The weather finally cooperated enough for us to get back to our originally planned 2022 hikes. For this outing we were heading back to one of our earliest hikes, Elk & Kings Mountains (post) to see how much we remembered from that first visit. When we made the conscious choice to take up hiking in 2010 the loop over Elk and Kings Mountains was our eighth hike. One of only a handful of hikes rated “Very Difficult” in all five of Sullivan’s “100 Hikes” guidebooks, and the only one in the Oregon Coast book, this had been quite the challenge for us. We were curious how nearly 12 years of additional hikes, and age, might change our experience this time around. We were also hiking the trail at a better time of the year having tackled it in the heat of mid-August the first time around. Our hope was that the earlier visit would provide a different experience with wildflowers and with the streams and creeks along the route.
Before we started the difficult loop though we stopped at Killin Wetlands Nature Park just outside of Banks, OR for a short warmup hike on the 0.7 mile loop. An unintended result of having altered the plan for our two previous outings was that this stop would mark our third straight outing visiting an Oregon Metro managed park. (Orenco Woods)(Chehalem Ridge)
We set off on a clockwise loop on the Peat Swamp Trail then stayed left at its junction with the Waterfowl Way Trail.
Peat Swamp Trail.
Our 6am start time paid off as we were not only the only ones at the park but we spotted a deer (too quick for a photo), two otters, several families of Canada geese, and a gadwall and a mallard.
One of the two otters that were swimming in the wetlands.
Mallard
The gadwall amid a family of Canada geese. When we got home and looked closer at the picture we realized that one of the round shapes we took for a clump of mud was actually an animal. We can’t make out the tail to know for sure whether it was a beaver or a nutria but we’d like to think it was another beaver.
The beaver? turned a bit in this photo but we still couldn’t make out the tail. It does appear relatively large when compared to the adult goose though.
Waterfowl Way made a 180 turn and headed uphill through some small trees to return to the Peat Swamp Trail.
We stayed left again and completed the short but eventful loop.
From Killin Wetlands we headed west on Highway 6 to Elk Creek Campground and the Elk Mountain Trailhead.
We set off on the Wilson River Trail which began a 0.2 mile climb to a junction with the Elk Mountain Trail.
Fairy bells and bleeding heart.
Elk Creek below the trail.
Junction with the Elk Mountain Trail
While it had been sunny at the wetlands we had dropped under some clouds as we descended to the Wilson River Valley and found ourselves hiking steeply up into fog.
Paintbrush
Parsley
Blue-eyed Mary
Viewpoint along the Elk Mountain Trail.
The blue sky is up there.
Snow queen
The trail was as steep and rough as we’d remembered.
We did climb out of the cloud to find that blue sky again.
White service berry blossoms and a huckleberry plant.
The trail made a series of ups and downs along a ridge crossing four saddles before climbing to the 2788′ summit of Elk Mountain.
Violet
Red-flowering currant
Trillium
Anemone
Monkeyflower
One of the saddles.
Chocolate lily
Elk Mountain summit.
We spent a little time resting at the summit where we found a lone blooming beargrass with more to come.
Kings Mountain from Elk Mountain.
Wilson River
Pacific Ocean
The blooming beargrass below some red-flowering currant.
Beargrass
While the 1.5 mile climb to this summit had been hard the next mile of trail beyond the summit took it up a notch. The trail dropped nearly straight down the rocky west face of Elk Mountain requiring us to use our hands as we climbed down the damp rocks.
Looking down the trail.
Heather on her way down.
After navigating the rocky descent the trail passed along some cliffs then climbed atop a narrow rocky ridge which it followed to an old roadbed where the hiking became temporarily much easier.
On the ridge.
Dropping down to a saddle along the ridge.
Near the start of the road bed we spotted a hermit warbler eating something off of some huckleberry bushes.
This was the first time we’d seen one of these pretty little birds, at least that we are aware of. Who knows how many we’ve seen fly by and not been able to identify them.
Mercifully on the old roadbed.
We followed the old roadbed for about a mile as it climbed to a junction at a saddle.
A clump of trillium.
Little moth.
Getting closer to Kings Mountain.
Paintbrush
Coming up to the junction.
We turned left onto the Kings Mountain Trail which according to the pointer was 1.3 miles away.
The trail continued to follow an old road bed for a little over half a mile before dropping steeply to a ridge and switchbacking around an outcrop and finally crossing over a saddle.
Phlox, paintbrush, and chickweed.
Still on the old road.
At the ridge end above the saddle, the trail dropped down to the left then through the saddle.
