Month: January 2022

Hiking

Northwest Oregon & Southwest Washington

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date January 25, 2022
10 Comments on Northwest Oregon & Southwest Washington

As we mentioned in our previous post for several years we have been working on a goal to hike all 500 featured hikes in William L. Sullivan’s “100 Hikes…” series of guidebooks (post). In 2020 we completed the first of these books covering the Central Oregon Cascades (post). We followed that up by completing a pair of books in 2021 beginning with the 3rd edition “100 Hikes/Travel Guide Oregon Coast and Coast Range” on 7/31/2021. (post) A month later we crossed of the final hikes in the 4th edition “100 Hikes/Travel Guide Northwest Oregon & Southwest Washington”.

Generally speaking in order to check a hike off our list we need to have hiked a substantial portion of Sullivan’s described hike or visited the main attraction(s) he identifies for the hike. In many cases Sullivan provides multiple options for destinations/lengths as well as listing more than one distinct hike under a featured hike. For instance hike #68 – West Zigzag Mountain consists of an 11 mile out and back to the former West Zigzag lookout site and a 1.8 mile hike to Castle Canyon (which we have not yet hiked), each starting from a different trailhead with no overlapping (or connecting) trails. For three other featured hikes we have yet to do the separate shorter hike -#2 Aerial Tram & Council Crest we have not done the 1.8 mile loop to Marquam Shelter via the Portland Ariel Tram, #13 Tualatin Hills we have not done the 2.2 mile Cooper Mountain loop and #23 Ape Cave we have not done the 0.2 mile Trail of Two Forests. Additionally for hike #6 Northern Forest Park there are two options going in different directions from the same trailhead and we have only done the longer of the two. Then there are the hikes with multiple main attractions of which there are three that we have not made it to all of the suggested destinations: #27 Lava Canyon we have yet to visit The Ship, #59 Catherine Creek we have not been to the Indian Pits, and #76 Timberline Lodge Trails we haven’t made it up to the Silcox Hut yet. Finally hike #83 lists the entire 40 mile Timberline Trail as one of four options and we have not yet hiked the entirety of that trail. That leaves 16 featured hikes that we made it to all the main attractions and 76 that were completed either as described or with additional hiking added on.

The area covered in this particular book extends north from Salem into Washington to cover both the Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument and Mt. Adams Wilderness. To the east the area reaches just beyond The Dalles where it overlaps slightly with his eastern book by including the Klickitat Rail Trail in the Columbia Gorge section. Further south, below the Badger Creek Wilderness the eastern reach ends roughly at the Cascade Crest/Pacific Crest Trail. The area also extends SE of Salem to encompass most of the Bull of the Woods Wilderness, the Olallie Lake Scenic Area, and the northern end of Jefferson Park in the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness. Unfortunately many of the hikes in this SE corner were burned over by wildfires in 2020 and 2021.
A rectangular view of the area which also includes some hikes from the Central Cascades book at the southern end and hikes from the Eastern book along the eastern end.

Map showing only hikes from the NW book.

In addition to the four wilderness areas already mentioned 7 additional wildernesses are located in the area covered. The Mark O. Hatfield, Mt. Hood, Salmon-Huckleberry, Lower White River, Roaring River, Clackamas, and Table Rock Wilderness.

Hikes range from urban walks in the Willamette Valley to alpine strolls above the treeline in the Cascade Mountains. Rivers and waterfalls, highlighted by the Columbia River Gorge, are frequent focuses of the hikes along with lakes and wildflower covered hillsides and meadows. A mix of ecological zones are present including alpine forests, pine-oak grassland, and sagebrush flats. Elevations range from just above sea level at Warrior Point to just under 9000′ on Mt. Hood along Cooper Spur.

With all that out of the way here is a list of the 100 featured hikes along with a photo (or two where two distinctly different hikes were included in the entry) from William L. Sullivan’s 2018 4th edition “100 Hikes/Travel Guide Northwest Oregon & Southwest Washington”:

#1 Tilikum Crossing – Hiked 12/14/2019

#2 Aerial Tram & Council Crest – Hiked 5/12/2018 (Council Crest)

#3 Washington Park – Hiked 5/12/2018

#4 Balch Creek – Hiked 10/24/2020 & 1/01/2022

#5 Maple Trail – Hiked 12/14/2019

#6 Northern Forest Park – Hiked 11/17/2018 (Germantown to Fire Lane 7a)

#7 Tryon Creek Natural Area – Hiked 4/20/2019

#8 Oaks Bottom – Hiked 12/10/2017

#9 Powell Butte – Hiked 10/1/2017

#10 Oxbow Park – Hiked 10/1/2017

#11 Willamette Mission Park – Hiked 3/23/2019

#12 Champoeg Heritage Area – Hiked 12/6/2015

#13 Tualatin Hills Nature Parks – Hiked 3/23/2019 (Tualatin Hills)

#14 Warrior Rock – Hiked 5/11/2019

#15 Ridgefield Refuge – Hiked 7/31/2021

#16 Lacamas Park – Hiked 4/19/2015

#17 Silver Star Mountain – Hiked 6/30/2013, 6/27/2015, 6/26/2019

#18 Moulton Falls – Hiked 3/1/2017
(This is Yacolt not Moulton Falls)

