Bone Valley Trail

Bone Valley Trail is a backcountry out-and-back from Hazel Creek Trail near Campsite 83 to the Hall Cabin area. The trail is 1.8 miles one way; turn around at the cabin area for 3.6 miles round trip and about 200–210 feet of climbing. Allow about 2–3 hours for this section, including its creek crossings and time at the cabin. The mapped route and mileage cover Bone Valley only.

There’s no drive-up trailhead. The usual access is by boat across Fontana Lake to Proctor, then Hazel Creek Trail to the Bone Valley junction. The approach adds about 5.3–6 miles each way. Walking from Proctor and back with the Bone Valley spur makes roughly 14–16 miles on foot, plus boat travel. Arrange transportation before setting out; this is a remote backcountry trip, not a quick stop from the road.

The native-surface path follows an old logging and rail grade through a wooded valley, with Bone Valley Creek nearby for much of the walk. The grade is fairly gentle, but expect four or five fords, including Bone Valley Creek and Mill Branch. A short bridge near the junction doesn’t remove the crossings farther along. High water after heavy rain can make them unsafe, so be ready to turn back. This walk is about the creek valley and its history, not a summit view.

At the end, a grassy opening holds Hall Cabin, a small structure raised on stone piers. Crate and Mary Dills Hall settled Bone Valley around 1877 and built the surviving cabin around 1880. Nearby, the chimney and mossy foundation are the remains of a separate Kress hunting lodge that burned around 1960. Keep those two sites straight: the lodge ruins are not the Hall Cabin.

“Bone Valley” is commonly traced to cattle caught in a late-1870s blizzard in the high pasture. Accounts differ on how the herd got there, but agree that bones left in the valley gave it its name.

Pets aren’t allowed on this trail. There are no food or drinking-water services along this backcountry route, so carry supplies for the whole outing. Campsite 83 is a backcountry site near the junction, not a parking area.