Shirk Lake Hike
Hike Rating: Easy
Hike
Length: 2.7 miles roundtrip
Elevation Change: 0’
Trailhead Elevation: 5,200’
Best Season: June through September
Driving Access: High-clearance
vehicle
Plus
Points
• Easy walk around a desert wetland complex of grasslands,
mudflats and open water
• Historical Shirk Ranch buildings from the late
1800s and early 1900s, now abandoned
• Diverse shorebird populations, including avocets, ibises,
plovers and sandpipers
• Abundant waterfowl, including coots, grebes, ducks and
Canada geese
• Short-eared owls hunting the grasslands, plus red-tailed
hawks cruising overhead
• A true desert wilderness feeling, with only the sounds of
breezes, birds and stillness
Minus Points
• Rattlesnakes are a
possibility around the abandoned ranch buildings
• Water levels fluctuate with the season, so be prepared to
skirt wide mud flats
Download
(PDF, 429 KB): Photos of Shirk Lake
Hike
Download
(PDF, 426 KB): Topo Map for Shirk Lake
Hike
Download
(PDF, 746 KB): Road Map for Shirk Lake
Hike
Trail
Notes
The hike
starts at the steel gate with the “Shirk Ranch” sign on it,
just west of the main ranch house. Take the opportunity to
explore the abandoned ranch buildings, including the main
house, bunk houses, root cellar, blacksmith shop, water
tower and corrals. However, all the buildings are protected
and listed on the National Historic Register, so please
don’t deface them or take home souvenirs. Their enjoyment
by future generations depends upon your responsibility.
Also, be alert for rattlesnakes in the grass or under old
boards around the buildings and corrals.
To continue the hike, walk about 50 yards east from the
ranch house and climb up the earthen levee surrounding the
ranch yard. From here one has views north to the grasslands
at the mouth of Guano Creek and south to the open water of
Shirk Lake.
The hiking
route follows the levee south toward the lake, where the
levee ends at a green meadow. From here, it’s easiest to
walk south along the dry strip of grassland skirting the
lake on the west, taking detours out nearer to the water
where possible. By walking between the sage uplands on the
west and the mud flats on the east, one can have about a
mile of good bird viewing. Eventually, the hike ends at the
lake’s southern outlet, an impassable slough cutting
through a sage-covered sand dune on the lake’s south end.
Return as you came.
Road
to Trailhead
From Adel in the southern
Warner Valley, drive about 28 miles east on paved Hwy 140,
to a wide dirt road with a stop sign joining the highway
from the north. This road is about 0.6 miles east of
Milepost 49. Don’t be confused by the sign and road for
Guano Lake, which turns north about one mile west of the
main Guano Valley road you’re looking for.
Please note
the Guano Valley road is passable only by high clearance
vehicles and ONLY when dry. The road has many deep holes
and ruts, which can easily be driven over and around when
dry, but are mud traps when wet and boggy. Only single-axle
trailers are advised, with a maximum length of about 16’.
This area is remote and not often visited, so extra caution
and self-responsibility are required.
Going north, the first 2 miles to the Barry Ranch has the
worst ruts, as this section is driven in wet weather by the
ranch traffic. But once past the fenced holding pens of the
Barry Ranch (leave all gates as you find them here), the
road is generally flat and smooth for the next 10 miles to
the Shirk Ranch — though one has to skirt deep holes and
ruts in places, plus negotiate a few rocky spots. Travel
time for the full 12 miles from Hwy 140 to the Shirk Ranch
was about 2 hours for us, pulling a small travel trailer.
Camping
Options
There is no
developed campground in the Guano Valley and dispersed
camping is the only option, with one's own water,
sanitation and trash removal. The most attractive camping
area is about one mile north of the Shirk Ranch buildings,
just before the road crosses the dry bed of Guano Creek.
East of the road here, between the road and the dry
creekbed is a grassy flat that can accommodate almost any
camping setup — a tent, tent trailer or small travel
trailer. The grass here is tall, thick and highly
flammable, so campfires are not advised at all in this
area.
Agency Contact: Lakeview BLM District, (541)
947-6399
DISCLAIMER:
Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this
information, but the authors do not guarantee that it is
either current or correct. The reader assumes full
responsibility for any use of this information, and is
encouraged to contact local federal land agencies to
inquire about current conditions before
traveling.
Page
last updated: 1/16/13