A "sink"is the opposite of a spring; it is where water, usually from a creek or river, disappears into an underground cave; this is a formation common in karst topopgraphy. The bottom of Savage Gulf has many karst formations, both sinks and springs. Big Creek disappears into an underground cave at this location, only to emerge further downstream.

To access the Big Creek Sink, start at either the Savage Gulf North or Savage Gulf East Trailheads. For the purpose of this adventure, however, we'll describe the shorter route to the Sink, beginning at the Savage Gulf North trailhead (you can read about the Savage Gulf East approach in our itinerary for a three day hike covering all of Big Creek Gulf.)

From the Savage Gulf North Trailhead, take the one-mile Stone Door trail (which is actually paved for the first quarter-mile) all the way out to the Great Stone Door, namesake for the most prominent feature in this area of Savage Gulf and arguably the grand-daddy of all overlooks in Savage Gulf.

Continue your hike down through the Great Stone Door, then follow the Big Creek Gulf Trail, bearing right at its intersection with the Connector Trail (staying on the BCG trail). About two miles from Stone Door, you'll come to an intersection with the Ranger Falls Trail, a half-mile spur that takes you to Ranger Falls and its own “sink”. The dry stream bed of Ranger Creek can flood at times of heavy rainfall, but most of the year, the Ranger Falls Sink swallows up all the water Ranger Falls can offer.

Returning to the Big Creek Gulf trail, turn left and continue another half mile to the Big Creek Sink. The bottom of Savage Gulf is honeycombed with caves, springs and other formations common to the limestone layers that line the bottom of the Gulf. Where a stream disappears into one of these fissures is called a “sink”; where it re-emerges from the ground, a “spring” or “seep”. Some of these sinks are large enough to swallow up an entire creek, as you’ll see here, where, particularly at this time of year, Big Creek is completely consumed by this drain in the earth.

After exploring the Big Creek Sink, turn around and begin to retrace your route, again passing the Ranger Falls spur trail, and about 2-1/2 miles into your return trip, look carefully for the intersection with the Connector Trail. Here, you want to turn left to stay on the Big Creek Gulf trail (continuing straight ahead would put you on the Connector Trail, which you don't want to do!)

Follow the last section of the Big Creek Gulf Trail uphill, a challenging climb to the base of the Great Stone Door, and then up the stone staircase inside "The Door". At the top of the Great Stone Door, take one more moment to take in the majestic views; then continue on the Stone Door Trail, about a mile back to the Savage Gulf North Trailhead.