212 Cave Creek Trail

     This morning I’m going back to Gene Rush WMA, after last weeks exploration of some of the many firelanes I thought I’d check out more (see: 210 Firelanes and Lick Creek).  Another adventure in the Wildlife Management Area many years ago took us through Gene Rush all the way to Hensley Cemetery at the end of NC 4251 inside BNR.  We were able to drive to within 100 feet of the little cemetery but the last few miles were pretty rough.

scenic Cave Creek

    Another fond memory of that day, is of driving over Cave Creek on a water-damaged old low-water bridge and the nearby campsite on the banks of Cave Creek.  This is where I decide to do some hiking today, from the campsite/parking down Cave Creek to the Buffalo River.  All the way through Gene Rush WMA the roads are in great shape and it doesn’t take long to get to the new Cave Creek bridge.

bridge over beautiful Cave Creek

    I don’t know when this bridge actually opened to traffic but it’s new to me, all evidence of the old low-water bridge just upstream seems to be gone.  Right after going over the bridge NC 4269 makes a sharp curve back to the southeast, but straight ahead is WMA road 1303 with access to Cave Creek, this is where I go.  On WMA 1303 I immediately turn off to the north and down to a nice parking area near the new bridge.

little swimming hole near bridge

designated campsite on Cave Creek

    After checking out the bridge with its large steel culverts at each end, I walk around to the northeast at the edge of Cave Creek under the bluff.  This appears to be a nice but small swimming hole with some boulders from the bluff in the creek, a beautiful location I’m glad I stopped to see.  I drive east on WMA 1303 just over a quarter mile to a very nice designated campsite on Cave Creek under another bluff.

looking back after first crossing

green WMA gate across road 1303

    The road turns north and crosses Cave Creek, but I park here at the campsite since I don’t know what lies ahead.  At the ford Cave Creek flows over solid bedrock and appears to be about a foot deep, upstream about 30 feet looks shallower with some stepping stones here and there.  I slip-on my creek waders and cross the 15-20 foot wide creek.  Up the bank it’s about 100 yards on the road to a locked green gate.

Cave Creek rock patio

big long field

    Here at the WMA gate is a good parking area and turn around spot, just past the gate a firelane (FL1306) heads up the hill but I continue north on road 1303.  Hiking up the road is flat, clear and couldn’t be easier.  Below on my right is Cave Creek with a growing bluffline beyond, on my left up a steep road bank is a big long field (WO1304).  I notice a big rock patio on Cave Creek and go down to take a few pictures.

another from the rock patio

at the next crossing

    Back on the road in about 150 feet is a short access up to the big field on the left, and 400 feet beyond that is my next Cave Creek crossing.  Here there is expansive river rock and gravel for at least 100 yards all around indicating how big Cave Creek gets when the water is high.  On the other side a massive log-jam has completely blocked the road, I follow the trail detour up around then back to the road.

river rock gravel and a log-jam

    Continuing north soon comes a dry gravel covered arroyo and another log-jam where the road exits.  This time I squeeze through on the right side, but around on the left is an easier detour that I’ll figure out later coming back.  After the two big log-jams it has become pretty obvious that nobody has drove this north end of the road in quite some time, but it’s still easy going for foot traffic, I soon come into WO1402 but this field hasn’t been cut for a few years.

a second log-jam

roads end in WO1402

    WO1402 is also the end of the road, a good trail follows the edge of the field on its east side until it gets faint towards the north end.  Here at the north end is a little wire pen with a gate, the trail improves at the pen and onward north in the woods.  Very soon arriving on the bank of Cave Creek at a long wide straight section of the creek that looks deep enough for swimming.  This is another beautiful scenic spot on Cave Creek with a dark smooth bluff to the east.

long wide straight pool and it looks deep

    At the east end of this long wide pool is my next creek crossing, once again about 20 feet across and 6-10 inches deep.  Now on the west side of Cave Creek the trail fades, I find short segments of a couple different trails going through the woods.  After a quarter mile in the woods a bluffline starts to form near the creek, I climb down the steep bank to the creek and cross for the fourth time finding a trail right away along the east bank.

rocky Cave Creek next to a rocky bluff

    Across Cave Creek the bluffline is getting tall really quick and has some interesting shallow caves down close to the waterline.  I soon come to a north facing bluffline at its west end, and notice bright pink flagging tied in trees headed east.  Also right here at the start of this 40-50 foot tall bluffline is another shallow cave up 10 feet in the wet dark mossy rocks.  I climb up, a little slippery and the cave is shallow, I head back down to see where the pink flagging goes.

small caves near the waterline

scenic Cave Creek

    This flagging follows a gully east then north for almost half a mile, I’ll call this Gully Trail.  The trail stays on the north side of the low bluff which has another shallow cave, a round pedestal and a couple rock overhang vistas.  About 150 yards after the gully turns north I lose the trail on the overgrown gravel bar.  This is a big gravel bar that get cleaner as I go north toward the Buffalo River.

low bluff along Gully Trail

    At the waterline I head west while admiring all the white barked sycamores on the other side of the river.  Where the gravel bar ends I go back east in another gully of gravel and much wider to where I came in, then head back on Gully Trail.  I follow this all the way back to where the pink ribbon first appeared near Cave Creek.  I turn north here and follow Cave Creek to its confluence with the Buffalo River.

sycamores across the Buffalo

gravel bar @ Buffalo River

    There is no trail, from the last pink ribbon going north is very thick brush growing in gravel, a real bushwhack.  I weave my way through brush and small trees for 200 yards to the Buffalo, at the river I’m able to cross Cave Creek on handy stepping stones keeping my feet almost dry.  I head back south now on the west side of Cave Creek to the point of Clair Bluff, near the same spot I turned around three years ago on New Years day (see: 137 Clair Bluff).

point of Clair Bluff @ Cave Creek

Clair Bluff upstream on Buffalo River

    Here I cross back to the east side of the creek, my sixth Cave Creek crossing today (so far), now it’s mostly south all the way back to that lovely campsite on Cave Creek that I’m parked next to.  On the way I stick to the route I came in as best I can.  But of course I lose the trail a couple times before landing on the road, then travel is much faster except when I stop to slip-on (and off) the creek waders.

almost to the end of Cave Creek

Cave Creek confluence with Buffalo River

    Crossing Cave Creek a total of ten times today, only four of those were without creek waders and I didn’t get too wet.  When the creek is high this hike would be dangerous if not impossible, I had a great time today hiking Cave Creek Trail to the Buffalo River.  The total roundtrip mileage was about 4.8 miles with only 277 feet of elevation gain.  Along lower Cave Creek from the new bridge all the way to the Buffalo River is non-stop scenic beauty, a very rewarding Outdoor Adventure in the Ozarks.

parting shots of Cave Creek

Cave Creek Trail: Statistics Chart 212  Getting here is easy thanks to the good gravel roads of Gene Rush and the new bridge over Cave Creek.  South of the Buffalo River/SR123 bridge about a quarter mile is NC 4500 east into Gene Rush WMA, there are signs.  Go east on NC 4500 about 1.8 miles to a fork, take a left on NC 4260 and continue east for 3.25 miles to the intersection with NC 4269 turn left (east).  Follow NC 4269 downhill 1.4 miles to the new Cave Creek bridge.  After crossing the bridge leave NC 4269 going straight onto WMA 1303 (unmarked), follow this dirt road 0.3 miles to the campsite above Cave Creek with plenty of room for parking.