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Aug 21, 2022 — I chose to hike Red Ridge because the weather forecasted storms all day everywhere, and since most of this hike was in a forest I didn't feel too concerned about getting struck by lightning, but I woke to a bright blue sky. Since I was already at the trailhead (acessible by all due to paved access), I figured I might as well hike this mountain nobody's heard of. Plus, I thought there was a trail, so this would be a nice little outing, right? I got out of my car with a smile on my face, looking forward to a nice woodsy walk. Then I saw the start of the hike and the quality of the trail. It was very much there and easy to follow, but the overgrown summer foliage was holding a ton of moisture from last night's storm and I was completely soaked and covered in plant leavings within a minute of starting the hike. I was also apparently allergic to something because my legs only became more and more itchy throughout the day. I considered turning around, but I was moving at basically my normal hiking speed since it wasn't really a bushwhack, and any deadfall had somewhat recently been cut. Maybe this is a more popular trail in shoulder seasons when there's less growth.
After two and a half miles hiking up Russell Creek and its often less than fun sections, the trail steeply climbed up the slope to the north, leaving the majority of the overgrowth behind. I was now in the sun and could finally dry off. The trail continued steeply to a spur ridge that juts to the east of Red Ridge. Hiking was a no-brainer past here, the trail in excellent shape and views opening up to the east. I even got glimpses of the Grand Teton. The trail eventually made it to the base of Red Ridge, where it met with the Red Ridge Trail. This trail is in much better shape, but it continued north and paralleled the summit without actually going to it. You should maybe consider hiking to the Red Ridge summit using this trail instead if you dislike the looks of this route up Russell Creek, though I can't speak to its quality. That trail seems to begin here: 43.32997, -111.22361 and is used mostly by mountain bikers, so I suspect it's much better.
Anyway, I begrudgingly left the Red Ridge Trail after just getting onto it and ascended through the forest to the ridgeline. Some light Class 2 got me to the summit from here. I spent some time picking off the variety of plant spurs/burrs and even a couple of ticks. Hey, at least I had cleared all the spider webs on the way up already!
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Hire/refer me as a web developer or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I'm not sponsored, so all fees are out-of-pocket and my time preparing trip reports is unpaid. I really appreciate it!