#19 Siouxon Creek – Hiked 6/4/2016 Burned 2020 in the Big Hollow Fire

#20 Coldwater Lake – Hiked 5/11/2014, 7/16/2019, & 7/17/2016

#21 Johnston Ridge – Hiked 8/22/2013 & 07/16/2016

#22 Sheep Canyon – Hiked 7/14/2013

#23 Ape Cave – Hiked 7/11/2025

#24 Mt. St. Helens Rim – Hiked 9/7/2014

#25 June Lake – Hiked 7/19/2014

#26 Ape Canyon – Hiked 9/17/2012 & 7/11/2015

#27 Lava Canyon – Hiked 9/17/2012

#28 Windy Ridge – Hiked 8/28/2021

#29 Spirit Lake – Hiked 7/16/16, 8/28/2021, & 8/29/21

#30 Badger Peak – Hiked 8/28/21

#31 Lewis River Falls – Hiked 5/29/2016

#32 Observation Peak – Hiked 7/7/2013 Burned 2020 in the Big Hollow Fire

#33 Falls Creek Falls – Hiked 10/13/2018

#34 Thomas Lake – Hiked 9/12/2015
Pictured: Blue Lake

#35 Junction Lake – Hiked 9/12/2015 & 10/3/2020

#36 Cultus Lake – Hiked 10/3/2020

#37 Sleeping Beauty – Hiked 8/1/2020

#38 Mt. Adams Meadows – Hiked 8/17/2014

#39 Cape Horn – Hiked 11/21/2015

#40 Hardy Ridge – Hiked 5/8/2021

#41 Beacon Rock State Park – Hiked 5/29/2013, 5/2/2015, 5/8/2021
Hamilton Mountain

Beacon Rock

#42 Gillette Lake and Greenleaf Falls – Hiked 5/4/2019

#43 Larch Mountain Crater – Hiked 10/31/2020

#44 Latourell Falls – Hiked 10/31/2020

#45 Angels Rest – Hiked 5/25/2013 Burned 2017 Eagle Creek Fire

#46 Multnomah and Wahkeena Falls – Hiked 7/2/2012 & 5/25/2013 Burned 2017 Eagle Creek Fire

#47 Oneonta and Horsetail Falls – Hiked 7/2/2012 Burned 2017 Eagle Creek Fire

#48 Wahclella and Elowah Falls – Hiked 3/21/2015 Burned 2017 Eagle Creek Fire

#49 Eagle Creek – Hiked 10/9/2012 & 5/7/2014 Burned 2017 Eagle Creek Fire

#50 Herman Creek – Hiked 10/3/2015 Burned 2017 Eagle Creek Fire

#51 Wahtum Lake – Hiked 10/26/2019

#52 Mount Defiance – Hiked 7/16/2012 Burned partially 2017 Eagle Creek Fire

#53 Mitchell Point – Hiked 3/27/2021

#54 Moiser Twin Tunnels – Hiked 4/25/2015

#55 Tom McCall Preserve – Hiked 4/25/2015

#56 Dog Mountain – 5/17/2014 & 5/7/2016

#57 Weldon Wagon Road – Hiked 3/19/2016

#58 Coyote Wall – Hiked 3/19/2016

#59 Catherine Creek – Hiked 3/19/2016

#60 Lyle Cherry Orchard – Hiked 3/27/2021

#61 Klickitat Rail Trail – Hiked 4/26/2014

#62 Wildwood Area – Hiked 5/24/2015 & 6/8/2019
Bonanza Trail

Boulder Ridge Trail

#63 Old Salmon River Trail – Hiked 8/30/2015

#64 Salmon River Trail – Hiked 8/30/2015 & 6/2/2018

#65 Salmon Butte – Hiked 6/16/2013

#66 Hunchback Mountain – Hiked 7/11/2020

#67 Devil’s Peak Lookout – Hiked 9/29/2018

#68 West Zigzag Mountain – Hiked 7/9/2012 & 7/4/2020

#69 Burnt Lake – Hiked 7/13/ 2014

#70 Ramona Falls – Hiked 7/20/2012 & 8/24/2013

#71 McNeil Point – Hiked 8/20/2012 & 7/18/2015

#72 Cairn Basin – Hiked 8/20/2012, 8/11/2013, 8/13/2017, & 6/22/2019 (Owl Point)

#73 Lost Lake – Hiked 6/15/2019

#74 Laurel Hill – 10/28/2017 & 10/30/2021

#75 Mirror Lake – Hiked 10/28/2017

#76 Timberline Lodge Trails – Hiked 8/27/2012, 7/12/2014, & 8/20/2016

#77 Timothy Lake – Hiked 9/15/2013

#78 Twin Lakes – Hiked 10/29/2016

#79 Umbrella Falls – Hiked 7/21/2013

#80 Elk Meadows – Hiked 7/21/2013

#81 Tamanawas Falls – Hiked 4/3/2016

#82 Cooper Spur – Hiked 9/24/2016

#83 Timberline Trail at Cloud Cap – Hiked 8/3/2014, 8/13/2017, 8/17/2019

#84 Bald Butte – Hiked 5/21/2017

#85 Lookout Mountain – Hiked – 6/28/2014, 10/13/2019, & 10/16/2021

#86 Fret Creek & Oval Lake – Hiked 6/28/2014 & 10/16/2021

#87 Badger Creek – Hiked 5/24/2014 & 6/28/2014

#88 Butte Creek Falls – Hiked 3/1/2015

#89 Table Rock – Hiked 10/11/2012, 7/4/2015 & 6/21/2020

#90 Memaloose Lake – Hiked 6/18/2020 Burned 2020 Riverside Fire

#91 Clackamas River Trail – Hiked 6/25/2012 Burned 2014 36 Pit and 2020 Riverside Fires

