Deer, woodpeckers, eagles, bear, and owls are common enough that you can expect to see at least one of those four animal varieties. Raccoons fish for the crawdads in the creek. Don't overlook a faint, unmarked junction at the start of the meadow. Keep straight at this junction to find a large, lovely campsite beneath big streamside cedars. The bare bedrock banks of Drift Creek are great for picnicking or sunbathing.
Red crawdads crawl through the shallows.
After enjoying the creek, return as you came. If you'd like a longer hike, turn right when you first reach the Harris Ranch Meadow junction and keep going for 0.3 mile to a ford. Crossing the creek here requires a chilly, knee-deep wade. On the far shore, the trail continues upstream through a mossy forest of spruce and maples for one mile to another ford. The creek here is smaller and full of boulders, so hikers can usually cross dry-footed in summer and fall.