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Parrett Mountain East Loop – 05/17/2026

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date May 21, 2026
1 Comment on Parrett Mountain East Loop – 05/17/2026

In my search for nearby 3-to-5-mile hikes that we can do while I rehab, I found a pair of loops at Bob and Crystal Rilee Park in the Oregon Hikers Field Guide. Located on the flank of Parrett Mountain near Newberg, OR, 327 acres of the Parrett Mountain Farm were donated to the Chehalem Park & Recreation District in 2014 by the Rilees after their deaths.

The park hosts over 12-miles of trails weaved throughout the park, most open to both hikers and equestrians. The Field Guide describes two loops, an east loop at 3.5-miles and a west loop at 4.4-miles. Longer hikes are obviously possible by combing the two and/or adding some of the other trails. At this point in my rehab the 3.5-mile east loop and its 450′ of elevation gain sounded perfect.

Heather wasn’t able to join me on this one, so I set off by myself from the trailhead next to the Parrett Mountain Farmhouse.

Note that horse trailers are not allowed in this lot. The equestrian trailhead is located 0.4-miles west on NE Parrett Mountain Road.

I followed the Field Guide’s directions and walked past the Farmhouse along NE Parret Mountain Road to a hiker sign next to a gate.

I turned right on a wide path marked “1” aka Russ’ Loop.

Russ’ Loop paralleled Parrett Mountain Road before veering away across from a vineyard.

The J.K. Carriere vineyard across the road.

I kept right at junctions with the Farmhouse Loop (trail number 2) and followed Russ’ Loop downhill through the woods.

One of the junctions with the Farmhouse Loop.

Inside-out flower

Blackberry

The trail eventually began to climb back uphill.

Honeysuckle

At an unnumbered junction I left Russ’ Loop by forking right on a narrower path not shown on the 2026 park map.

I then almost immediately forked left.

This path ran parallel to Russ’ Loop and soon rejoined that trail where I turned right.

Back on Russ’ Loop.

I continued on Russ’ Loop until reaching a junction with the Cistern Loop (trail #3) where I stayed straight.

On the Cistern Loop.

The Cistern Loop descended to a crossing of a tributary of Corral Creek.

Pacific waterleaf

On the far side of the creek was a spur trail to the right marked by a small yellow sign.

The spur trail extends approximately a quarter mile before ending at the creek.

Youth-on-age was prevalent along the creek.

I returned to the Cistern Loop and turned right. The trail began a slow climb past a rusty piece of farm equipment and the trail’s namesake cistern.

Spotted towhee on the farm equipment.

The cistern.

Coastal manroot

The Cistern Loop ended at a junction with Russ’ Loop where I turned right back onto that trail.

I stayed on Russ’ Loop ignoring another yellow signed spur trail on the right.

This spur looked a bit overgrown and was not mentioned in the Oregon Hikers Field Guide.

I stayed right at this unmarked junction.

Sparrow

Just before Russ’ Loop came to an open field I turned right on an unnumbered trail at a blank post.

The path ran parallel to the Art Loop (trail #4) and eventually joined it.

Art along the Art Trail on the left seen from the unnumbered trail.

Arriving at the Art Loop.

The unnumbered trail from the Art Loop.

The junction was close to the field, so I took a quick look across it. The Art Loop also runs along the edge of the field so just a few feet separated the loop from itself at this point.

The Art Loop along the field.

I could have simply turned left along the field but I stuck to the Field Guide route and returned to the portion of the Art Loop in the forest and headed north (left now but it would have been a right coming up from the unnumbered trail.) I followed the Art Loop uphill to Parrett Mountain Road across from the equestrian trailhead.

After crossing the road to get a closer look at the trailhead I returned to the Art Loop and followed it to the field.

Northern flicker

As I was hiking along the field I spotted a coyote hunting for breakfast.

The coyote straight ahead.

Zoomed in look.

After watching the coyote disappear into the forest I continued on around the field.

The start/end of the Art Loop to the left. Russ’ Loop can be seen ahead joining from the left.

The Art Loop connected to Russ’ Loop which I followed uphill back to the Farmhouse Trailhead.

This was a fun little hike. There were birds galore. Most preferred to be heard and not seen, but I don’t think there was ever more than a 10-15 second stretch without a bird singing. My GPS said 3.5-miles just as the Field Guide had indicated. The elevation gain for this loop is approximately 450′.

I’m looking forward to heading back for the West Loop at some point and also returning to check out some of the trails that I skipped on the east side of the park. This was probably the best I’d felt on a hike since my leg issue started, just some occasional lower back tightness. I had a little flair up of my sciatic nerve the next day but not nearly as bad as it had been the week before which was encouraging. Things seem to be headed in the right direction even if it isn’t as fast as I’d like. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Parrett Mountain East Loop

Tags Art Loop, Bob and Crystal Rilee Park, Cistern Loop, Farmhouse Loop, hiking, Newberg, Oregon, Parrett Mountain, Parrett Mountain Farm, Russ' Loop

Hiking Mollala Old Cascades Oregon Trip report

Hopkins Demonstration Forest – 05/09/2026

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date May 12, 2026
No Comments on Hopkins Demonstration Forest – 05/09/2026

I spent some time recently looking through the Oregon Hikers Field Guide looking for shorter hikes, preferably under 6-miles, within an hour and a half of Salem. I wanted to make the most of my currently being limited on distance while I work through my leg/hips/lower back issues. One of the hikes that I found an entry for is the Hopkins Demonstration Forest. The Field Guide describes a 4.2-mile loop with 715′ of elevation gain with a number of options to shorten or lengthen the visit using the network of trails on the 140-acre property.

The forest is located in the foothills of the Old Cascade Mountains approximately 11-miles SE of Oregon City, 11-miles E of Canby, 12-miles N of Molalla and an hour from Salem. The property is run by the non-profit Forests Forever, Inc. and is home to the relocated Clatskanie Mountain Fire Tower as well as the also relocated Molalla Log House. The latter is almost certainly the oldest surviving building in Oregon if not the entire Pacific Northwest. The forest is open 7 days a week during daylight hours however please note that logging activities do close trails/roads from time to time. An event hall, amphitheater, interpretive signs and other guided tours make this a great destination for school field trips or other events.

I was on my own today due to Heather unfortunately waking up to a massive headache. I arrived at the large parking lot next to the event cneter and fire tower at 6:30am.

The event center.

The Clatskanie Mountain Fire Tower was built in 1954 atop 2081′ Clatskanie Mountain in the Oregon Coast Range.

I began by following the Oregon Hikers Field Guide entry which led me downhill from the parking lot to a kiosk with several interpretive signs.

One of the signs was this helpful map. I had downloaded the Field Guide map and the online map from the Hopkins Demonstration Forest website, but you can never have too many maps, so I took a picture with my phone.

