Hiking the Spines in the Silt Cliffs
Above the Valleyview area and below Juniper Ridge is a benchland area that was once submerged under a glacial lake. It has since been carved by erosion into ridges and gullies. Some of the ridges are now narrow “spines” and there are some informal trails and routes up, along, and down the spines. Some of the best ones are accessed from Orchard’s Walk. All of these require a bit of scrambling.
Some of the silt cliffs appear as clay-silt towers slowly being eroded down.
Between the ridges are gullies which often have informal trails too.
On this day, I hiked three of the spines and left three others for another time. There are also numerous sink holes, wells, and even some arches to explore.
A few clips of video and drone footage are combined into a video here:
Another hike is planned soon to do some more of the spines in the Valleyview Silt Cliffs.
Nice video…might hike there one day
We often hiked there growing up in Valleyview in the ’50s and ’60s. One thing I notice in your pictures is many more well worn trails than there used to be. It’s good to know that lots more people are enjoying these amazing landscapes. Thanks for making the video.