I headed out on my own on Labor Day as Heather stayed home to be there when the pile of items we’d gathered to be hauled away was picked up by a local junk removal company. I decided to stick close to home and headed back to Minto-Brown Island Park hoping to see some wildlife and hike a couple of sections of trail that I’d missed on my previous visits.
I parked in lot 1 and headed to Willamette Slough just as we’d done on our visit in July (post).
Female wood duck
Black phoebe
Song sparrow
Great blue heron
Belted kingfisher
The water level was low enough that it was just a little muddy getting to the platform.
View from the platform.
After visiting the viewing platform I headed for the Willamette River following pointers for the 5k loop.
Self-heal
Most of the junctions, and all of the major junctions, have maps and/or pointers.
Hardhack
Several formations of geese flew over during the hike.
Thistle
Squirrel dashing across the trail.
I saw at least a dozen rabbits throughout the day.
Looking across the Willamette River at West Salem.
Mallards on the river.
The first new section of trail came when I veered right onto a dirt trail where the paved path turned away from the river.
This section of trail is often flooded by water draining Oxbow Slough into the Willamette.
I took a spur trail which brought me to a view of the slough.
Mallard and a greater yellowlegs.
Mallards in the foreground with a pair of wood ducks behind.
Wood duck drake
I continued past the slough to a signed junction where I turned left on the Orange Turtle Loop after a quick detour down to the bank of the Willamette River.
The Orange Turtle Loop. I had been on this section of trail during a visit in April 2023 (post).
More signs that Fall is on the way.
The trail splits at the edge of a field with the Orange Turtle Loop turning right.
Today I turned left on a connector trail that was another section of trail that I hadn’t been on before.
After a third of a mile I came to another junction where I turned left back onto a trail I’d hiked before.
Just over 100 yards later I came to a paved trail where I turned right following pointers for Homestead Road.
I stayed on the paved path for 0.2-miles then turned left at an unsigned junction just before reaching another section of slough.
This short section of trail was also new to me.
After just 125-yards the trail joined the Blue Heron Loop at an unsigned junction where I turned right.
This portion of the Blue Heron Loop offers several short spur trails where views of the slough can be had.
Killdeer
Greater yellowlegs
Snail
I just missed getting a raccoon walking up this log. All I got was its back as it disappeared into the brush.
Wood duck log.
Female wood ducks
Wood duck drakes
There is a fawn and a doe in the center of the photo.
The fawn dashed into the trees, but the doe paused for a photo.
I continued past the slough until the trail joined the paved Purple Rabbit/10k Loop where I turned right to continue on the Blue Heron Loop.
I turned left in 200′ to stick to the Blue Heron Loop.
When the trail emerged at a gravel roadbed I turned left toward the Brown’s Island Demolition Landfill.
This stretch was full of small birds.
Downy woodpecker
Lesser goldfinch
When I arrived at the edge of the landfill I turned left.
White crowned sparrow
House finch and lesser goldfinch
California quail
I followed the gravel road around to the left onto pavement.
I stayed straight on this wide path for 0.4-miles to Homestead Road.
Northern flicker
Nearing Homestead Road.
Stellar’s jay at Homestead Road.
I turned left along the road then veered left to stay on the Purple Rabbit/10k Loop.
I stayed on this paved path across Pettijohn Creek then turned right onto an unsigned dirt trail.
Pettijohn Creek
I followed this trail for a third of a mile to another paved path where I turned left again.
Black-capped chickadee
After just 150′ I left the paved path and turned right onto the Green Deer Loop.
Spotted towhee
Aster
I had attempted this loop in April 2023 but was turned back by flooded trail. That wasn’t a problem in September.
Red-breasted nuthatch
Downy woodpecker
Hummingbird
The Green Deer Loop arriving at the junction with the Purple Rabbit/10k Loop.
I turned right here and had planned to head back to my car via the Yellow Duck Loop.
As I approached the footbridge over Oxbow Slough I ran into a couple that I had passed earlier going in the opposite direction. They mentioned that there were four otters out playing in the slough. I asked where and they referred to the trail that ran along the slough. I assumed they meant the Blue Heron Trail based on where we were at the time so when I got to the footbridge across Oxbow Slough I turned left.
Oxbow Slough
I took the Blue Heron Trail when it left the paved path and passed behind the slough again. I didn’t see any otters and got to thinking that there was probably too much algae in this area for otters. I checked a couple of the viewpoints then turned around and headed back to the footbridge.
Oxbow Slough from the footbridge.
I turned left after crossing the footbridge and then turned right onto the Yellow Duck Loop after a tenth of a mile.
The Yellow Duck Loop goes around the Dog Park. The trail is almost always partially under water and today was no exception.
The off-leash dog park from the Yellow Duck Loop.
I came upon a couple looking at something up in a tree which turned out to be a barred owl.
After watching the owl for a bit I continued on to Willamette Slough where I spotted another blue heron and a northwestern pond turtle.
The flooded section of trail.
The water wasn’t quite ankle deep and I was almost done with the hike so I simply splashed through and finished my loop.
Fishing dock
View from the dock.
I left the Yellow Duck Loop here to cross the park entrance road near Parking Lot 1.
There had only been 2 cars, including mine, when I started the hike.
My loop wound up being just under 10 miles with minimal elevation gain.
Red is today’s track and cyan is from July’s hike.
It’s nice to have a park like this just 15-minutes from home where you can take a short walk or a long hike and either way you’re bound to see some good wildlife. Happy Trails!
Flickr: Minto-Brown Island Park
wanderingyuncks 