From the kiosk I continued downhill on gravel Grouse Hollow Road past an outhouse to another information signboard and donation box.

The rest room on the left.

Tough-leaved iris

Beyond the donation box I passed through a green gate on Grouse Hollow Road and at this point I decided to hike in the opposite direction from the Field Guide and turned right onto the signed Hopkins Trail.

The Hopkins Trail led through a “mature forest” demonstration area to the Cedar Shelter picnic area.

Thimbleberry

Fringecup

Passing through a thinned section. There are similar signs throughout the forest providing information on when and what has been done to the surrounding forest.

Possibly thin-leafed pea.

Honeysuckle

Starflower

The Hopkins Trail continued on the far side of the picnic area and quickly passed the amphitheater.

Beyond the amphitheater the forest demonstration type changed to “thinning and pruning” and Hopkins Trail passed a Big Leaf Maple Tapping Project.

Yes, maple syrup can be made from these trees.

A short distance later I arrived at a junction with the Pacific Madrone Trail where I forked right.

The Pacific Madrone Trail was a narrower trail that climbed up and over a rocky ridge end with a bench and several madrone trees. The forest demonstration type along this trail was “young-stand management”.

The unmistakable trunks of Pacific madrone trees ahead.

The bench under the madrones.

Pacific Madrone

The Pacific Madrone Trail descended from the ridge and ended at Low Gear Road. I had options here for shorter loops by either heading back to the left on Low Gear Road, taking the Shortcut Trail on the opposite side of Low Gear Road, or turning right for a longer loop. I turned right and followed it downhill and around a bend to a junction with Grouse Hollow

Plumed Solomon’s seal

The junction with Grouse Hollow Road.

I turned right onto Grouse Hollow Road and quickly arrived at another informational kiosk.

After checking out the interpretive signs I continued past a gate on the road.

Approximately 200 feet beyond the gate I came to the signed Redwood Loop Trail which was only shown on the map I’d taken a picture of back near the trailhead.

I turned up this 0.1-mile trail and followed it through an “uneven-aged management” demonstration area.

Starry Solomon’s seal

Dropping back down to Grouse Hollow Road.

I turned right on Grouse Hollow Road to continue the loop. The road continued downhill as it bent around to the NE.

One of several informative signs along Grouse Hollow Road.

Grouse Hollow Road ended in a grassy clearing at a sign for the Uneven Age Trail.

The Field Guide route follows the Uneven Age Trail (albeit coming from the other direction) and doesn’t mention the unnamed trail leading to Little Buckner Creek and a small waterfall. I took this unnamed trail down to the creek.

The trail became a bit rough just before reaching the little waterfall.

The small waterfall.

Now a smart person would have gone back the way they’d come but a rough trail continued uphill from the falls.

The trail was a bit steep but not too hard to follow until I neared the Uneven Age Trail. I was close enough to see a jogger pass by through the trees when I started seeing an increase in poison oak. While I was wearing long pants, sleeves and gloves I did some contorting to try and avoid brushing against it.

Poison oak stretching across the use trail.

Safe on the Uneven Age Trail.

I turned right on the Uneven Age Trail and came to a railed boardwalk followed by a clearcut.

The Uneven Age Trail ended at the West Loop Watershed Trail where I again stayed right.

This trail passed by a clearcut and ended at a junction with Down Creek Road and the Middle Loop Watershed Trail.

Lots of bleeding heart in the clearcut.

I veered right onto the Middle Loop Watershed Trail but veered downhill on another unnamed trail to visit the creek again.

After visiting the creek I returned to the Middle Loop Watershed Trail and continued on my loop. The trail initially passed between the clearcut and the creek before leaving the clearcut behind.

Youth-on-age

Violets

Bent tree

The trail ended at another clearcut at Up Creek Road.

Trillium

Up Creek Road

I detoured from the loop here to visit the Molalla Log House. I turned left on Up Creek Road staying right at junctions to another informational kiosk.

I continued uphill on Up Creek Road past the RedCedar Trail to a junction with the Ponds Trail.

I turned left on the Ponds Trail to check out the ponds then headed right toward the visible log house.

The log house through the trees on the right.

I walked around the house looking at the interpretive signs before returning back down to Up Creek Road via the Pond Access Road and resumed my loop.

Spotted towhee

Just beyond the junction with the Middle Loop Watershed Trail I came to the Little Buckner Creek Trail which I turned down.

This trail crossed Little Buckner Creek on a footbridge and climbed through a “reforestation” demonstration area.

Pacific waterleaf

Turkey tails

The Little Buckner Creek Trail ended at the East Loop Watershed Trail where I turned right.

The East Loop Watershed Trail followed Little Buckner Creek for a bit before crossing on another footbridge.

False lily-of-the-valley

I paused on the other side of the bridge to talk to a hiker out with her two cats. Continuing on I followed the trail uphill to its end at Up Creek Road.

Roads made a small loop here and I stayed right and quickly arrived at a sign for Post Road where I turned right.

I detoured down a short spur trail to a viewing platform

Wetlands along Little Buckner Creek from the viewing platform.

Post Road climbed to a junction with the Hardwoods Trail. This trail provides a shortcut back to the trailhead. The Oregon Hikers Field Guide skips this shortcut, but I did not.

The Hardwoods Trail ended at a 3-way junction with the Sawmill and Red Alder Trails.

I turned right onto the Red Alder Trail. This trail climbed, crossing Grouse Hollow Road near the forest entrance, and continued another 375′ to the parking lot near the fire tower.

Passing around the Outreach Center.

This section of Grouse Hollow Road is open to traffic.

Vetch

My hike came in at 3.7-miles, a half mile shorter than the described route in the Field Guide.

This was a very enjoyable hike and would be a great place to bring the kids. I plan on returning with Heather at some point so she can check it out firsthand. I felt better during this hike than any of my recent hikes which was encouraging. My left hip did tighten up again later in the evening but not as badly as it had following our visit to Ankney Wildlife Refuge two days ago (post). My next PT appointment is this week, so we’ll see what the therapist has to say but things do seem to be slowly improving. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Hopkins Demonstration Forest

Tags Clatskanie Mountain Fire Tower, hiking, Hopkins Demonstration Forest, Little Buckner Creek, Molalla Log House, Old Cascades, Oregon

Hiking Oregon Salem/Albany Trip report Willamette Valley

Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge – 05/07/2026

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date May 11, 2026
1 Comment on Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge – 05/07/2026

I missed my planned wildlife week when I canceled a planned week of vacation in April due to my left leg/lower back issues. One of the hikes scheduled for that week was a visit to Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge. Heather had not been to the Ankeny Hill Nature Center yet, so we decided to make the 30-minute drive to the refuge and do two short loops on this vacation.

We started our morning at the Pintail Marsh Trailhead.

