Location – 4/5
This trail was located off highway 44 or 55 but decently easy to get to. This was a popular mountain biking and trail running trail, but it was also a great backpacking trail if you wanted to get in some miles. The trailhead was near the Berryman campground and there was plenty of parking.
Campground – 3/5
Brazil Creek Campground
We backpacked for 3 days and 2 nights. The first night we stayed in Brazil Creek campground. There were some car campers, but there were plenty of backpackers as well. All of the car camping spots were taken but the backpackers just set up wherever and it was fine. We did not set a fire that night because we didn’t have a dedicated fire pit, but we were able to meet the other campers and hang out and use their fire if we wanted to. We got a couple good hammock trees and set up just over on the side somewhere. The ground was soft so the stakes went in fine.
Edward Beecher Recreation Area Campground
This site was an old shut down recreation area. It really was only big enough for 2 groups with 2 separate campsites.
Activities – 2/5
Nature
There is not much to do when you are not backpacking the trail. I don’t know necessarily if that is a bad thing because the entire point is to just walk then sleep and repeat. Aside from a couple of semi-cave areas, there wasn’t a lot to see on the trail inside the woods, and when you hike out into the open it’s mostly just big machinery logging the area.
Hiking – 5/5
The hike was one of the best we have done. The trail went up and down a lot and the turns were very wide to accommodate mountain bikes, but it had the side effect of making it easy to hike. There were not many climbs, most were gradual. Any big climbs had plenty of switchbacks to help you get to the top.
Amenities 3/5
Marking and Trail Maintenance
Brazil Creek had a decent privy. It was a vault toilet and was as clean as a vault toilet can be. Edward Beecher had a constantly running water source, but no toilets. There was not really anything to do at either site other than hang out or sleep, but after 10-15 mile days, that was all you really want to do anyway. The trail wasn’t always clearly marked, but it’s heavily used by mountain bikes so it was really easy to follow. Right around Brazil Creek it was a bit confusing to figure out how to get back on the trail, but it ended up just being a big loop with a water crossing on either path so it didn’t really matter. There were a few obstructions along the way, but they seemed to be new. Any older obstructions had been chainsawed and/or removed already.
Firewood and Water
Water was available at campsites but there were long stretches in between water sources on the trail. We carried 1L with us at most times and that got us through just fine. I would recommend if it is hot to carry 2L at all times. Firewood was available but not in abundance at the campsites. We brought a saw to cut up the dead trees and were able to get enough wood to make it through the night.
Overall Rating – 3/5
Overall we give this trail 3 out of 5. We highly recommend this if you are wanting to do some longer miles, but make sure to pack something to do when you reach your campsite for the evening.