#92 Fish Creek Mountain – Hiked 6/28/2019 Burned 2020 Riverside Fire

#93 Riverside Trail – Hiked 11/9/2019 Burned 2020 Riverside Fire

#94 Shellrock and Rock Lakes – Hiked 9/22/2013
Pictured: Serene Lake

#95 Bagby Hot Springs – Hiked 7/14/2028

#96 Pansy Lake – Hiked 8/16/2019 Burned 2021 Bull Complex

#97 Red Lake – Hiked 10/10/2013 & 9/5/2015 Burned 2020 Lionshead Fire

#98 Monon Lake – Hiked 9/12/2019 Burned 2020 Lionshead Fire

#99 Top Lake – Hiked 10/10/2013, 9/5/2015 & 9/12/2019 Burned 2020 Lionshead Fire

#100 Jefferson Park Ridge – Hiked 10/7/2012 Burned 2020 Lionshead Fire

Hiking

Oregon Coast & Coast Range

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date January 18, 2022
10 Comments on Oregon Coast & Coast Range

Several years ago we set a goal for ourselves to hike all 500 featured hikes in William L. Sullivan’s “100 Hikes…” series of guidebooks (post). Last year we completed the first of these books covering the Central Oregon Cascades (post). We followed that up by completing a pair of books in 2021 starting with Sullivan’s “100 Hikes/Travel Guide Oregon Coast and Coast Range” 3rd edition. Up until the start of 2021 we had been intending to finish his 4th edition but the continued closure of the Salmonberry Railroad prompted us to revert to the earlier edition. That meant going from only needing to finish 5 hikes to 9 hikes but at least the 9 hikes were open and thus we were able to visit them. The last final featured hike happened to be featured hike #1 – Leadbetter Point (post) which we visited on 7/31/2021. Many of the featured hikes in this book are shorter hikes with some barely more than a half mile so we often did multiple hikes in a single day.

Generally speaking in order to check a hike off our list we need to have hiked a substantial portion of Sullivan’s described hike or visited the main attraction(s) he identifies for the hike. For 59 of the hikes we stuck to a nearly identical route to the one described in the book. For another 22 hikes we added to the hike, either following Sullivan’s “other options” or making it up on our own. Eighteen of the hikes were limited to the main attraction which typically involved hikes where there was an option for a shuttle from a second trailhead or as in the case of the Rogue River Trail there were options for multi-day backpacking trips. (We will get to more of the Rogue River Trail as we work through his Southern Oregon book.) Finally one hike, #86 Lower Rogue River, was cut very short due to trail damage. We may revisit that trail at a later date but we counted it as we went as far as we felt we could safely at the time.

The area covered by Sullivan in this book is unique in that it is the only area in which there are featured hikes in three states – Washington, Oregon, and California. It also contains the northern most featured hike the aforementioned Leadbetter Point. The area covered is a somewhat narrow strip running down the coastline from Leadbetter Point south to Redwoods National Park in California. A few hikes are located as far inland as the foothills of the Coast Range along the edge of the Willamette Valley.

Despite being a fairly narrow (approximately 60 miles east to west) area the hikes were quite varied from beach walks to mountain summits, sand dunes to temperate rain forests, and urban walks to the solitude of remote wilderness.

The area is home to several designated wilderness areas including the two areas that are off-limits to visitors, Oregon Islands and Three Arch Rocks. The areas open to visitors are the Drift Creek, Cummins Creek, Rock Creek, Devils Staircase, Grassy Knob, Copper-Salmon, Wild Rogue, and Kalmiopsis.

Two mountain ranges are home to several hikes. The Coast Range extends over 200 miles from the Oregon/Washington border south to the Middle Fork Coquille River. At the southern end of the Coast Range the Klamath Mountains begin extending south into California. The elevations for these hikes ranged from sea level to 4655′ atop Vulcan Peak in the Klamath Mountains (Mary’s Peak at 4097′ marked the high point in the Coast Range).

Lastly many of the hikes along the Oregon Coast follow the route of the Oregon Coast Trail.

Without further ado here is a list of the 100 featured hikes along with a photo (or two where two distinctly different hikes were included in the entry) from the 2009 3rd edition of “100 Hikes/Travel Guide Oregon Coast & Coast Range”.

#1 Leadbetter Point – Hiked 7/31/2021

#2 Long Beach – Hiked 9/11/2017

#3 North Head – Hiked 9/11/2017

#4 Cape Disappointment – Hiked 9/11/2017

#5 Fort Columbia – Hiked 9/11/2017

#6 Clatsop Spit – Hiked 9/9/2017

#7 Fort Stevens – Hiked 9/9/2017

#8 Fort Clatsop – Hiked 1/10/2016

#9 Astoria – Hiked 9/9/2017

#10 Seaside Promenade – Hiked 9/12/2017

#11 Tillamook Head – Hiked 12/8/2013

#12 Cannon Beach – Hiked 9/10/2017

#13 Saddle Mountain – Hiked 5/31/2013 & 6/23/2018

#14 Highway 26 Waysides – Hiked 6/23/2018
Four County Point

Sunset Rest Area

#15 Banks-Vernonia Railroad – Hiked – 4/10/2016 & 1/16/2021 (Also ran as a marathon in 2014.)