Pintail Marsh

There wasn’t much action happening at this marsh or anywhere along the loop we wound up doing. It was by far the least number of birds I’d encountered in this part of the refuge over the years.

Gadwall

Mallard

Cinnamon teals

We headed counterclockwise from the trailhead along the mowed grassy track and took the first left to hike between Frog and Pintail Marshes.(There no views of either to speak of from the path.)

Leaving the trailhead.

Pintail Marsh on the left and Frog Marsh on the right.

We took a left again at the next junction at the north end of Frog Marsh. Here there was a view of Pintail Marsh where we spotted a northern shoveler and a black phoebe.

The junction at the north end of Frog Marsh.

Pintail Marsh

Northern shoveler

Black phoebe

At the next junction we stayed right.

The left track angles between Pintail and Egret Marshes while the right just passes Egret Marsh.

The one view of Egret Marsh. We spotted a single pair of mallards here.

Camas

The grassy track ends at a service road near Mallard Marsh.

We turned left onto the service road and found that Mallard Marsh was seriously lacking water this year.

Cinnamon teals and a gadwall in what water remained in Mallard Marsh.

Egret Marsh on the opposite side of the service road did have water, but not much in the way of birds.

Marsh wren

At a 4-way junction we turned right onto a dike between Mallard Marsh and Mohoff Pond. In previous years this has been a very good stretch for seeing birds, but that was not the case this year. Mohoff Pond still had some water, but not nearly as much as in years past and the number of birds was way down.

Mohoff Pond

American coots

Red-winged blackbird

Mohoff Pond on the left and Mallard Marsh on the right.

We looped around the end of Mohoff Pond and headed back.

Heading back long Mohoff Pond.

A couple of buffleheads out in the middle of the water.

The snakes (harmless) were starting to come out so we needed to watch where we stepped.

At the end of Mohoff Pond we forked right and completed our loop around Pintail Marsh.

Geese in Pintail Marsh.

Mallards in Pintail Marsh.

Butterfly

Pintail Marsh

Given the limited number of birds this was a bit of a disappointing hike compared to what we’ve come to expect from Ankney. On a positive note, we did see a decent variety of species on this 3-mile loop.

From Pintail Marsh we drove to the lower parking lot along Buena Vista Road S. The gate to the lot was closed when we drove by a little before 6:30am but it was open after 8am. This lot wasn’t open when I first visited in 2022 (post).

We set off on the gravel Connector Trail.

The Connector Trail links up with the Big Loop Trail in less than a tenth of a mile. The trails pass through a restored upland prairie which was full of blooming native wildflowers.

Biscuitroot

A cinquefoil

Meadow checkermallow

Rose checkermallow

Columbine and lupine

Mule’s ear

David B. Marshall Outdoor Classroom

Another cinquefoil

Goose

Lupine

Tree swallows

Iris

Coastal manroot (wild cucumber)

Cow parsnip

Camas

Common madia

Decomposition educational node

Yarrow

Oak Overlook near the Nature Center

Fiddleneck

Ankeny Hill Nature Center

We explored the Little Loop at the Nature Center before continuing one the Big Loop.
Pollinator Patch at the Nature Center

Bridge in the center of the Little Loop.

Spotted towhee

Continuing on the Big Loop from the Nature Center.

Ladybug on vetch.

Miniature lupine

Egret at Peregrine Marsh from the outdoor classroom.

The hike, and wandering around the Nature Center, came in just over 1-mile giving us a 4.1-mile total for the morning with minimal elevation gain.

This was the longest hike since starting PT and it went about as well as the others. The leg felt fine, but the lower back/hips remained tight and somewhat uncomfortable through most of the outing. That evening a new issue popped up in my left hip area which made it difficult to find a comfortable sleep position. Oddly I woke up with my lower back feeling really good, but the left hip was still a little uncomfortable. It will be interesting to discuss all this with the physical therapist next week. Until then – Happy Trails!

Flickr: Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge

Tags Ankeny Hill Nature Center, Ankeny Wildlife Refuge, David B. Marshall Outdoor Classroom, Egret Marsh, hiking, Mallard Marsh, Mohoff Pond, Oregon, Peregrine Marsh, Pintail Marsh, wildflowers

Central Coast Oregon Oregon Coast

Oregon Coast Aquarium – 05/05/2026

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date May 8, 2026
1 Comment on Oregon Coast Aquarium – 05/05/2026

With us taking a staycation due to my current physical limitations, instead of house sitting for us, our son Dominique stayed with us for the first half of the week. He’d joined us on a Star Wars Day hike at Fernhill Wetlands (post) and in lieu of a hike the following day we headed to Newport and the Oregon Coast Aquarium. While we aren’t counting this as a hike, we did spend the better part of four hours on our feet wandering around the aquarium and watching the animals. This was another good test for how my PT was progressing, and while my lower back was protesting mightily by the end of our visit, I woke up today feeling better than I have in months.

It had been many years since we’d visited the aquarium, and I was very excited to see the puffins. In the wild tufted puffins visit Haystack Rock (post) off the Oregon Coast from about mid-April through July, but we haven’t visited during their nesting season. Occasional sightings have occurred at Coquille Point and Face Rock in Bandon (post), Netarts Bay (post), Cape Perpetua (post), and Yaquina Head (post). Even when the puffins are present spotting them can be difficult and is at a distance requiring binoculars or a strong zoom lens. The aquarium however has a number of tufted puffins as well as a few horned puffins in its aviary where the birds can be viewed up close.

We were at the aquarium when it opened at 10am and left a little after 2pm. During our visit we got to see feedings of the California sea lions, sea otters, and the birds in the aviary. The feedings are accompanied by an informative talk about the animals and some pretty impressive demonstrations by the sea lions and otters. We also listened to a pelican talk while a brown pelican did a little performing of her own. There is also an interactive tidepool where guests can touch all of the sea creatures. Following are a few of the photos from our visit.

Aquarium map

Moon jellyfish in the main building.

Yaquina Bay from a viewing platform.

Mallard in Yaquina Bay.

Open Sea exhibit where you can walk through glass tubes surrounded by sharks and various species of fish.

Fringecup flowering along the path to the aviary.

The six types of birds in the aviary.

One of the volunteers mentioned that we had missed the pair of rhinoceros auklets by about half an hour. He said that these birds were very shy so when he sees someone with a “real camera” he tries to point them out if they make an appearance. While they didn’t come out during our first stop in the aviary one did briefly show itself during the afternoon feeding. The other five bird species were easily spotted though.

Black oyster catcher

Common murre

Pigeon guillemots

Horned puffin

Tufted puffin

After spending some time in the aviary, we made our way over to the seal and sea lion exhibit for the sea lion feeding.

The glass made getting pictures tricky.

One of the California sea lions.

