From Highway 21, turn east onto Mallory Road 3.0 kilometres south of the intersection with Erickson Road in Creston or 6.9 kilometres north of Porthill Road near the Canada-US border.  Drive 3.0 kilometres and turn south onto Airport Road.  Drive 270 metres and turn right into the CVHA Trails staging area.  If the gate is closed, parking here might be tricky (pretty much in the roadside ditch), and it may be necessary to drive another 550 metres further south to the airport entrance where there might be a little more space to park off the road.

Somewhat surprisingly, the gate to the staging area was closed on this Saturday, and Zosia and I would not see a single person or horse throughout our hike.  I parked my car partly in a ditch near the gate, and we started hiking from there.  There is a somewhat useful trail map at the staging area which can also be found on the CVHA website.  From the staging area, we headed westward on a well-defined trail and soon popped out of the forest near the northern boundary of the airport.  We continued westward along the airport boundary fence until it turned southward.  We also turned southward, but instead of following the fence line, we re-entered forest aiming for the high point of Fox Tree Hill.  Despite running across occasional makeshift signs, we had some trouble trying to reconcile the trails we hiked through with the ones marked on the CVHA map, and numerous side trails made route-finding even more confusing.  As a result, we probably did not take the most efficient ascent route and even had to bushwhack a little to get where we needed to go.  Fortunately, this was not Mount Everest we were climbing, and we eventually found our way to the high point situated near a telephone pole in a small clearing.

Rather than return the way we came, Zosia and I opted to traverse southward and make the hike into a loop.  We had a much easier time figuring out the trail layout on the south side of Fox Tree Hill and soon descended to the boundary fence at the south end of the airport.  Heading eastward, we hiked along the fence line nearly to Airport Road before turning northward to follow the trail through a narrow patch of forest tucked between the road and the airport's eastern boundary fence.  When we passed by the airport entrance, we could not figure out where the trail continued, but at this point, we were content to simply walk on the pavement of Airport Road for half a kilometre back to our parked car.

	A locked gate prevents motorized vehicles from parking in the trailhead's staging area on this day.
	Zosia passes another locked gate at the north end of Creston Valley Regional Airport.  "Fox Tree Hill" is visible behind the gate.
	Zosia hikes along the northern boundary of the airport.
	Despite the presence of makeshift signs, the trails on Fox Tree Hill can be confusing to follow at times.
	Zosia stands on the high point of Fox Tree Hill (718 metres).
	Zosia descends a steep trail called "Pepsi Challenge" near the south end of Fox Tree Hill.

Zosia follows a fence along the southern boundary of the airport with the Mount Thompson massif in the background.

 

	Here is a look back at Fox Tree Hill from the airport's eastern boundary.
	The common chicory is very common in this area.
	Zosia strolls along Airport Road to close the loop.
	Total Distance:  5.7 kilometres Round-Trip Time:  1 hour 52 minutes Cumulative Elevation Gain:  94 metres GPX Data