Below the outcrop headed to the saddle.
Probably the most memorable part of our first hike here was needing to use a rope that had been affixed to a stump to descend a steep chute. While we both remembered that we had forgotten at what point we’d encountered the rope and after the steep drop off of Elk Mountain we convinced ourselves that the rope had been there. As we passed over the saddle we realized our mistake as the stump and rope were here and the 12 years had not been kind to the trail here.
Heather getting ready to start down.
The chute in 2010.
The rope was quite a bit longer this time, out of necessity, but we made it down and continued on. From here the trail passed below some sheer cliffs which had been a very nerve wracking experience in 2010. Apparently somewhere during the 549 outings that we’d done between visits I’d gotten much more comfortable with narrow trails with steep drop offs because this time there were no nerves but there were a couple of spots that required the use of hands to get up.
The trail is down there somewhere.
Trillium
Bleeding heart
Fringed kitten-tails
Glacier lily
The trail then climbed to a high point along the ridge which Heather initially mistook for the summit of Kings Mountain. She was less than thrilled when I pointed out the actual summit a short distance, and one saddle, away.
Coming up to the high point.
Kings Mountain
View SE from the high point.
We dropped down to the saddle then made the final climb to Kings Mountain. We had seen a small number of other hikers up to this point but found several others here having come up from the Kings Mountain Trailhead.
Dropping to the last saddle.
Summit register at Kings Mountain.
Pacific Ocean in the distance.
View north.
Other hikers at the summit.
Valerian
Saxifrage, possibly Saddle Mountain saxifrage.
Phlox, paintbrush, parsley, blue-eyed Mary, and chickweed.
From Kings Mountain the Kings Mountain Trail dropped steeply downhill for 2.5 miles to a 4-way junction with the Wilson River Trail. While the trail is steep and rough in a couple of spots it’s nowhere near as gnarly as the Elk Mountain Trail. We had remembered the descent as having given us trouble but in those days we hadn’t used hiking poles. Armed with proper poles this time the descent went much smoother.
One of the rougher sections.
Wood sorrel
Woodland buttercup and candy flower.
The 4-way junction.
We turned left on the Wilson River Trail to make the 3.5 mile hike back to the Elk Mountain Trailhead. While the hike had been challenging we’d been doing pretty well but we’d forgotten to bring any electrolytes with us and while we had plenty of water we both started feeling a bit off. We paused at Dog Creek which is right near the junction for a bit of a break before continuing on the final stretch.
Dog Creek
The Wilson River Trail passed a wetland fed by several small streams before making a long gradual climb up to the junction with the Elk Mountain Trail.
The wetlands
One of the smaller streams.
Monkey flower
Lily that will bloom in a few weeks.
Fringecup
Coming up on a footbridge across Big Creek.
Big Creek
Pacific waterleaf
Steadily climbing.
A pea or vetch.
Unnamed stream crossing.
Miterwort
Rosy Birdsfoot Trefoil
The third type of monkey flower we saw on the day.
The junction is on the saddle ahead.
From the junction we dropped down to the trailhead where we thankfully had some meat sticks waiting that provided some much need salt and protein.
Cars to the left through the trees, we made it.
So what did we learn revisiting this challenging hike after 12 years? One is that we are more comfortable with sketchy trails and exposure after having experienced both many times since then. Secondly our bodies are 12 years older and they reminded us of that toward the end of the hike. Finally we were reminded that as much as we have learned about hiking such as the advantage that trekking poles can provide we are still prone to making mistakes and underestimating what we might need such as the electrolytes. It will likely be quite a while before you find us on a hike without some handy.
Aside from both stops being loops our two hikes for the day couldn’t have been much different from one another. The 0.7 mile loop at Killin Wetlands was short with a well graded trail that gained a total of 60′ of elevation while the Elk and Kings Mountain Loop and been over 11 miles (It’s just under 11 if you don’t wander around with over 4000′ of elevation gain. The gains were often steep, as were the losses, requiring the use of hands at times and included steep exposed drop offs. It was obvious from the number of other trail users that we encountered that most people stick to the out and back up to Kings Mountain but if you’re an experience hiker looking for a challenge or an early season training hike this is a great option. Happy Trails!
The Castor (Spanish for beaver) Trail on the left, this was the only trail in the park that we didn’t hike on during our visit. It was always a left turn.
Fawn lilies
Our first right turn (left was a short connector to the Woodland Trail).
Again the posts and accompanying maps were some of the best trail identifiers we’ve run across.