We followed that up with a visit to the sea otters and brief stop to admire the turkey vulture before heading to the pelican talk at 11:30am.

Two of three resident sea otters.

Turkey vulture

It turned out to be a good time of the year to visit because the birds were in their breeding plumage and the brown pelican really showed it.

After a quick bite to eat we spent some time in the indoor exhibits, including the tidepool. We interrupted this to return to the sea otters for their feeding then finished up the indoor exhibits before the bird feeding in the aviary. Inside there are a number of different enclosures hosting a large number of species.

This large snail could really move.

Interactive tidepool

Red abalone in the interactive tidepool.

The birds were much more active in the aviary, we assumed in anticipation of the feeding.

Horned and tufted puffins

Common murres

Tufted puffins in the water. We got splashed a couple of times by incoming birds landing in the water just in front of us.

Pigeon guillemots having a lively discussion.

Juvenile puffin

A posing pigeon guillemot

The rhinoceros auklet during its brief appearance.

After the feeding and a visit to the souvenir shop we said our goodbyes. On the way to the car we spotted a whimbrel in Yaquina Bay which was the end of our wildlife encounters for the day.

The aquarium is enjoyable for any age and while its size would allow someone to see everything in about an hour, to really appreciate it and take things in you’d want to spend few hours at least. There are also several hikes nearby that could easily be done on the same day including the Yaquina Head or Yaquina Bay Lighthouses (post), Forest Park Trail (post), the Estuary Trail, Mike Miller Park, South Beach (post for the three previous hikes), or for a longer hike the Yakona Nature Preserv (post).

Happy Trails!

Flickr: Oregon Coast Aquarium

Tags black oyster catcher, brown pelican, California sea lion, common murre, horned puffins, Newport, Oregon, Oregon Coast Museum, pigeon guillemot, rhinoceros auklet, sea otter, Tufted puffins, whimbrel, Yaquina Bay

Hiking Portland Trip report Willamette Valley

Fernhill Wetlands – 05/04/2026

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date May 7, 2026
1 Comment on Fernhill Wetlands – 05/04/2026

For our next short outing while I rehab we decided to return to Fernhill Wetlands for some birding. This destination allowed us to do a 3.5-mile hike first thing in the morning then meet up with Heather’s biological father and his wife for breakfast at McMenamins Grand Lodge in Forest Grove.

I had been feeling good following our hike at Wild Iris Park two days earlier in Eugene (post), however I woke up on this morning with a sore and tight right hip (again). It loosened up a little after my morning stretching session, but it was still a bit irritated as we set out from the Fernhill parking lot just before 7am.

We started at Fernhill Marsh and began a counterclockwise loop.

Today’s track.

Heading toward Fernhill Marsh.

We spotted a few ducks, at least one goose, a number of long billed dowitchers, and a sandpiper.

Long billed dowitchers

Goose

Mallard and a dowitcher

Gadwall

Sandpiper on the far side of the marsh.

Camas at Fernhill Marsh.

We made our way around Fernhill Marsh to the gazebo overlooking Cattail Marsh.

Thimbleberry

Twinberry

Sparrows

Roses

The gazebo at Cattail Marsh.

Red-winged blackbird

There wasn’t much to see in the marsh from the gazebo, but we were visited by a rather grumpy looking sparrow while inside the gazebo.

We continued on our loop from the gazebo then took a right when we reached Eagle Marsh. While it is possible to hike out and back along Eagle Marsh looping around it is not possible. With the morning sun low on the horizon the view from the western side of this marsh would be looking almost directly at it which is why we skipped this detour.

Mallard on the path.

American coot in Cattail Pond.

Rabbit near Eagle Marsh.

Green-winged teals in Eagle Marsh.

Cattail Marsh gives way to Fernhill Lake and as we passed between the lake and Eagle Marsh we detoured down a short path to the lake where a great blue heron was hunting for breakfast.

The heron out in Fernhill Lake.

Gadwall in the same area as the heron.

We continued to the junction at the far end of the marshes, and this time did detour on the out and back along Eagle Marsh.

The path between the lake and Eagle Marsh.

Damsel fly

Sparrow

Goose having a bad feather day in Eagle Marsh.

Mallard drake on a log in Eagle Marsh.

Starling

Another great blue heron in Eagle Marsh.

After reaching the end of this spur we headed back to Fernhill Lake and continued our loop around.

Fernhill Lake from the junction.

One of several families of geese along the lakeshore.

Purple martins

These fish, possibly invasive carp, could be seen up and down the shores of Fernhill Lake.

Yet another heron at Fernhill Lake.

We paused at a second gazebo, this one overlooking the Barney Wetlands where we had spotted some tundra swans during our visit in February 2024 (post).

Not much to see in Barney Wetlands on this day.

Cliff swallow in the gazebo.

We continued on to the Dabbler’s Marsh Trail and took a right onto it.

We hiked the Dabbler’s Marsh Loop counterclockwise. There wasn’t much to see on this day but the views across the grassy fields were nice.

Cinquefoil

Fringecup

Robin

After finishing the 1.4-mile Dabbler’s Marsh Trail we looped through the Water Garden (sans water) before returning to our car.

Brown headed cowbird

Sparrow in the parking lot.

This was least amount of wildlife we’d seen on our three visits here, but there was still enough for it to be enjoyable. Our breakfast at McMenamins Grand Lodge was excellent and we had a great time catching up with Jeff and Mary and even got to meet Mary’s sister and her husband before saying our goodbyes. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Fernhill Wetlands

Tags Cattail Marsh, Dabblers March Loop Trail, Eagle Marsh, Fernhill Lake, Fernhill marsh, Fernhill Wetlands, Forest Grove, great blue heron, hiking, Oregon, Wildlife

Eugene Hiking Oregon Trip report Willamette Valley

Wild Iris Ridge – 05/02/2026

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date May 4, 2026
3 Comments on Wild Iris Ridge – 05/02/2026

With me recently starting physical therapy for my leg/hip/lower back issues we decided to cancel a planned road trip around Northern California and instead focus on shorter recovery hikes closer to home. The bright side of missing out on the road trip was we’d be saving a lot of money on gas.

To kick off our staycation we headed south to Eugene for the 3.5-mile Wild Iris Ridge loop before picking up our son who would be spending part of the week with us. Wild Iris Park opened in 2017 offering a 3.5-mile lollipop loop through an oak savannah with Spring wildflowers. We parked at the small trailhead along Bailey Hill Road.

A one-mile segment of trail climbs a little over 300′ from the trailhead to the start of the loop on Wild Iris Ridge. Initially the trail passes under a set of powerlines before entering the woods. Wildflowers were blooming in the grass.

Camas

Buttercups

Rose checkermallow

We found more wildflowers in the woods.

Cow parsnip

The wild roses were just beginning to bloom.

