Following a really nice January, February didn’t provide us many opportunities for hiking in decent weather. So far the weather in March has been quite a bit better and we took advantage of it to visit three different parks managed by Clackamas County.
This outing was inspired by our failed visit to Eagle Fern Park on our last day out hiking (post). They fee kiosk was out of order that day and we weren’t carrying enough cash ($8) to pay for the required day-use permit, so we skipped the hike here and continued on to our second destination – Milo McIver State Park. We made sure to restock our emergency cash supply and moved the visit to Eagle Fern Park to our March hikes.
Because the hike Eagle Fern Park is under 4-miles we wanted to add another destination (or two) to increase our time on trail for the day. To make it a theme day we chose two additional Clackamas County parks with short trail systems, Barlow Wayside and Metzler County Park, as stops.
We decided to start with the park furthest from Salem and work our way back home which meant starting at Barlow Wayside Park located 11-miles east of Sandy, OR. We arrived at the trailhead to discover it is now a fee park. With it being a “limited-use” park the day-use fee is $4.00 here but the only option to pay is by phone which requires downloading an app and setting up an account prior to paying.
The small blue sign on the left provides the pay by phone information. This was one of two such signs in the parking area.
Fortunately we had enough cell service to download the app and pay the fee (the fine for not obtaining a permit is currently $80.00). After doing that we headed for the informational signboard to begin our hike. It was a chilly start to the morning with the temperature a crisp 34 degrees Fahrenheit
We began with a short out-and-back on the Little Joe Tie Trail which connects to the Sandy Ridge Trail System which offers 17-miles of mountain bike trails. This level trail paralleled Little Joe Creek and entered BLM managed land before arriving at a signed junction.
Little Joe Creek
The pointer to the right was for the Sandy and Salmon Rivers (.25 miles) while continuing another .18 miles would bring us to the Sandy Ridge Trail System.
The junction seemed like a good turnaround point and we headed back to the information kiosk where I ran to the car to grab an extra Buff for Heather before following pointers for the parks three loop trails.
We turned left onto the Little Joe Loop which just 600′ long but it does lead past a platform above Little Joe Creek.
At the end of the Little Joe Loop we turned left following a pointer for the self-guided nature tour.
Brochures were available here and online. Unfortunately, we are at that age where without reading glasses the brochures were of no use to us.
We crossed the creek on a footbridge then ignored a signed “Primitive Trail” on the right to reach the start of the Falls Loop Trail.
The Primitive Trail.
Start of the Falls Looop.
We turned right on the Falls Loop and climbed up a ridge to a switchback. We ignored another Primitive Trail sign on the right and followed the switchback to the left.
Primitive Trail number 2 with the Falls Loop continuing to the left.
The trail had now leveled out and passed through a nice forest before making a short descent to an unnamed creek crossing above a small “falls”.
This was a nice little cascade this time of year. Later in the Summer the flow reportedly drops down to a trickle.
Shortly after crossing the unnamed creek we arrived at a junction with the Northern Loop Trail where we turned right.
The self-guided nature tour follows the Northern Loop Trail here as well.
The Northern Loop climbed gradually toward a set of power lines where it turned and began looping back toward the Falls Loop.
Passing stop #6 on the self-guided tour (Forested Headwaters).
The powerline corridor below Sandy Ridge.
One of the creeks flowing from the forested headwaters.
Trees are truly amazing.
Back on the Falls Loop.
We turned right on the Falls Loop and followed it as it crossed several streams and eventually dropped down to the base of a larger cascade.
We completed the Northern Loop and then returned to the trailhead where we detoured across East Barlow Trail Road following a pointer for the Sandy River.
It was a just over a tenth of a mile to the river where we took a moment to watch the water rushing past on its way from Mt. Hood to the Columbia River and eventually the Pacific Ocean before returning to our car.
Our GPS recorded our hike here as 2.7-miles with a little under 200′ of elevation gain.
From Barlow Wayside we headed back toward Sandy on Highway 26 turning off at Firwood to make our way to the trailhead at Eagle Fern Park.
After paying the $8 day-use fee at the functioning kiosk we prepared to set off on our planned hike here. Similar to Barlow Wayside there are several loop options at this park and we were hoping to check out the bulk of them. We began by crossing Eagle Creek on a suspension bridge.
