River Mile: 133.7 to 136.1 - right
Time: 5 to 8 hours to go from Tapeats Creek to Deer Creek. Strong hikers could reach Surprise Valley from Deer Creek and return to the river in 3 to 4 hours.
Difficulty: Moderate
Wet or Dry?: Mostly dry. Surprise Valley itself is dry, but getting there from Tapeats creek entails some wading.
Ideal Weather: Cool to Moderate
Potential: Hyper hikers cold run to the top of the Redwall on the backpacker’s trail.
A Surprise Valley hike is a true classic reserved for those who have the time to spend an entire day here. Highlights include Thunder River, a spacious desert valley, Deer Creek Spring, and the Deer Creek narrows. This hike can present some logistical problems, as you begin at Tapeats Creek at mile 134, and finish at Deer Creek, mile 136. This means that a boat shuttle is needed from the gracious non-hikers of the group.
The first stage of this shuttle is getting dropped off at Tapeats Creek. From here, you will cross to creek right, and then pick up a trail that starts up the creek before climbing a scree gully. This trail contours along the rim of the Tapeats Creek Gorge, then leads back to the creek at the head of the gorge. A couple hundred yards farther upstream, the trail splits. The standard trail leads to the right, crosses Tapeats Creek at some ledges just beyond the split, then heads upstream on creek left all the way to the Thunder River confluence. Here you must cross the creek again before making the 1,000-foot ascent to Thunder Springs. For more details on the different routes to Thunder Springs, see the Thunder River description.