Hawthorne

Tough-leaved iris

Rosy plectritis

Dogwood

Chickadee

Passing back under the powerlines.

Vetch

Houndstongue

Fringecup

Bench near the start of the loop.

Serviceberry

We opted to hike the loop clockwise and followed the pointer for Bailey Hill Drive.

It was a 0.3-mile climb to the Bailey Hill Drive Trailhead. This section continued through the woods before reaching a meadow below the trailhead.

Lupine

Columbine

Smallflower woodland star

Baby blue eyes

Miniature lupine

Rosy plectritis

The trailhead at Bailey Hill Drive.

Barestem biscuitroot

View from the trailhead area. There was a forecasted 20% chance of showers, but those never materialized. We were however surprised when we started hearing occasional rumbling thunder in the distance.

From Bailey Hill Dirve the loop follows old roadbeds for 1.2-miles to complete the loop.

There were a lot of irises in bloom along the road.

Grass pea

The blurry brown spot to the right of the bend in the road is the second of two deer that crossed in front of us.

Bench in a meadow along the loop. With the cloudy conditions there wasn’t much of a view today.

Olive-sided flycatcher

Tolmie’s mariposa lily

The final tenth of the mile of the loop narrows and climbs up to the junction.

After finishing the loop, we hiked back down the 1-mile stretch to the trailhead. We spotted a few flowers that we’d missed on our fist pass.

Yarrow

Avens

Finch

Purple oyster salsify

Nearing the trailhead.

The 3.5-mile hike gained a little over 700′ of elevation but was never steep. We saw a decent number of other trail users, but it never felt crowded.

My leg/hips responded well to the hike which was a little longer and had more elevation gain than my previous hike at Fort Hoskins (post) which was encouraging. We (or at least I) will continue with shorter hikes while I work through the physical therapy. Luckily there are plenty of nearby options that fit the bill. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Wild Iris Ridge

Tags Bailey Hill Drive Trailhead, Eugune, hiking, Oregon, Wild Iris Park, Wild Iris Ridge, Wild Iris Trailhead, wildflowers

Coastal Range Corvallis Hiking Oregon Trip report

Ritner Creek Park and Fort Hoskins – 04/25/2026

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date April 27, 2026
3 Comments on Ritner Creek Park and Fort Hoskins – 04/25/2026

On our previous outing at the end of March I was testing my left leg (post) after some tightness in that knee. While that hike went relatively well and my left knee/leg came out of it feeling no worse for the wear my back tightened up followed by pain in my right hip. I went in for a physical therapy appointment in mid-April and was given some stretching and strengthening exercises to help me get back on track. The working theory is that I strained something, probably when my left leg hyperextended slightly on a step on my Deschutes River Hike in January (post) which caused me to change my gait enough to put extra strain the muscles in that leg which have always been extremely tight. As the physical therapist put it those tight muscles were then fighting over the knee and the knee was losing. The right hip issue was likely a result of another change to my gait to compensate for the left leg. He surmised that at this point my whole pelvic area was off kilter, so we are working on correcting that. The good news was he didn’t put any limits on activities (within reason).

After a week of doing my exercises, I was ready to give another hike a try. To be honest I wanted to get a hike in before April was over because I hadn’t gone a full calendar month without taking at least one hike since January 2013. It also did seem like the physical therapy was helping and I wanted to see how my body reacted to a short outing.

I wanted to keep my day to no more than three miles and decided on a potential two stop day beginning at Ritner Creek Park. The small county park is located near the unincorporated community of Pedee in Polk County. Heather did not join me opting for a longer hike at Ellendale Creek which I’d visited without her this past January (post).

Things got off to a rocky start before I’d even arrived at my first stop when I stopped to try and take a picture of a turkey crossing gravel Gage Rd. When I tried to turn my camera on nothing happened. I had just recharged the battery the night before and had not brought any of my extras because the day was going to be so short. I tried removing and reinserting the battery to no avail. Given I had just recharged the battery I feared the camera may have taken its last picture, but it turned out to be the battery and not the camera. Without my camera I was relegated to using my cell phone for pictures.

I parked at the small parking area along Gage Road just before 6:30am and was surprised to find two other vehicles. Trails led off in both directions from the ends of the parking area.

The trail on the east (right) end.

The trail on the west (left) end and the restrooms.

I headed east first. The trail on this side only extended about 150 yards before ending at Ritner Creek.

There were snails littered along the trail and few wildflowers along the sides.

Fringecup

Candyflower

Strawberry

Ritner Creek at the end of the trail. Another trail is visible on the far side.

I returned to the parking area and headed west next. The trail on this side of the park arrived a footbridge after approximately 100 yards.

The trail turned east on the far side of the creek and continued another 0.2-miles ending across from the end of the trail on the other side.

Bleeding heart

Western meadowrue

Elderberry

Salmonberry

Violet

One of several picnic tables along the trail on this side of the creek. There were fire pits and garbage cans as well.

Star-flowered Solomon’s seal

Fairy lanterns

End of the trail.

I discovered that the two vehicles belonged to turkey hunters who were not thrilled when I let them know I’d seen one crossing the road on my way to the park. My hike here was just a little over half a mile. While there isn’t a lot of hiking to do here the picnic tables, creek and restrooms would make it a good place for kiddos or for a nice lunch spot.

The short hike along the creek hadn’t caused any issues with my back, hips. or legs so I headed for my second stop which was Fort Hoskins Historic Park which was just 9.3 miles from Ritner Creek Park in neighboring Benton County.

We’d visited Fort Hoskins way back at the beginning of June 2014 (post). The park offers two hiking loops from the trailhead. The lower half mile interpretive loop visits the former fort site with a spur leading to the 1869 Frantz-Dunn House while the 1.3-mile upper loop passes through a restored oak savanna on the side of Dunn Ridge.

With the two loops heading off in different directions from the trailhead I could bail after the first loop if I was starting to have any issues. I decided to tackle the upper loop first hoping to see some wildflowers on the hillside. The upper loop also offered the most climbing gaining over 300′ on its way up the ridge. The upper loop starts at a small post across the entrance road from the restrooms.

Rose checkermallow

After a tenth of a mile the trail splits with the right-hand fork heading out into a meadow and the left staying in the trees. I stayed left and continued climbing through the forest.

The right-hand fork heading into the meadow.

Evergreen bugloss

Fairy slipper

Poison oak. The trails were clear but there was a fair amount just off trail in places.

Vetch

Iris

Fairy lanters

Violet

Snow queen

Checker lily

The trail leveled out near the top of the ridge and headed into the restored oak savannah.

There were a lot of iris blooms in the meadow.

Looking west into Kings Valley from Dunn Ridge.

The trail starting to head down through the meadow.

Serviceberry

Buttercup

Purple dead-nettle

The Commanders House below at the old fort site.

