I spent an afternoon visiting the Obed Wild and Scenic River on the third weekend in April, 2013. I parked at Lilly Bridge and hiked up the Bridge Trail to Lilly Bluff. Along the way, I took short spur trails to both the Lower and Upper Melton Mill Falls. The Bridge Trail is only ½ mile, but it climbs about 200 feet from the bridge to the top of the bluff.
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| Clear Creek from Lilly Bridge |
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| Bridge Trail |
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| Lower Melton Mill Falls |
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| Trees were down across the spur trail in several locations |
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| Returning on the spur trail toward the Bridge Trail |
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| The trail levels off after climbing to the base of Lilly Bluff |
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| Obstructed view of Upper Melton Mill Falls |
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| Upper Melton Mill Falls |
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| The trail climbs high above the falls |
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| Unique rock formations invite further exploration |
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| View from Lilly Bluff overlook |
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| Overlook platform |
From Lilly Bluff, I decided to hike out the Point Trail a short distance to the bridge over Melton Mill Branch and was rewarded with several nice scenes.
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| Point Trail approaching Melton Mill Branch |
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| Point Trail bridge over Melton Mill Branch |
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| Small cascade on Melton Mill Branch |
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| Melton Mill Branch drops two feet before flowing under the bridge |
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| A large tree had fallen from the bluff above the Bridge Trail |
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| Life is tenacious as demonstrated by this tree |
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| Clear Creek was at 7 feet on the gage |
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| Clear Creek below Lilly Bridge |
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| Dwarf Iris on the creek bank |
Entry to Obed Wild & Scenic River is free.
The park website is http://www.nps.gov/obed/index.htm.
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