Gross Lk and Attempt to Aurora Oct. 10, 2024
On a hike to Foys Lake made in late September we paused along the way to look for an old logging road that at one time ran from the Foys Lake cart trail across to Aurora Lake. Thirty years ago that route provided fairly easy access to the lake, but today the area is pretty much grown over. Not finding the trail we went on to Foys Lake but planned to return later in the fall to make an attempt at reaching Aurora. This report provides an account of that effort.
On the cart trail to Foys Lake.
There are several beaver ponds along the way.
From older maps we knew the coordinates for the spot where the trail to Aurora crossed Basin Creek. The creek comes out of Foys Lake and flows down to Basin Lake. We reached the crossing point where it became quickly apparent that the whole area has been flooded. Years ago, crossing this low lying area and the creek could be a challenge, but getting across today presents an even greater difficulty. We did attempt to make our way across by walking on top of a beaver dam that is still under construction, but getting across to the other side and some higher terrain proved impossible. With feet soaked we turned back.
Flooded area along Basin Creek. Map courtesy of Maps by Jeff
The trail originally passed along the edge of the trees shown in the foreground. Today, the creek is wide and deep on both sides of what is now just a series of small patches of grass and dying trees connected in places by sections of beaver dams.
Accepting the fact we were not going to make it to Aurora Lake this day, we decided we would head back to the truck and make our way up the Basin Depot Road to the hydro line, and from there hike to Gross Lake -- a lake we had bushwhacked into several years ago on a hike from Gross Lake to Loonskin Lake. On the drive to the starting point we stopped at two small lakes along the way.
Little Norway Lake and...
... the campsite on Buck Lake.
We started off on a trail that runs under the hydro lines and then along Gross Creek for some distance. Like many of the trails in the eastern part of the park this was once a logging road. The trail along the creek is quite level though in places is blocked by windfall.
Crossing the hydro line corridor.
One of a number of blockages along the trail.
The widest part of Gross Creek.
As you get closer to the lake the creek narrows. We stayed on the higher ground among the red pines shown on the right of this image.
Beaver dam where the creek flows out of the lake.
Gross Lake - followed by several additional pictures of the lake.
Our route to Gross Lake -- orange line.