#16 Cape Falcon – Hiked 6/22/2012 & 4/29/2017

#17 Neahkahnie Mountain – Hiked 1/5/2014

#18 Nehalem Bay – Hiked 1/1/2018

#19 Munson Falls – Hiked 5/30/2015

#20 Bayocean Spit – Hiked 4/14/2013

#21 Cape Meares – Hiked 1/1/2018

#22 Wilson River – Hiked 3/8/2014

#23 Kings Mountain – Hiked 8/16/2010

#24 Gales Creek – Hiked 2/15/2015

#25 Hagg Lake – Hiked 9/13/2019

#26 Cape Lookout – Hiked 11/11/2011

#27 Pacific City – Hiked 10/8/2013

#28 Mount Hebo – Hiked 5/30/2011 & 5/30/2015

#29 Niagara Falls – Hiked 2/12/2017

#30 Neskowin – Hiked 2/12/2017

#31 Harts Cove – Hiked 12/6/2014

#32 Cascade Head – Hiked 8/8/2010, 6/25/2019, & 9/28/19 (Inland Trail)

Inland (Rainforest) Trail

#33 Baskett Slough Refuge – Hiked 7/11/2010, 5/3/2020 & 4/15/2021

#34 Valley of the Giants – Hiked 5/18/2020

#35 Roads End – Hiked 3/6/2021

#36 Drift Creek Falls – Hiked 12/6/2014

#37 Salishan Spit – Hiked 8/1/2015

#38 Devil’s Punchbowl – Hiked 7/12/2012

#39 Newport Lighthouses – Hiked 8/26/2017
Yaquina Head

Yaquina Bay

#40 South Beach – Hiked 8/4/2018
Estuary Trail

South Jetty

Mike Miller Trail

#41 Ona Beach and Seal Rock – Hiked 12/11/2017

#42 Drift Creek North – Hiked 9/15/2010

#43 Drift Creek South – Hiked 8/3/2019

#44 Mary’s Peak – Hiked 2009 (day unknown), 6/1/2014, & 6/5/2021

#45 Kings Valley – Hiked 6/1/2014
Fort Hoskins

Beazell Forest

#46 Peavy Arboretum – Hiked 2/19/2018

#47 Chip Ross Park & Dimple Hill – Hiked 12/18/2016 & 10/2/2021

#48 Finley Wildlife Refuge – Hiked 10/21/2017, 5/31/20, & 4/14/2021

#49 Alsea Falls – Hiked 12/19/2012

#50 Yachats – Hiked 12/5/2020

#51 Cape Perpetua – HIked 9/15/2010, 2/17/2013, & 10/27/2018

#52 Gwynn Creek – Hiked 2/17/2013

#53 Heceta Head – Hiked 12/11/2017

#54 Baker Beach – Hiked 1/15/2017

#55 Sutton Creek – Hiked 2/20/2016

#56 Cape Mountain – Hiked 9/5/2011

#57 Pawn and Pioneer Trails – Hiked 5/13/2021
Pioneer Hill Trail

Pawn Old Growth Trail

#58 Siuslaw Ridge Trails – Hiked 2/20/2016 & 11/20/2021
Old Growth Ridge Trail

Clay Creek Trail

#59 Sweet Creek Falls – Hiked 2/20/2016

#60 Kentucky Falls – Hiked 5/9/2015

#61 Honeyman Park – Hiked 12/8/2018

#62 Siltcoos Lake – Hiked 12/8/2018

#63 Siltcoos River – Hiked 12/8/2018

#64 Taylor Dunes – Hiked 9/13/2018

#65 Oregon Dunes – Hiked 1/1/2015

#66 Tahkenitch Creek – Hiked 1/1/2015 & 9/16/2018

#67 Tahkenitch Dunes – Hiked 1/1/2015

#68 Lake Marie – Hiked 9/13/2018

#69 Umpqua Dunes – Hiked 9/13/2018

#70 Golden and Silver Falls – Hiked 5/16/2021

#71 Shore Acres – Hiked 5/15/2021

#72 South Slough Estuary – Hiked 5/15/2021

#73 Fivemile Point – Hiked 5/13/2021

#74 Bullards Beach – Hiked 9/15/2018

#75 Bandon Islands – Hiked 9/14/2018

#76 New River – Hiked 9/14/2018

#77 Floras Lake – Hiked 5/8/2017

#78 Cape Blanco – Hiked 5/8/2017

#79 Port Orford Heads – Hiked 5/8/2017

#80 Humbug Mountain – Hiked 5/16/2016

#81 Sisters Rock – Hiked 5/16/2016

#82 Otter Point – Hiked 5/16/2016

#83 Coquille River Falls – Hiked 5/6/2017
Coquille River Falls

Elk Creek Falls

#84 Hanging Rock – Hiked 5/7/2017
Hanging Rock

#85 Rogue River Trail – Hiked 5/14/2021

#86 Lower Rogue River – Hiked 5/9/2017

#87 Illinois River – Hiked 5/20/2016

#88 Shrader Old Growth Trail – Hiked 5/9/2017
Shrader Old Growth Trail

Myrtle Tree Trail

#89 Cape Sebastian – Hiked 5/18/2016

#90 Boardman Park North – Hiked 5/21/2016

#91 Boardman Park South – Hiked 5/19/2016

#92 Vulcan Lake – Hiked 5/17/2016
Vulcan Lake

Vulcan Peak

#93 Redwood Nature Trail – Hiked 5/17/2016

#94 Wheeler Ridge Bomb Site – Hiked 5/19/2016

#95 Oregon Redwoods – Hiked 5/13/2021

#96 Stout Grove – Hiked 10/25/2015

#97 Boy Scout Tree – Hiked 10/25/2015

#98 Damnation Creek – Hiked 10/24/2014

#99 Hidden Beach – Hiked 5/11/2017

#100 Fern Canyon – Hiked 5/10/2017

With any luck the Salmonberry Railroad will be reopened in the not too distant future so we can say we’ve completed the 4th edition as well. In the meantime there are still other non-featured hikes to explore and trails to revisit. Happy Trails!