The split for the upper loop.

It looks like someone took a piece of pie.

When I got back to the trailhead I decided to give the lower loop a go. I followed a paved path to the picnic shelter then down the gated road to the former fort site.

The picnic shelter

The picnic shelter from the parade grounds.

We had not visited the Frantz-Dunn House in 2014 so this time I turned down a roadbed before the Commanders House and checked it out.

Apple blossoms

After visiting the house I headed back up to the Commanders House and completed the interpretive loop.

Foundation of Hoskins School.

Final paved stretch before reaching the trailhead.

The two loops and detour down to the Frantz-Dunn House came to 2.3-miles and 450′ of elevation gain.

I ended the day with just under 3-miles which was a few tenths of a mile more than my back would have liked. My lower back had started to tighten up on the lower loop and is still a little tight as I am writing this the next morning. On the bright side the left leg and right hip do not appear to have suffered any setbacks. It appears that I’ll be sticking to shorter outings for a bit as I work my way back through PT. I will try and make the most of it and use the time to possibly check out some places like Ritner Creek that we would likely not visit under normal circumstances. Happy Trails!

Flicker: Ritner Creek & Fort Hoskins Parks

Tags Benton County, Fort Hoskins Historic Park, Frantz-Dunn House, hiking, Kings Valley, Oregon, Polk County, Ritner Creek Park, wildflower

Central Coast Coastal Range Hiking Oregon Coast Trip report

Nehalem River Corridor – 03/28/2026

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date March 30, 2026
3 Comments on Nehalem River Corridor – 03/28/2026

A left leg issue caused me to put hiking on hold for about a month. I was experiencing shifting discomfort and tightness from the piriformis down to the calf. It seemed to be a different location every day and after a couple of weeks the area around my knee was consistently feeling tight. X-rays and an exam showed the knee itself was in good shape structurally, so I’ve been referred to physical therapy. My first PT appointment isn’t until mid-April, but in the meantime the leg has been gradually improving and the orthopedist said I had no restrictions other than to not overdo it.

With that in mind we decided to see how my leg responded to hiking with a multi-stop outing of up to four short hikes in and around the Nehalem River Corridor. The short hikes would allow me to test my leg while allowing us to easily cut the day short if necessary.

We started our morning with the shortest of the planned hikes, a visit to Umbrella Falls at the Nehalem Fish Hatchery. We had attempted to visit the waterfall in February of 2021 prior to our North Fork Nehalem River hike (post). The hatchery was closed to the public due to COVID restrictions and although walking through to the river would probably have been allowed, we opted to save it for another time. That time was now and we opted to park at the North Fork Nehalem County Park adjacent to the gate at the hatchery entrance which acts as parking for non-disabled anglers.

We walked down the entrance road stopping at the rearing ponds to look at some of the fish then continued to the western end of the hatchery to a sign for the Umbrella Falls Trail.

We followed the trail 250 yards to Umbrella Falls across the North Fork Nehalem River.

Violets

Umbrella Falls

After visiting the falls, we continued on the short loop back to the hatchery and returned to the car.

Trillium

Coltsfoot

Bald eagle above the hatchery.

This stop was just over three-quarters of a mile. Umbrella Falls is a nice waterfall, and the fish hatchery added quite a bit to see.

My leg felt great during the first stop, so we drove to our next stop at the Nehalem River Dike. There is limited parking along the shoulder of Tideland Road. There is room for a couple of cars at the location linked above. We wound up parking approximately 100 yards to the south along the shoulder to the road.

The gate at the trailhead in the Oregon Hikers Field Guide.

There is a three-quarter mile section of a grassy dike open to hiking. The dike travels between the Nehalem River and the Nehalem Bay wastewater ponds. The draw of the hike is wildlife viewing and we were not disappointed.

Swallows

One of a several great blue herons.

Red-winged blackbird

The city of Nehalem across the river.

Mallards

Scaup

One of the wastewater ponds.

Seal

Common mergansers

Northern shovelers

Great blue heron

End of the dike trail.

Heading back.

Sparrow

Bufflehead

Caterpillar

Bald eagle

Northern flicker

Cormorant

This hike was just over 1.75-miles with nice views and a lot of wildlife which made for an enjoyable hike.

I was still feeling good so when we got back to the car we headed for our third planned stop at the Nehalem Falls Campground. With the campground still closed for the season we parked near the gate at the entrance road.

We walked down the entrance road a tenth of a mile to a sign for the “Hiking Trail”.

Skunk cabbage

Day use parking area

We headed down the trail which quickly drops near the river at Nehalem Falls. These falls are more of a rapid with the tallest drop being just 8′. Depending on the water volume the drop isn’t visible.

Violets

The fish ladder is visible to the far right. At times this too is underwater and not visible.

Pink fawn lilies

After visiting the falls, we continued on the hiking trail which loops around the campground in just under a mile.

Bleeding heart

Blackberry blossoms

Trillium

One of several benches along the loop.

Fall Creek

Chestnut-backed chickadee

Toothwort

There were a lot of trilliums along the trail.

The trail dropped us into the campground.

A short walk along the campground road led us back to the day use parking area to complete the loop then we walked back up to our car.

The final hike we had planned was located less than a mile from the Nehalem Falls Campground at Cougar Valley. In 2007 an Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation proposal included development of a 315-acre parcel of land located in Cougar Valley that had been purchased by the State in 2005. Local pushback on the proposal suspended that development and today the tract of land is open for day use only. The abandoned Lost Creek Road serves as what All Trails refers to as the Lost Creek Trail. This “trail” is not officially maintained, at least not frequently.

We parked at the gated roadbed and set off on a grassy track through blackberry bushes.

There were dozens of snails along the roadbed.

Maple meadow. The land had previously been the homestead of Cougar Bill and Cougar Marie, mountain line bounty hunters.

Lost Creek below Lost Creek Road.

Lost Creek

Salmonberry

One of two washed out areas along side creeks, possibly from flooding in February 2026.

Pacific wren

Mushroom

Rusted dozer blade

We made it almost a mile and a half before we began to encounter overgown conditions.

After picking our way through the first section we came to an even thicker mass of vegetation and decided to turn around. The old logging road had originally continued a couple more miles, and the roadbed had been accessible to at least the 1.75-mile mark where it crosses Lost Creek. Time has allowed nature to slowly reclaim the roadbed though.

Our turnaround point.

We headed back toward the car but took a short detour 0.4-miles before the trailhead down an old spur road that led to an old bridge over Lost Creek.

The old bridge from Lost Creek Road.

The spur road is on the right heading out Lost Creek Road. Since we were on the way back it was a left for us.

A very rough trail was cut through the blackberry bushes. We came away with quite a few scratches.

I didn’t trust the bridge enough to try stepping on it.

Lost Creek from the edge of the bridge.