Bench at the viewpoint along the Ammefu Trail.
We had to imagine the view today.
The second figure.
Back at the Timber Road and another short connector to the Woodland Trail.
Fog on Timber Road
Passing the Woodland Trail on the left which would be our right turn on the way back.
Christensen Creek
Right turn for the Ayeekwa and Witches Butter Trails.
Witchs Butter on the left and Ayeekwa on the right.
Trillium
Another bench, this one overlooked Christensen Creek.
Common blue violet
Pioneer violets and a strawberry blossom.
Mushrooms under a fern.
Popping out on the Witches Butter Trail.
Witches Butter Trail
Witches Butter Trail winding through Douglas firs.
Turning right onto the Chehalem Ridge Trail.
There was a little more mud on the Chehalem Ridge Trail.
Spring green carpet.
A good example of the differently oriented maps, on this one north is down.
Another fir plantation. The land had been owned by a timber company prior to being purchased by Metro in 2010.
Start of the Chehalem Ridge Loop. We went right which simply swung out along the hillside before dropping down to the Madrona Trail in 0.4 miles.
The loop continued to the left but we turned right onto the Madrona Trail.
Still cloudy and gray but we’d experience very little if any precipitation yet.
Lots of tough-leaved iris along this trail.
One of several blooming dogwood trees.
View on the way down.
Madrone trees began to be a common sight as we descended.
One of the 11 switchbacks.
We hadn’t seen a lot of mushrooms recently but this hike had plenty.
Following the roadbed.
Aside from one other very small (3 in diameter) tree this was the only obstacle we encountered all day.
The start of the loop along with several madrones.
The Tualatin Valley and Coast Range.
Either these worms were racing or it was a bird buffet. The rain had brought a lot of earthworms onto the trails.
Another trail user a rough skinned newt.
A closer look at the rough skinned newt.
It had been so foggy when we had come up the Witches Butter Trail that we hadn’t realized that there was a giant green field nearby.
The end of the Chehalem Ridge Trail with the Mampaꞎ Trail to the right and a very short connector to the Timber Road to the left.
Sunlight hitting the Mampaꞎ Trail.
Fairy slippers
Squirrel
The Zorzal Trail to the right.
Toothwort along the Zorzal Trail.
Stripped coralroot
An assortment of smaller flowers.
One of the few lupines with blossoms.
Camas buds
Oak tree on Iowa Hill. Most of the larger green clumps are lupine.
The third and final figure was also located near the stone circle.
Yarrow
More lupine starting to blossom.
Tualatin Valley
Plectritis
Believe this is a checker mallow.
Parsley
Camas
Iris
White crowned sparrow
Turning down the Timber Road.
I’m not good with these little yellowish birds. It could be an orange-crowned warbler.
Black capped chickadee
Approaching the Woodland Trail on the right.
Woodland Trail
Candyflower
Coming to a switchback.
We ignored a couple of shortcuts that would have led back to the Timber Road.
We also skipped the Castor Trail which would have slightly lengthened the hike.
Lupine along the Woodland Trail as we neared the trailhead.
Much nicer conditions than we’d had that morning and way nicer than anything we had expected.
Camas
Lupine
Habitat Trail
We’ll blame our inability to read this sign on it still being early in the morning. We started down the path ahead before quickly questioning the direction and correcting course.
He probably knew which way he was going.
Heading the right way now.
NW Wilkins
Another trail user
Fringecup
Spotted towhee
Stellar’s Jay
Second time staring at this sign.
Not sure exactly how to interpret this scene – mourning, a murder, or breakfast?
The slight jog right along NE Walker.
Bridge of Rock Creek
Look a pointer for John Olsen Avenue (just a lot further north).
Mallards (A pair of wood ducks flew off at the same time the mallards headed downstream.)
Here is the only photo that I could even get with the little yellow bird visible at all.
NE Evergreen Parkway
Checkermallow
Trillium
Solmonseal
Fawnlilies
Aven
Rock Creek from the viewpoint.
The back of the owl (middle tree 2/3 of the way up)
Violets
Swollen creek
Fairy bells
Cinquefoil
Nearing the trailhead.
A wren and a white-crowned sparrow
American goldfinches
Tree swallows
Bleeding heart near the stream.
Berry Creek down to the right.
There was a lot of wild ginger on the hillside.
Iris
Buttercups
Small garter snake
Approaching the bridge and creek.
Sparrow
Doe just hanging out in a patch of poison oak. (It doesn’t bother deer.)