Tags California, hiking, Oregon, Oregon Coast, Redwoods, Washington, William L Sullivan

Hiking Year-end wrap up

2021 Wildlife Gallery

One of the most enjoyable experiences while hiking is encountering wildlife. Oddly enough it’s also one of the worst (see ticks, mosquitos, and yellow jackets). From creatures great to small we were blessed to see a wide variety of God’s creations this past year. While there remain a number of critters on our “bucket list” of animals we haven’t encountered yet in 2021 we were able to put a check mark by river otters, American bitterns, and raccoons.
River Otters on a boom at Dorena Lake

American bittern flying over Fern Ridge Wildlife Area

Raccoons at South Slough Estuary

We are working on learning to identify the various birds and butterflies we see and have made our best efforts (guesses), but as with our attempted identification of wildflowers (post) any help and or corrections is appreciated. With that here is a collection of the rest of the wildlife we encountered in 2021 starting with caterpillars, butterflies and moths.

Several species

One of the sulphurs

Another sulphur

Becker’s white

A hairstreak

Also a hairstreak

Cabbage white

California tortoiseshell

A checkerspot

Chlosyne acastus – sagebrush checkerspot, female

Chlosyne acastus – sagebrush checkerspot, male?

Cloudis parnassian

Cedar hairstreak

Green comma?

Hoary comma

Juba skipper – Hesperia juba

Langton’s Forester Moth

Lorquin’s admiral

Milbert’s tortoiseshell

Moth

A moth, possibly Gnophaela latipennis

Moth

Mylitta crescents

Ochre ringlet

Orange tip

Possibly a Boisduval’s blue – Icaricia icarioides

Propertius duskywing – Erynnis propertius

Purplish copper

Possibly another purplish copper, Steens Mountain Wilderness 8/17.

Sheep moth

Silvery blue?

A skipper

Anise swallowtail

Indra swallowtail

Possibly a pale swallowtail -Ninemile Ridge

Possibly a western swallowtail -Devil’s Staircase Wilderness

Viceroy

Wood nymphs
July 19th, Ochoco Mountains

August 17th Steens Mountain Wilderness

August 19th Steens Mountain Wilderness

One of the fritillary butterflies I think.

Flying ants at the summit of Mt. Bachelor

Cicada

Ladybug

Find the beetle

Dictyoptera aurora?

Crab spider

Spot the spider

Praying mantis

June bug

Damsel fly

Dragon fly

Alligator lizard

Ring necked snake

Turtle

Western fence lizards

Dunn’s salamander?

Rough skinned newt

Crawdad surrounded by rough skinned newts

Fish in Black Canyon Creek

Seals

Sea lions

Nutria

Hindquarters of what we believe to have been a mole.

There are several species of chipmunks in the area and I think these are two different species but I’m not sure which ones.
Indian Heaven Wilderness

Badger Creek Wilderness

Likewise there are several different squirrels and ground squirrels.
Golden mantled-ground squirrel

Pikas at first glance might seem to be related to ground squirrels but they are actually closely related to rabbits.
Pika

Mountain cottontail

Eastern cottontail

Snowshoe hare

Jack rabbit

Ring-necked duck and a lesser scaup

American coot, spotted sandpiper and mallards on a log

American wigeons

Green-winged teals

Cinnamon teal

Mallards, a cinnamon teal and a pied billed grebe

Common merganser

A female hooded merganser? and buffleheads

Northern pintails

Northern shovelers

Ducklings

Canada geese

Western grebe

Bird at the Formal Gardens at Shore Acres State Park

At least two types of egrets and a bunch of ducks at Malhuer Wildlife Refuge

Egret

Great blue heron

Black-necked stilt

Dunlins

Yellowlegs?

White faced ibis

Whimbrels

Spotted sandpiper

Another sandpiper

A couple of types of shorebirds

White pelican

Seagull

Cormorants

Kingfisher

American dipper aka ouzel

A couple of American bushtits

Bewick’s wren?

Canyon wren?

Wren? at Horsethief Butte near The Dalles.

No idea, seen along the Alder Springs Trail in Central Oregon.

Possibly a flycatcher?

A flycatcher

Flycatcher?

Another no clue, seen near a creek in the Ochoco Mountains.

Crossbills? (based on the crossed beaks)

Black headed grosebeak

Black phoebe

California scrub jays

Gray jay

Stellar’s jay

Pinyon jay

Clark’s nutcracker

Brewer’s blackbird

Yellow headed blackbird

Red winged blackbird

Starling

Cedar waxwings

Common yellowthroat

Dark eyed junco

Chestnut-backed chickadee

Mountain chickadee

Possibly an orange crowned warbler

Ruby crowned kinglet

A finch

Green-tailed towhee

Spotted towhee

Pipit

Townsend’s solitaire

Robin, western bluebird and swallows

Mountain bluebird

Lazuli bunting

Red breasted nuthatch

Yellow-rumped warbler

Western meadowlark

Western tanager – male

Western tanager – female

Western wood-pewee

Rufous sided hummingbird

Chipping sparrow?

White crowned sparrows

Savannah sparrow

Sparrow

Sparrow?

Lark sparrow

Downy woodpecker?