After checking out the bridge we fought our way back up through the blackberries and returned to our car.

Our hike in Cougar Valley came in just under three miles and Nehalem Falls had been 1.1-miles.

One note is that we both did wind up with a tick on our long sleeves post hike. With the unusually warm, dry winter all reports indicate they are bad all over the State this year and this was the first time we’d picked any up in the Coast Range. It was a good reminder to always perform a tick check at the end of your hikes.

In all the four stops wound up being 6.6-miles with just 175′ of elevation gain. Here is a look at the relative location of our four stops.

My leg held up surprising well and as I am writing up this trip report the next day it’s still feeling good which is encouraging. Our plan is to take things easy and hopefully the physical therapist will be able to identify whatever the issue is and we’ll go from there. In the meantime, Happy Trails!

Tags Cougar Valley, hiking, Lost Creek, Lost Creek Road, Lost Creek Trail, Nehalem Dike Trail, Nehalem Falls, Nehalem Falls Campground, Nehalem Fish Hatchery, North Fork Nehalem County Park, North Fork Nehalem River, Oregon, Oregon Coast, Umbrella Falls, Wildlife

Corvallis Hiking Middle Santiam Old Cascades Oregon Trip report Willamette Valley

McDowell Creek Falls and Cheadle Lake – 02/28/2026

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date March 3, 2026
No Comments on McDowell Creek Falls and Cheadle Lake – 02/28/2026

We woke up to the news of military action in Iran, a somber reminder of the state of the world today. Our prayers are with all the families across the globe impacted. We’re thankful to still have the opportunity to step away and enjoy the outdoors.

We had picked a pair of hikes near Lebanon, OR McDowell Creek Falls and Cheadle Lake. We had visited the former in February 2014 (post) while the latter would be new for us as a hike. (We had run part of this route in the early 2010’s as part of the Runaway Pumpkin half marathon races.)

We started our morning at McDowell Creek County Park for the relatively short loop that visits four named waterfalls. We parked in the lower (western most) parking lot which is referred to as the Royal Terrace Falls Trailhead in the Oregon Hikers Field Guide.

There are restrooms and picnic tables available at the trailhead.

After double checking the map, we set off on the trail across McDowell Creek.

After 0.2-miles we came to the start of the loop and opted to go left for a view of Royal Terrace Falls from the footbridge across Fall Creek.

The start of the loop.

Royal Terrace Falls

Bench of the far side of the bridge.

Beyond Royal Terrace Falls the trail recrossed McDowell Creek then crossed McDowell Creek Road before arriving at Crystal Falls aka Crystal Pool a third of a mile from Royal Terrace Falls.

McDowell Creek

McDowell Creek Road from the crossing.

Crystal Falls ahead through the trees.

A use trail led down to the creek for a better view of the falls.

Just over a tenth of a mile past Crystal Falls the trail arrives at an impressive wooden walkway near Majestic Falls.

Majestic Falls

Stairs led up from Majestic Falls to a viewpoint platform at the top of the waterfall.

From the upper viewpoint we faced a choice of going directly uphill to the upper parking lot or taking a slightly longer route by swinging out along the creek for a short distance. We had gone directly up in 2014 so this time we chose to swing out along the creek.

Stairs up to the upper lot.

Robin near the upper lot.

We crossed the road near the upper parking lot and in 0.3-miles
recrossed McDowell Creek Road.

Pointer for Royal Terrace Falls at the crossing of McDowell Creek Road.

In another 0.3-miles we arrived at Fall Creek above Royal Terrace Falls.

Viewing platform above Royal Terrace Falls

Looking down at the bridge below Royal Terrace Falls.

We took a short detour up a use trail along Fall Creek which didn’t lead anywhere of note then headed down the stairs along Fall Creek to complete the loop.

Fall Creek along the use trail.

Royal Terrace Falls from the stairs.

When we were back at the lower parking lot we followed a short trail downstream to a view of Lower McDowell Falls.

The hike here was just 2.2-miles with a little over 200′ of elevation gain leaving us plenty of energy for a second stop.

It was less than a 20-minute drive from McDowell Creek to Cheadle Lake in Lebanon. We had initially planned on parking at Cheadle Lark Park however there was quite a bit of construction equipment present, and it was unclear if the trails at this end of the area were open, so we shifted to “Plan B” and made our way to nearby Riverview Park.

We stopped at the signboard for the Old Mill Trail and studied the map for a moment and downloaded a digital copy then headed right (south) on a paved path. (It was unclear if this was the Old Mill Trail or the West River Trail, nevertheless it would take us to Cheadle Lake.)

The South Santiam River from the trail.

This trail led us into a neighborhood and to Mountain River Drive.

Here the pointers refer to the West River Trail.

We followed the sidewalk for 100 yards to a crosswalk at River Drive then continued another tenth of a mile to Cheadle Lake Park’s boat ramp parking area.

From this parking lot the paved North Shore Trail passes along the northeastern shore of Cheadle Lake between the lake and the Lebanon Santiam Canal. We were on the lookout for waterfowl and other birds as we started off.

Mallards

Geese

Ring-necked duck

American wigeon

Ridgeway Butte beyond a farm across the canal.

American wigeons and domestic ducks on the farm.

After four tenths of a mile we arrived at the Island Loop Trails which are a series of fingers in the middle of the lake.

We hiked out-and-back on the eastern most finger before returning to the North Shore Trail.

Pied-billed grebe

Bench at the end of the finger.

Gadwall

Back on the North Shore Trail we continued SE and spotted a pair of hooded mergansers in the canal.

Spotted towhee

Song sparrow

At the far end of the lake, we arrived at a 4-way junction within sight of the parking lot we had originally planned on starting from.

The park map showed a dashed (proposed) Southshore Trail heading right from this junction. The proposed trail would loop around the lake to the boat ramp. We had not paid attention to the “proposed” verbiage when we decided to turn right and try the loop. Initially the trail was paved with benches but the pavement soon ended and was replaced by a dirt trail through the grass.

California scrub jay.

Oregon grape

The finger that we had hiked out earlier.

The trail lasted a little over half a mile before petering out on the north side of a soccer field at a marsh. It was at this point that we noticed the “proposed” label on the map. Since looping around the lake wasn’t an option, we looped around the soccer field and headed back the way we’d come.

The soccer field is to the left with Ridgeway Butte ahead.

Heading back on the North Shore Trail.

We had discussed being surprised at having not seen a bald eagle on our first pass along the lake. That changed as we passed the Island Loops.

Bald eagle spotted.

Cormorants

From the boat ramp we headed back toward Riverview Park and took the gravel fork at the southern end of the park.

Heather had a blister starting so she headed back to the car while I continued around the park to the Eagle Scout Trail.

