Opal Creek is an easy and historic hike in the Bull of the Woods Wilderness. It takes you through an old mining area. Opal Creek (as well as nearby Opal Lake) was named for Opal Elliot. The wife of early USFS ranger Roy Elliot. There is an exceptional group of old-growth Douglas fir trees in the Opal Creek watershed. In the 1980’s there was controversy between timber interests and conservationists. As a result, in 1998 20,746 acres were set aside as the Opal Creek Wilderness. This is now the largest uncut watershed in the state!
​Depending on where you are coming from, the drive can be very long. Unless they have just graded it, the 6-mile gravel road up to the trailhead is extremely bad, with so many potholes that you can’t go around them. If you arrive at the trailhead any time after 10 am, you will be shocked at how many cars there are in the parking area. The official parking lot only holds about 20 cars. After that cars park on the right-hand side of the gravel road. The left side of the road has No Parking signs, as there are rocks that can come tumbling down from the steep hill above.