Lewis’s woodpecker

Northern flicker

Red breasted sapsucker

A woodpecker

Killdeer

Mourning dove

Grouse, leaning toward sooty

Not sure which type of grouse this is.

Ruffed grouse?

Sage grouse

California quail

Turkeys

Rooster at Cape Arago State Park

Crow

Turkey vulture

A magpie and some sort of hawk

A hawk

Hawk in flight

Cooper’s hawk?

Hawk in the Pueblo Mountains

Red-tailed hawk

Hawk or?

Northern harrier

Osprey (with meal)

Bald eagle

Great horned owl

American kestral

Common nightwawk

Northern shrike

Coyote

Wild horses at Steens Mountain

Not wild cows along the Little Malhuer Trail

Columbian black-tailed deer

Columbian white-tailed deer

Mule deer fawn

Elk in the Aldrich Mountains

Mountain goat

At the top of our list of animals we haven’t seen is a cougar (at a distance please), beaver, and porcupine along with a number of others. Good luck out there in 2022 and Happy Trails!

Tags butterflies, Oregon butterfiles, oregon hiking, Oregon wildlife, Wildlife

Hiking Year-end wrap up

2021 Flower Gallery

Our 2021 wildflower year was an interesting one. We took a handful of wildflower specific hikes in Spring but drought conditions contributed to a shorter wildflower season. We also spent a fair amount of time in the drier central and eastern parts of Oregon where the flowers tend to be sparser but also offers a different mix of species. We have made every effort to identify the flowers as best as possible but are by no means “experts” in any way. With that in mind any help in correctly identifying any of the flowers pictured is more than welcome.

The honor of first flower we spotted on a hike this year goes to Skunk Cabbage near the North Fork Nehalem River in February.

The last flower we saw was the non-native tansy ragwort at Fern Ridge Wildlife Area in November.

In between and in no particular order here are most of the others we were fortunate enough to see.
A delphinium

Red stem storksbill surrounding a lomatium.

A “nettle” of some sort at South Slough Estuary.

A treefoil.

A vetch

An allium on Ninemile Ridge.

Asters, fleabanes and similar flowers remain a mystery so here are some of these types spotted throughout the year.

This may be Eaton’s aster along the Deschutes River.

Purple cushion fleabane

Possibly showy fleabane, August-Steens Mountain Wilderness.

Showy townsendia

Anemonastrum deltoideum -Columbian windflower

Anemonoides oregana – Oregon anemone

Arnica

The small white flowers are miterworts while I believe the yellow is an arnica.

Avens

We believe this is ball head sandwort

Ballhead waterleaf

Pacific waterleaf

Balloon pod milk vetch

A milk-vetch, possibly Yakima

A balsamroot at Lyle Cherry Orchard

A balsamroot at Columbia Hills State Park

Hoary balsamroot on Ninemile Ridge

We think these are mules ears along the Malhuer River Trail

Baneberry

Beargrass, admittedly not the nicest specimen but this one stood out as the only still blooming stalk we saw on our hike in the Indian Heaven Wilderness on 9/5/2021.

Penstemons and beardstongue

Yarrow

Big-head clover

Big-seed lomatium surrounded by parsley.

A bindweed

Bistort

Bitter cherry

Bitterbrush

Blackberry

The only blanket flower with any petals left.

Bleeding heart

Blue dicks?

Might be ookow or blue dicks?

Large-flower triteliea

White triteliea

Henderson’s stars

Blue mountain prairie clover

Blue-bells of Scotland

Blue-eyed Mary, slender phlox, and elegant mariposa lilies.

A phlox

Phlox

A phlox

Sub-alpine mariposa lily

Tolmie’s mariposa lily

Sagebrush mariposa lily

Sand lily

Glacier lilies

Fawn lilies

Washington lily

Yellow bell lilies

Blurry photo but the only tiger lily we came across in 2021.

Chocolate lily

Water lily

Bog orchid

Phantom orchid

Lousewort

Brass buttons (non-native) along the coast near Fivemile Point.

Alpine buckwheat

A buckwheat

Another buckwheat

Sulfur? buckwheat

More buckwheat

Western snakeroot

Buttercups

Pearly everlasting

A mustard? along the John Day River

California corn lilies

False hellebore

Death camas

Mountain death camas

Candy sticks

Candy flower

Catchfly

Chamomile (non-native)

Checkermallows and/or checkerblooms:

Chicory (non-native)

Chokecherry

A cinquefoil?

Slender cinquefoil

Sticky cinquefoil

Lassen clarkia?

Elkhorn clarkia aka Ragged robin

Clarkias with an out of focus madia

Common madia

Clover

A clover (non-native)

Red clover

Coastal manroot

Coltsfoot

Columbine

Coneflower

A currant

Also a currant

Daggerpod

Dandelions in the midst of mahala mat

Sagebrush false dandelion

Deadly nightshade

Diffuse evening primrose

Hooker’s evening primrose

A primrose

Dusty maiden

Dwarf aplinegold

Elegant brodiaea

Elephants head

Fairy bells

Fairy slippers

False lily of the valley and youth-on-age

False solomonseal

Plummed solomonseal

Star flower solomonseal

Starflower

False sunflowers

Fiddleneck

Fireweed

Flower near Illahe Lodge on the Rogue River Trail

Fringecup

Fuller’s teasel

A gentian

Gentians in the Steens Mountain Wilderness

Purple sticky geranium

Ghost pipe

Giant white wakerobbin

Trillium

Gold stars

Goldenrod

Gooseberry

Grand collomia

Grass of parnassus

Grass widows

Paintbrushes:

Groundsel?