There are a few Eagle Creeks in Oregon, this is the Eagle Creek that originates in the Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness (post).
At a junction on the far side of the bridge we turned right on Loop C which is another interpretive trail.
At a junction we stayed right to begin Loop A.
Trail Keepers of Oregon restoration work sign. TKO does a lot of great work and with the current administration’s hostility toward public land groups such as theirs are needed more than ever.
Loop A made a good climb before leveling out a bit along the hillside above Eagle Creek.
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We ignored this connector trail on the left (Spur B on the park map) and continued along the hillside.
Snow queen
One of several switchbacks.
Rough-skinned newt and snow queen.
Closer look at the newt.
Blue sky
Traversing the hillside.
The trail below as we neared a switchback to begin descending.
Rock overhang along the trail.
Viewpoint near the end of the loop.
After returning to the trailhead we headed off in search of Loop D which begins off of Kitzmiller Road. This meant a short road walk from the trailhead to Kitzmiller Road where we turned right for 0.2-miles where there is a small parking area on left (west) side of the road. The trail was reportedly on the opposite side of the road and had at one time been signed. That sign was gone but a cyclist who had stopped at the pullout was aware of the trail and helped point us in the right direction. He was a little bewildered about us wanting to hike this trail, having tried to follow it himself some years back. At that time he said it climbed out a little way above the main park area and just petered out. The official park map showed a loop, Loop D, here and the Oregonhikers Field Guide described an additional lollipop loop off of Loop D. After confirming that this was indeed the trail we were looking for he wished us good luck and we set off on the unmarked path.
The start of Loop D from Kitzmiller Road.
The trail quickly split and we went right.
The remains of former signs can be seen at the split ahead.
This trail obviously doesn’t see much use but was in decent shape with one large tree requiring a duck under and another smaller tree down across a switchback that meant we had to climb over it twice.
The trail made a steady climb to the junction with the supposed Lollipop Loop.
The lower portion of the tree across the switchback.
There was no sign at the start of the Lollipop Loop but the tread at the split was obvious.
Left is the continuation of Loop D. We stayed right to attempt the Lollipop Loop.
The Oregonhikers Field Guide described the lollipop as a rougher trail and that was accurate. It was still easy enough to follow. After about a quarter of a mile we found ourselves dropping to a footbridge over a small stream.
There were some cut trees along the trail mixed with more recent blowdown but nothing was particularly difficult to navigate.
Wren
There was a lot of snow queen.
The footbridge with a large tree across it.
There was a large tree down across the near side of the footbridge. The bridge appeared to have held up well with just one visibly broken plank. Heather decided she’d seen enough though so she stopped here and we agreed to meet back a what we thought might be the other end of the loop that we’d passed near the top of the hill. I continued on and quickly found myself navigating multiple downed trees and other obstacles.
Look back along the bridge.
The older blowdown had all be cut.
I finally lost the trail in a muddy bog not far from Eagle Fern Road. At some point the loop should have turned uphill to the left and after a series of switchbacks returned me to the trail not far from the footbridge. I had seen no sign of any trail to the left between the bridge and where I turned around.
I made it through this muddy mess but couldn’t find any sign of tread on the opposite side.
I back tracked to the bridge looking for any sign of the loop. I still didn’t see any tread, flagging or cut logs that would have indicated the presence of a trail. I recrossed the bridge and rejoined Heather and then we returned to Loop D. We turned right onto Loop D and followed it back down to Kitzmiller Road.
We detoured across Kitzmiller Road to the pullout and followed a short path down to the bank of East Eagle Creek.
My hike here came in at 3.9-miles with a little under 400′ of elevation gain.
After visiting East Eagle Creek, we returned to our car and made our way to the trailhead at Metzler County Park.
This was by far the busiest park and another requiring the $8 day-use permit (annual permits are also available). I was unsure if the day-use permit we purchased at Eagle Fern Park could also be used here or if a separate permit was required. (The Clackamas County website was no help and they were closed Friday so I couldn’t ask ahead of time.) There was one sign that I took as indicating the day-use permit was good for that day at any of the fee parks, so we did not purchase a third permit.
