We hadn’t been up the Deadman’s river valley since before the Spark’s lake fire devastated the picturesque ranching and fishing recreation area, destroying homes and dreams of many and leaving blackened hillsides which led to slides and washouts when the floods came the next year. We made our way from the Back Valley road up along the river to the end of the road just before Vidette lake. The road now awaits repair which will hopefully happen before the end of the summer. Here’s a gallery of photos taken along the way.
Even after the fires and the flooding, the scenery is still breathtaking and continues to be home to many locals not willing to give up on their dreams.