Gumweed? July, Willapa Bay

Also a gumweed? Sept, Deschutes River

Hardhack aka Douglas spirea

Hawksbeard

Heart leaved bittercress

Heuchera cylindrica -roundleaf allumroot

Orange honeysuckle

Houndstongue

Also a houndstongue I think.

Evergreen huckleberry

Hyssop

Wild iris

Jacobs ladder

Western Jacobs ladder

Jessica sticktight

Largeleaf sandwort

Larkspur

Lewis flax

Pale flax

Lupines

Sabin’s lupine

Manzanita

Marshall’s saxifrage

A saxifrage?

Saxifrage?

Mock orange

A monkeyflower

Pink monkeyflower

Monkshood

Moth mullien

Mountain bluebills

Tall bluebills

Mountain coyote mint

Mountain heather

Very sad looking mountain lady slippers

Naked broomrape

Northern bedstraw

Nuttal’s linanthus

Old man’s whiskers

Orange agoseris

Orange jewelweed

Oregon grape

Oregon sunshine

Daisies

Pacific coralroot

Spotted coralroot

Striped coralroot

Pinedrops

Two kinds of parsley

Partridgefoot

A pea?

Pea (non-native)

Pennycress

Plectritis

Popcorn flower

Poppies

Poppy

Prince’s pine

Purple deadnettle

Purple oyster

Salsify

Pussy toes

Pussy paws?

Queen’s cup

Rangers buttons

Red osier dogwood

Rhododendron

Rockfringe willowherb

Rough eyelashweed

Bunchberry

Salal

Salmonberry

Service berry

Scarlet gilia

Sea thrift

Self heal

Shooting stars

Showy milkweed

Sicklepod rockcress

Silky phacelia

Silverleaf phacelia

Threadleaf phacelia

Snow queen

Wallflower

Spreading dogbane

Sticky starwort?

Stonecrop

Strawberry

Swamp onion

Tapertip onion?

An onion

Tailed kittentails

Tassel-flowered bricklelbush – Favoite name of the year.

Thimbleberry

Thistle and thistle like flowers

Three-leaf lewisia

Threeleaf goldthreads

Twinberry honeysuckle

Twinflower

Twisted stalk

Toothwort

Valerian

Vaetch’s blazingstar

A violet

Wapato

Western clematis

Western meadowrue

Western stoneseed

Western pasque flower (seed head)

White stemmed frasera shortly before blooming.

Wild ginger

Rose

Roses

Wintergreen

Woodland stars

Below are a flowers that we’ve not been able to even come up with guesses on.
May 29th, Alder Springs Trail

May 29th, Alder Springs Trail

May 30th, Cottonwood Canyon State Park

June 14th, North Fork Umatilla Wilderness

August 29th, Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument near the Norway Pass Trailhead.

September 5th, Indian Heaven Wilderness along Falls Creek.

September 13th, Deschutes River

I apologize for the plethora of pictures but if you’ve gotten this far (without skipping) congratulations and Happy Trails regardless!

Hiking

Forest Park – Stone House and Pittock Mansion – 01/01/2022

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date January 4, 2022
4 Comments on Forest Park – Stone House and Pittock Mansion – 01/01/2022

Weather permitting we like to get our January hike in on New Years Day. A series of Winter storms had passed over the Willamette Valley starting Christmas night but while temperatures had remained cold the precipitation had ceased and the forecast for New Years Day was for another dry day with a potential for sunny skies. The only issue presented by the forecast were the temperatures which promised to be in the low 20’s for our morning start. We had our sights set on Forest Park in Portland as it didn’t require us driving over any mountain passes and allowed us to sleep in a bit since it is only an hours drive from Salem. This would be our fourth hike in the park but our first time starting from an upper trailhead in the Tualatin Mountains. One of our goals was to visit the stone ruins, sometimes referred to as the Witch’s Castle, along Balch Creek which was one of two options for Sullivan’s Balch Creek featured hike. We had chosen to do his longer option in 2020 (post) which we used to check that featured hike off our to-do list but we wanted to tie up the loose end.

We decided to begin our hike at the NW 53rd Trailhead in order to add some distance and to check out some of the trails that we had not hiked on in 2020. While the snow had left the valley floor at 800′ some still remained and the 21 degree temperature had frozen everything.

From the trailhead we immediately turned right on the Keil Trail, one of the trails we had not been on before.

The trail ended in under a quarter mile at the Dogwood Trail where we turned left.

We followed this trail downhill for a little over half a mile to a junction with the Wildwood Trail.

A bank of clouds was sitting directly over Portland but we could see the edge in the distance. We hopped that the clouds would either burn off or move along.

We turned right on the Wildwood Trail. The next 0.6 miles to a junction with the Wild Cherry Trail was a section of trail that we had been on in 2020.

We stayed straight on the Wildwood Trail ignoring all side trails for 2.5 miles to the stone ruins along Balch Creek.

Junction with the Birch Trail.

A wren busy pecking at a log.

Junction with the Aspen Trail. As we descended we left most of the snow, and the icy conditions, behind.

Holman Lane Junction.

Balch Creek and the Lower Macleay Trail (Currently closed due to construction.)

Icicles over Balch Creek.

We continued beyond the Witch’s Castle another half a mile to the Macleay Park Trailhead crossing Balch Creek and climbing up a rather slick hill along the way.

Going uphill before it got really slick.

Wilwood Trail at Macleay Park Trailhead.

We left the Wildwood Trail at the trailhead turning right past some picnic tables and taking a path along NW Cornell Road to the Portland Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary.

