, along with flax and some lupines.
Watch for sandhill cranes, pelicans, and the great blue heron in Pritchard Pond on your way in to park. Within the first mile there are a couple of springs that emerge on your right. They are fairly safe for drinking. At least, we’ve sipped from them and never had a problem. Always pick a spot where the water is running the fastest—the bubblier the better. That means the water is getting well oxygenated.
Beaver activity has picked up a little bit in the past few years. You’ll notice where they’ve been busy along the creek in the first mile or two. That’s Wolf Mountain staring you in the face at the beginning of your hike or ride. At just under one mile in, a trail heads up the cut on your left just in front of a butte that juts out. The trail is almost impossible to find. Just pick a spot somewhere around .8 miles in and head for the cut. This is Beaver Dam Canyon and the trail, when you find it, will take you all the way through to Cabin Creek.
A few box canyons on your right make a great diversion to scout up some elk. One or two have trails, others don’t. They all head up the Snake River Range, behind which is a drop into Coburn Creek. Local ranchers run some cattle up these draws later in the summer.
At 2.25 miles in, you will come to a creek crossing where Pup Creek joins Dog Creek and the water can be hustling right along here in spring. Pick out a walking stick along the bank to help stabilize yourself when wading across. Once across, watch for another trail splitting off to the left. The Forest Service calls this the way to Cabin Creek. It is just another way to get into Beaver Dam Canyon and Cabin Creek.
Continuing on the Dog Creek trail and you will start climbing now. Nothing too steep but after 6.5 miles from the trailhead you will be at 8,400 feet and at a network of trail junctions from which users can head for Indian Peak (9,683’), Observation Peak (9,800’), or Red Peak (9,771’). For a less taxing climb, take the right fork at 2.35 miles in. This is Pup Creek. It tops out at a hunt camp about 1.5 miles later at 7,100 feet with a great view back down the drainage where you came from.
Shortly after choosing the Pup Creek trail, you can’t miss a trail heading off to the left. That’s Little Dog Creek. It offers a steady climb to 7,700 feet over 2.7 miles, topping out on the spine of the Snake River Range.
Moose hang out in the willows along Dog Creek. Elk can be found at dawn and dusk at higher elevation. A bear or wolf sighting would be extremely rare.
Getting there: Drive south of town to Hoback Junction. Zero out odometer and take Snake River Canyon fork (right). Look for a right-hand turn off at 4.6 miles (just after the passing lane ends). Follow that dirt road over a bridge to an open area for parking.