Nearing the high point of the trail at K.T. Summit
Spotted coralroot
K.T. Summit
A very cool madrone tree.
Two more deer with a third off camera.
There was at least one identifier for each tree listed on this sign. The signs were particularly nice because many were next to younger trees which made it easier to see the needles and bark instead of just look at a trunk and having to look up to try and see other details of the trees.
Western white pine
Western larch
Vanilla leaf
Fairy slippers
Frog near the pond.
Red-winged blackbird
Interpretive sign at the start of the trail.
Vineyard along the trail.
Heading down the connector trail.
Trial sign at the jct with the CZ Trail.
CZ Trail passing under the highway.
Light from the eastern portal is visible at the other end but the tunnel is not safe to enter without at least a hard hat.
The East Fork Nehalem River next to the trail.
It was a little muddy in places.
Another of several interpretive signs along the trail.
Not much in the way of flowers yet but there were a few indian plum starting to blossom.
East Fork Nehalem River
Pointer for the CZ Trail in Scaponia Park
American kestral
Robin in the meadow that once was Camp 8.
The orange mile marker 19 ahead.
Juncos
Another not great picture of a varied thrush.
Sparrow
A grey jay enjoying the emerging sunlight.
Blue sky near the Floeter Trailhead.
The trailhead sign for the Clay Creek Trail is ahead on the opposite side of the road.
Siuslaw River
Clay Creek on the left emptying into the Siuslaw.
Stairs at the Clay Creek Recreation Area across the river.
The Clay Creek Trail climbing above Clay Creek.
It’s hard to tell size here but the diameter of this tree was well over 5′.
The junction for the loop.
One of several reroutes we encountered.
On the ridge top.
Madrone trunk and bark, always fascinating.
Lots of mushrooms pushing up through the forest floor.
Good sized trees near the high point.
No idea what you might see on a clear day.
The viewpoint.
Nearing the footbridge.
The fog had lifted off the river at least.
Note that Royal Ave and the trail to the viewing platform are open year around with the other restrictions listed below.
We took a picture of this map to assist us with our route.
White crowned sparrow
Northern harrier on the hunt.
Wetlands in the Royal Amazon unit.
The bittern taking off.
Not the greatest photo but enough to identify it.
A hawk on a stump.
American coots
Gibson Island (with the eagles in the snag to the far left)
A flock of geese above the coots.
There were a number of these small birds pecking around in the mud which, with some help from Molly in the comments, are American pipits.
Continuing west.
We used the stones to the right to cross the water here.
Great blue heron (with Highway 126 in the background).
Sandpiper in the roadway.
End of the line.
Seagull
Perhaps the same northern harrier.
The harrier taking a break.
The path to the platform.
Dunlins (thanks again to Molly)
The platform.
The first signs that the fog/clouds might be breaking up.
Looking back at a little blue sky and a visible Gibson Island
Fisher Butte is the low hill ahead to the right.
Gibson Island was now lit by direct sunlight.
The dike running between Fields 3 & 4.
Looking back over the ditch.
California scrub jay
Northern shovelers and a bufflehead.
Buffleheads and two hooded merganser females.
Kingfisher
American robin
The gravel road and another small portion of the wildlife area on the other side.
Noisy geese.
Back on the mowed track.
A sparrow
Spotted towhee and friend.
Finch
As of yet unidentified little bird.
This path headed north from the trailhead, something to explore on our next visit.
Wilderness boundary
Varied thrush
Blackberries, we found a couple of ripe ones later as well as ripe salmonberries, thimbleberries, and red huckleberries.
There was a lot of Himalayan blackberry to get through which caused many a scratch.
Salamander, possibly a Dunn’s.
Snail on a fern.
A few rhododendron were still blooming.
Huckleberries
This was the only open spot the whole day. There were some thistle and yarrow blooming here along with a bit of poison oak.
Bees sleeping on thistle.
Yarrow
The rhododendron was often so tall we could walk through them.
The morning fog burned off by 9:30am.
Wild cucumber (coastal manroot)
Monkeyflower
Although this picture doesn’t really convey it this section of exposed wet rock was at a fairly steep angle and was quite the challenging both coming and going.
An ouzel
This was the ledge that we decided to not drop down off of.
That pool is said to be approximately 20′ deep!
We checked the little pools for rough skinned newts and this one had four and a crawdad.
A chickadee came to check on me as I was catching my breath under a rhododendron.
Thimbleberries
Salmonberries
Swallowtail on a blackberry blossom.