A network of trails loop around the sanctuary.

We began our tour here by walking past the Wildlife Care Center where we think we witnessed an escape attempt.

Aristophanes, a common raven and long time resident at the sanctuary, was being visited by another pair of ravens with questionable intent :).

We took this raven to be the “lookout”.

Beyond the ravens the trail descended to Balch Creek where we took the short Creek Trail to a turnaround at a bench before returning to the Jay Trail.

Bench at the end of the Creek Trail.

We left the Jay Trail by taking a right on the Woodpecker Trail keeping right at junctions to meet up with the other end of the Jay Trail which we then returned on making a 0.7 mile loop.
Pond along the Jay Trail,

Junction with the Woodpecker Trail.

Big Douglas fir.

I continue to struggle to get a clear photo of a varied thrush.

Jay Trail junction with the Wren Trail.

Nearing the pond from the other side.

After completing this short loop we crossed NW Cornell Road and headed up the Al Miller Founders Trail.

The Founders Trail climbed up into increasingly snowy forest before traversing around a hillside to a junction with the North and South Collins Trails in 0.6 miles.

Stairs up to the trail junction.

The South Collins Trial offered a slightly shorter loop but we turned left on the North Collins Trail which climbed a little more before winding downhill and rejoining the South Collins Trail near NW Cornell Road.

Baseball sized jelly fungus, the largest we’ve seen.

Descending to the South Collins Trail.

More ice formations.

This was a 1.5 mile “almost loop” which required a 500′ road walk to return to the Founders Trail and the Wildlife Sanctuary.

We then made our way back to the Macleay Park Trailhead and the Wildwood Trail which we followed across NW Cornell Road.

Due to tunnel construction the road was closed just beyond the trailhead so we didn’t have to worry about traffic as we crossed. On the other side of the road we continued on the Wildwood Trail but soon found ourselves facing the slickest section of trail we’d encountered yet. Luckily we had brought our Kathoola micro spikes which we put on in order to get down the little hill.
We planned on returning via the Upper Macleay Trail.

Heather descending the slick section with a trail runner behind that had attempted to get up the hill but was turning back.

The trail runner had come up the Cumberland Trail which she said had been fine but above that trail things got slick fast.
Cumberland Trail junction.

The Wildwood Trail turned uphill at a junction with the Macleay Trail which is where things started to get really interesting.

Other than the one hill where we’d put on our spikes there had always been enough clear trail to find descent footing but now the trails were pretty much ice.

We held off putting the spikes back on though until the three way junction with the Upper Macleay Trail. We watched another trail runner slip and slide as they carefully made their way downhill and decided it was time to put the spikes back on.
The trail runner in blue.

With the spikes on we were able to confidently walk uphill, marching past a number of folks struggling to come down. We saw a few falls but luckily we didn’t see anyone get injured which was a real possibility. Besides us we only came across 4 other hikers with some sort of traction devices for their shoes.

Heather coming up behind me.

Arriving at the Pittock Mansion parking lot.

We had visited the mansion in 2018 (post) having come up from the other side on the Wildwood Trail and had hoped that this time we might get a view but alas the cloud cover had not moved on.
Pittock Mansion

A line of blue sky beyond the cloud cover.

Portland from Pittock Mansion.

Snowy foothills in the sunlight beyond the Columbia River.

Deprived of a mountain view we headed back to the Wildwood Trail where we put our microspikes back on and headed downhill.

With the spikes on we had no issues reaching the junction with the Upper Macleay Trail where we turned left.

The spikes stayed on until we had descended to Macleay Park and Heather re-donned hers again to descend to the Witch’s Castle.

Entering the Macleay Park Trailhead.

One last look at the Witch’s Castle.

When we reached Holman Lane we turned left and headed uphill. We followed Holman Lane just over three quarters of a mile to NW 53 Dr. where we turned right walking a short distance along the road to the Birch Trailhead. Here we picked up the Birch Trail which descended a quarter mile back to the Wildwood Trail. Going back this way not only let us experience a new trail but it cut a half mile off the distance to the Wildwood/Birch Trail junction.
Holman Lane started out snow and ice free.

Back to the snow and ice higher up.

NW 53rd Drive

Birch Trailhead

The microspikes went back on before descending the Birch Trail and stayed on for the remainder of the hike.

Sparrow foraging on the Birch Trail.

Back to the Wildwood Trail.

We turned left on the Wildwood Trail for 0.4 to the Wild Cherry Trail where we again turned uphill. This was another new section of trail for us and it was an additional three quarters of a mile shorter than returning via the Wildwood Trail.
Wild Cherry Trail junction.

Little snowman near the junction.

Is that a bit of blue in the sky finally?

Snowy mushrooms

The Wild Cherry Trail ended at the Dogwood Trail where we turned right for a short distance before reaching its junction with the Keil Trail.

A break in the clouds provided some blue sky above the Keil/Dogwood Trail junction.

We turned left on the Keil Trail retracing our steps from the morning to the NW 53rd Trailhead.

Woodpecker that wasn’t a bit concerned about my presence.

The Subaru waiting for us at the trailhead.

According to the GPS this was a 13 mile hike with around 2500′ of elevation gain.

Aside from not getting the views we’d hoped for this was a wonderful way to kick off the new year. There was good scenery, historical structures and a good deal of wildlife (even if most of it wouldn’t stay still long enough for photos). We hope everyone had a great holiday season and here is to a great 2022. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Forest Park – Stone House and Pittock Mansion