From the parking area we walked down the paved entrance road toward Clear Creek. At a memorial stone for Alice Metzler we followed a “Swimming Hole” sign passed a picnic shelter to a suspension bridge.
Clear Creek
On the far side of the bridge we stayed left at a junction and followed Swagger Creek gradually uphill.
Swagger Creek
The trail soon veered away from the creek and descended through a mixed forest to an unsigned junction where we stayed and eventually arrived at a second unsigned junction.
Song sparrow (according to Merlin)
The second unsigned junction.
The section junction was part of the Northern Loop where we once again stayed left traversing the hillside above Clear Creek before arriving at a clear cut at the park boundary.
The trail descended beside the clear cut then turned back along Clear Creek to complete the loop.
We turned left and hiked back to the first junction where we again stayed left and returned to the suspension bridge to complete another loop.
Swagger Creek (right) joining Clear Creek at the suspension bridge.
We recrossed Clear Creek and hiked back to the entrance road where we turned left. We followed the road into and through the closed campground to its end and the start of the Nature Trail.
The Nature Trail wasn’t signed other than some “No Motor Vehicles” signs.
This interpretive trail follows an old roadbed behind the campground and through part of the disc golf course to the baseball field where it abruptly ends.
One of the numbered interpretive markers (brochures available on the park website).
The old roadbed.
At the baseball field we had a choice to turn right or stay left, either way we had to pass through more of the disc golf course. There were disc golfers coming up from the right so we stayed left and hiked around the field to the park entrance road and then followed it back to our car. This wound up being our shortest hike of the day at 2.6-miles and less than 350′ of elevation gain, but we missed a small section of the Nature Trail that veered off from the far side of the suspension bridge. That section of the trail follows a pointer for the “Swimming Hole” and thinking it was just a spur to a swimming hole we’d skipped it when we first crossed the bridge.
All together the three stops provided a little over 9-miles of hiking with approximately 875′ of elevation gain.
Relative locations of the three stops plus Milo McIver from our previous outing.
These would be good hikes with kids given each park has interpretive trails and loop options of varying lengths. They also make for a nice destination for a quick stop, although the day-use fee might give non annual fee permit holders pause. Each park is nevertheless worth visiting at least once. Happy Trails!
Flickr: Clackamas County Parks
McIver Memorial Viewpoint
Clackamas River from the viewpoint.
The small trail sign on the left is labeled “Viewpoint Trail”.
Map on the signboard. Oddly the Viewpoint Trail is not shown on this map even though the trail continues past the signboard.
The Vortex Meadow through the trees.
Former model airplane landing strip in the meadow.
There were some limited views of the Clackamas River from this trail.
While we were happy to see trail signs again it was a little confusing to see the Riverbend Trail pointer here. Here again the maps that we had did not show this junction. They did show a 4-way junction between the Riverbend Trail and Vortex Loop but only after crossing a road which we had not done.
Viewpoint near the group camp.
Had we not backtracked through the group camp we would have connected with the Riverbend Trail after crossing a road then turned right on the Riverbend Trail, recrossed the road, and arrived at this junction on that trail which was now on our left.
Stellar’s jay
We stumbled on a one-leg standing competition that the local geese were engaged in.
The mallards seemed unimpressed with the geese’s balancing abilities.
Common mergansers
Common merganser drake
We found this nice little bridge wandering around the disc golf course attempting to connect with the Maple Ridge Trail.
The Cedar Knoll Trail connects the upper and lower segments of the Maple Ridge Trail. We stayed right on the Maple Ridge Trail.
Colorful fungi
Wood ducks on Wood Duck Pond. It’s pretty rare that the animal a feature is named after is actually present.
Not sure if this is just the biggest rough-skinned newt we’ve ever seen or a different type of salamander.
Great blue heron by a small pond. It was probably hunting the frogs that were croaking loudly here.
The sign ahead is for the Cedar Knoll Trail joining from the left.
Dropping down to the Riverbend Loop Trail junction.
The Maple Ridge Trail makes another nearly 180 degree turn here and drops down to the parking area a short distance from its other end.
We stayed right here again at a junction with a trail leading to the Maple Ridge Picnic Shelter.
I believe these are sweet coltsfoot starts.