We took this trail from the parking area to the North Ridge Trail where we turned right at a signboard.
Signboard along the North Ridge Trail at Woods Creek Road.
Iris
Near the half mile mark we ignored this pointer to the left. Looking at the map there are roads looping back to Woods Creek Road and also to Conner’s Camp but what their conditions are we don’t know.
Monkeyflower
Wren
Thimbleberry
Pacific coralroot
Anemones
Vanilla leaf along the trail.
Lots of vanilla leaf.
Douglas squirrel.
The higher we went the foggier it got.
Bench at the junction with the tie trail.
Some of the trillium still had petals.
Signboard for the overlook on the hillside to the right.
The junction from later in the morning with the Summit Trail heading uphill to the right and the East Ridge Trail down to the left.
Going to be a beargrass year.
Beargrass
Larkspur in the wet grass.
Paintbrush
Penstemon
Field chickweed
Parsley
Blue-eyed Mary
Ragwort in front of lupine that had yet to bloom.
Phlox
Lupine
Buttercups and larkspur
Heather hiding behind the summit signboard to try and keep out of the wind.
Lots of lupine yet to bloom.
As the name implies the Meadows Edge Trail occasionally entered the meadows before returning to the forest.
For a brief moment a bit of sunlight hit the forest and we thought maybe the sky would clear up.
Salmonberry bushes near Parker Creek.
Western meadowrue
Spur trail to the Mary’s Peak Campground.
Fairybells and star flower solomonseal
The sky was in fact not clearing up.
Bleeding heart and sourgrass.
Fawn lilies in the meadow.
Signs at the road junction.
The wet conditions were starting to really hinder picture taking at this point.
Striped coralroot
North Ridge Trail junction
Heather descending in the fog.
Cutleaf goldthread
Millipede
Is that some blue sky out there?
Not much but it is blue.
Rough skinned newt
Monkeyflower
Thimbleberry
Wren below Golden Falls
Columbine
Ginger
Inside out flower
Iris
Anemone
Ouzel
Marshall’s saxifrage
Plectritis
Manroot
Stonecrop
Upper portion of Golden Falls.
Glenn Creek above Golden Falls.
Despite a cloudy morning they stayed high enough to not obstruct the view of the falls.
Epic battle between a rock and a tree.
Pacific waterleaf
Larkspur
Ouzel (might be the same one as earlier)
Thimbleberry
Salmonberry
McLeod Creek
One of the sharp turns.
Fairy bells
Columbine
Bleeding heart
Monkeyflower
Sourgrass
Star flower
Trillium
Star flower solomonseal
Twisted stalk
Wren – We heard lots of birds but didn’t see many of them.
Waterleaf
Marker for a fire scarred Douglas fir. According to the brochure the last major fire in the area was in the 1860s.
We had to climb over this big tree.
Looking at the bridge at the north end of the lake.
Canada geese
Cormorants flying above the lake.
Cormorant
Ring necked ducks
Rhododendron
Boardwalk at the south end of the lake.
Sparrow
Coming up on the bridge at the north end.
Yellow rumped warbler
Finch
The trail on the far side of the track.
One of three panels on a signboard at the start of the trails.
This bench is at the junction.
Sparrow near the junction.
Heading to the observation structure.
Looking toward Coos Bay along the Coos River.
McCullough Memorial Bridge spanning Coos Bay.
Wetlands from the end of the spur.
Bitter cherry
Crow
Turkey vulture
Cormorants overhead
Canada goose with goslings
Buttercups
Pale flax
Arriving back at the field.
Ground squirrel enjoying the view.
Twomile Creek
Shore bird in the creek.
Brass buttons (another non-native)
Whiskey Run Beach lay on the other side of the rocks with another parking area 0.8 further south.
A cormorant off Fivemile Point
View from the bench.
Coming up on the hollow trunk straight ahead.
Gods Valley Creek
Frog near the old picnic tables.
Not much in the way of flowers yet but there was a bit of skunk cabbage in bloom.
Some low hanging trees, presumably from the storm. The roads had been cleared but occasional damage along the side of the road was evident.
There were no recent clearcuts in the Clatsop State Forest section but there was evidence of past logging.
Fall Creek
Not sure why I neglected to get a picture of the bridge from the locked gate but this is the only one I took of the bridge.
The hike description in the Oregon Hikers Field Guide mentions walking along the bank to get a view of Upper North Fork Falls from the rocks below but that wasn’t going to be an option with the river level today.
We both thought that this thick moss looked like some sort of hairstyle.
Rough-skinned newt
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