I turned on the Eagle Scout Trail and followed this dirt path 0.8-miles to the paved Old Mill Trail near Gill’s Landing

Indian plum

Bewick’s wren

Old Mill Trail near Gill’s Landing.

I returned to Riverview Park on the Old Mill Trail completing a 6.4-mile hike with minimal elevation gain.

Old mill site.

Riverview Park

This was a nice pair of hikes. We knew that McDowell Creek Falls was a great hike, but Cheadle Lake was surprisingly quite for an in-town hike and the birding turned out to be pretty good. Happy Trails!

Flickr: McDowell Creek Falls and Cheadle Lake

Tags birds, Cheadle Lake, Cheadle Lake Park, Crystal Falls, Ducks, Eagle Scout Trail, Gill's Landing, hiking, Lebanon, Lower McDowell Creek Falls, Majestic Falls, McDowell Creek Falls, North Shore Trail, Old Mill Trail, Oregon, Riverview Park, Royal Terrace Falls, West River Trail

Hiking Oregon Portland Trip report Willamette Valley

Chehalem Ridge Nature Park – 02/15/2026

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date February 16, 2026
1 Comment on Chehalem Ridge Nature Park – 02/15/2026

February has been quite a bit wetter than our January was, so we hadn’t been out on any hikes in the first two weeks of the month. A brief window of dry weather was forecast for the Portland-Metro area the day after Valentines Day though and we took the opportunity to revisit Chehalem Ridge Nature Park.

Our first visit to the park was in May of 2022 (post). We had hiked the majority of trails in the park during that visit, but our route had missed the 0.3-mile Castor Trail and missed portions of three other trails. Our plan for this outing was to hike what we’d missed on that first visit.

The website lists the park open from Sunrise to Sunset and Google Maps showed it opening at 7am. (Sunrise was at 7:11am today.) We arrived a quarter after seven and were the first car in the large parking area.

We stopped at the signboard map to confirm our route then headed down Timber Road.

Just over two tenths of a mile along Timber Road we came to the junction with the Castor Trail where we turned left.

Map at the junction, thank you Metro Parks.

The Castor Trail angled us back a bit and climbed up to the Woodland Trail where we turned right.

We followed the Woodland Trail for two tenths of a mile then forked right onto a short spur trail that acts as a connector to Timber Road.

It was just 150′ back to Timber Road along this connector trail.

The spur brought us to Timber Road across from the Ammefu Trail. We had taken that trail in 2022 which loops back to Timber Road further to the NW thus missing a short 0.1-mile section of the road.

At the 4-way junction we turned left and hiked the 0.1-mile section of Timber Road. We stayed on the road a total of 0.4-miles where we turned right onto the Witches Butter Trail.

While the forecast had indicated that it would be mostly sunny here at some point it didn’t happen before our hike ended.

We stopped for a bit to try and get a photo or two of some birds that were flitting between trees. At least one of them was a golden-crowned kinglet which is a species that we hadn’t gotten a photo of yet. After a number of attempts we still don’t have a good photo, however I did manage to get an out of focus shot where it could at least be identified.
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The Ammefu Trail rejoining on the right with another connector to the Woodland Trail on the left.

DSCN7997
Squirrel!

Christensen Creek

Witches Butter Trail heading straight into the forest. The trail to the furthest right is the Ayeekwa Trail. We had taken the 0.7-mile Ayeekwa Trail in 2022 which rejoins the Witches Butter Trail just 0.2-miles from this fork.

This time we stuck to the Witches Butter Trail.

Three tenths of a mile along the Witches Butter Trail we came to one of the benches that are placed around the park.

This bench faced a clearing with some smaller trees. I started to make a comment about the view being nice, but wondered where the deer were, then I spotted them.
DSCN7999

DSCN8005

After watching each other for a while we continued around the clearing and spotted a third doe.
DSCN8015

Beyond the clearing the trail climbed 0.4-miles to its end at the Chehalem Ridge Trail.

We turned right onto the Chehalem Ridge Trail and followed it for 1.3-miles to the start of the Chehalem Ridge Loop.

Camouflaged stump.

Viewpoint along the Chehalem Ridge Trail.

Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge (post) and Gaston, OR.

DSCN8024
Robin

Post for the Chehalem Ridge Loop.

We paused at the start of the loop to decide if we would hike clockwise or counterclockwise. We decided on counterclockwise and just as we started to move, we spotted another deer.
DSCN8029

DSCN8035

We passed the 1.4-mile Madrona Trail part way around the loop. We had hiked that trail in 2022, but today we didn’t want to add the extra 2.8-miles and 400′ of elevation gain needed to climb back up to the loop.

After completing the loop, we followed the Chehalem Ridge Trail back to the Witches Butter Trail junction and continued on it for another tenth of a mile to its end at Timber Road.

DSCN8037

Witches Butter coming up on the left marked by the railings and the Chehalem Ridge Trail continuing to the right.

Timber Road from the Chehalem Ridge Trail. The pointer on the post ahead is for the Mampaɬ Trail which heads off from Timber Road here to the right.

We turned right onto the Mampaɬ Trail and followed it for a mile to Iowa Hill where the trail loops around an open meadow.

A half mile up the Mampaɬ Trail the Zorzal Trail forks off to the right then loops back to the Mampaɬ Trail two tenths of a mile from this junction. Since we had taken the Zorzal Trail in 2022 we’d missed the 0.2-mile section of the Mampaɬ Trail.

The Zorzal Trail rejoining on the right before the trail crossed Timber Road.

The start of the loop on Iowa Hill.

We hiked the loop clockwise this time and stopped at the stone viewpoint for a break.

Sunlight hitting a field in the valley below.

After a nice break we finished the loop and then made our way back to Timber Road.

A little bit of blue sky over Iowa Hill.

We turned right on Timber Road and followed it downhill 0.6-miles to the Woodland Trail.

We turned right onto the Woodland Trail and followed it 1.4-miles back to Timber Road near the trailhead.

Switchback on the initial climb from Timber Road.

Passing the Castor Trail where we’d come up earlier in the morning.

It wasn’t until we could see the trailhead that the sun finally broke through the clouds enough for us to feel its warmth.

Oregon grape blossoms beginning to form.

Today’s hike came in at 8.6-miles and 750′ of elevation gain.
Screenshot 2026-02-15 132653

While we didn’t get the mostly sunny skies that had been forecast, we did stay dry and we got to see the four deer and a number of birds. Depending on weather this might be our only outing in February, and if so, at least it was a good one. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Chehalem Ridge Nature Park

Tags Castor Trail, Chehalem Mountains, Chehalem Ridge Loop, Chehalem Ridge Nature Park, Chehalem Ridge Trail, Chehalem Ridge Trailhead, hiking, Iowa Hill, Mampaꞎ Trail, Oregon, Timber Road, Witches Butter Trail, Woodland Trail