There was a bench next to this nice little creek.
Nearing the Riverbend Day Use Area entrance road.
Song sparrow
It’s hard to make out but there is a coyote in this photo.
I have no idea what’s going on with this photo of the coyote as it was trotting away from us. Shortly after this it popped out from behind some brush and jumped into the air to pounce on something. That was the last we saw of it.
Squirrel
Left to right: Silver Star Mountain, Little Baldy, and Bluff Mountain (
Mt. Hood making a partial appearance.
1930 Caterpillar Model 30
Bridge over Cedar Creek.
Cedar Creek
North Scappoose Creek
Sun hitting the top a hill in the distance.
There was a lot of 
Forest along the trail.
One of several interpretive signboards along this segment.
While the Sun was out the trail remained mostly shaded and therefore cold. We both would have benefited from some slightly warmer layers.
Hair ice
More hair ice
Another interpretive sign ahead.
MP 13
The Nehalem Divide TH on the left and the Crown Z Trail continuing on the right.
I believe that is Silver Star Mountain (
North Scappoose Creek winding past a private home.
The Ruley Trailhead ahead.
We started with this hike in part due to it being the first day of the final king tides, abnormally high tides, for the season. High tide for Smelt Sands was going to be 9:45am so we were hoping to see some of the wave action.
It was just before 8am as we hiked the 804 Trail.
We made a mistake and turned right on the paved path here, but we should have continued beyond the large signboard to a second path marked by a wooden post. You can see the small white and black to the left of the green signboard. We may have been distracted by “Free Coffee” being printed on the bottom of the green sign.
This post is similar to the one along the 804 Trail where we should have turned right.
Boardwalk over Mitchell Creek.
Grandmother Spruce
The upper end of the preserve trail.
Mushrooms
Approaching Starr Creek.
Starr Creek
The upper gate at the junction.
Ya’Xaik Trail
The right hand fork here is the trail leading down to the fire station that dog owners can use to make a loop. A local had warned us that this trail can be pretty slick. We went left to remain on the Ya’Xaik Trail.
There was a little climbing involved before the trail headed down to Diversity Drive.
The Ya’Xaik Trail at Diversity Drive.
The Woodland Trail continues to the left while the right connects up to a road.
A footbridge over the Red River below with a disc golf hole on the opposite ridge. We were able to use the OregonHikers Field Guide map to identify this connector trail as one we did not want to take. That map had many of the connector trails identified in red which helped keep our position located as well as keep us on the correct route.
The old roadbed at the bottom of the switchbacks.
Woodland Trail on the left and our next stop, the Lint Slough Trail, on the right.
Memorial plaque
There was a bypass uphill for this short flooded section.
There were a number of bufflehead ducks, a pair of geese, and one noisy great blue heron at the slough. All of the wildlife seemed to be positioned as far away from the trail as possible.
The great blue heron in a tree across the slough.
This little group of buffleheads was the exception.
I turned around at this bench due to not seeing an obvious continuation of the trail here. I had also lost Heather who had stayed up to avoid the flooded section and instead of returning to the trail I was on, on the other side of the flooded bench, stayed up on the higher path. That path began leading up uphill away from the actual trail without another way to get back to the correct path. She wound up backtracking and we met shortly after I had started back.
The slough from my turn around point.
Yarrow
Bull thistle (non-native)
Rose (probably non-native)
Looking north along the beach.
The view south.
The wet sand and debris from the high tide was up to the vegetation along much of the beach.
We decided to turn back at the creek partly to avoid crossing it, but also because we had been walking into the wind. It wasn’t a particularly cold day, but the wind chill was almost making it uncomfortable.
Seagull with a crab.
Cape Perpetua (
Buckley Creek
We had to ford Buckley Creek which was only a couple of inches deep at most.
Semipalmated plovers
Western gull
Heading back north.
The path back up to the parking area at Driftwood Beach.
The trailhead.
The caution sign was related to some pile burning that the Forest Service had been doing.
McKenzie River
Mushrooms
National Recreation Trail symbol on a tree to the left.
Private Road sign on Duffy Rd.
There was quite a bit of witches’ butter fungus along the trail.
There were a lot of other mushrooms too.
Unnamed creek crossing.
Ruby-crowned kinglet. We didn’t see much wildlife on this hike but there were several kinglets flitting among the trees here. This was the only photo of one I managed to get though.
We had not expected any blue sky so this was a treat. It had rained for most of the drive and sprinkled for a minute shortly after we started hiking, but it had been dry otherwise.
The trail switching back up a small hill.
The most significant elevation change was this decent to a footbridge over Lost Creek.
Coral fungus
Lost Creek
The footbridge over Lost Creek was a little over 4.5-miles from the Lower McKenzie Trailhead.
Lost Creek
Willamette National Forest Boundary
Approximately 5.25-miles from the trailhead we crossed Belknap Hot Springs Road.
Sign for the 
Unnamed seasonal stream.
Footbridge over Scott Creek.
Scott Creek
Mushrooms
Footbridge over Boulder Creek.
Highway 126 bridge over Boulder Creek from the footbridge.
Boulder Creek flowing into the McKenzie River.
Forest Road 2650.
Boat ramp at Forest Road 2650.
The river from Forest Road 2650.
This short section along the road is just east of Belknap Springs Road.
Madrones
A little sunlight on the forest floor.
Rain shower falling over Lost Creek. It wasn’t raining hard enough to convince me to pull my rain gear back out.
I spotted Heather with a little over three and a quarter mile left back to the trailhead. (Look for a little orange in the trees ahead and to the right of the trail.)
Ours was the only car at the trailhead when we got back.
Red – Clear Lake, June 2014 (
The North Rim Trail heads left at a fork with the Twin Falls Trail a short distance from the parking lot.
I stuck to the North Rim Trail here leaving another (short) trail to do next time.
The Nature Play Area along the loop trail I didn’t take.
One of two bridges along the North Rim Trail.
Railing near the North Falls Viewpoint.
North Falls from the viewpoint.
North Falls
Map located at the North Falls Trailhead.
Upper North Falls from the Upper North Falls Trail.
Upper North Falls.
The split in the Trail of Ten Falls where the Canyon Trail heads down to North Falls.
North Falls
Trail behind North Falls.
Behind North Falls.
I will always take pictures of these large boulders in the creek.
Trail marker at the Twin Falls Trail junction.
Twin Falls
Twin Falls is a tough one to get a good clear view of the full waterfall. Recent rainfall had provided good flow for this fall which helps with the visibility.
This is Twin Falls on July 7, 2006.
All the rain had the side creeks and falls flowing as well.
Nearing the Winter Falls Trail and its bridge over the creek.
The view from the bridge.
Winter Falls from the Winter Falls Trail.
Winter Falls
The forecast had called for sunny skies, but we were also dealing with an air stagnation warning. For a brief moment I thought the fog might burn off, but that never materialized and by the time I arrived at South Falls more fog had rolled in.
There are some nice big trees scattered throughout the park.
Trail of Ten Falls/Canyon Trail above South Falls.
South Falls
Behind South Falls
For a short loop just to South Falls you can cross the bridge and return to the rim.
The trail below heading for Lower South Falls.
From behind Lower South Falls. I scared a poor woman so badly as I neared the falls. She was setting her phone up on a tripod for a selfie and didn’t see me coming nor could she hear me with the roar of the falls until I was just a couple of feet away. When I said that I was just going to sneak behind her she let out the loudest scream I’ve heard in a while.
Ankle deep pools behind the falls.
Lower South Falls
The mile long Maple Trail (right) allows for a shorter loop to both the falls on South Fork Silver Creek.
This is now the North Fork Silver Creek.
Unnamed falls on a side creek.
The footbridge over the North Fork Silver Creek.
Pool below the bridge.
Lower North Falls
Footbridge over Hult Creek and the spur trail to Double Falls.
Double Falls
Back on the Canyon Trail.
More fog.
Drake Falls
Middle North Falls
Spur trail (right) to Middle North Falls.
Behind Middle North Falls.
Splash pool
The Winter Falls Trail footbridge spanning the creek ahead on the right.
Chipmunk.
Twin Falls again which meant I was nearly to the Twin Falls Trail.
Twin Falls Trail junction.
The Twin Falls Trail leveled out near its end.
Arriving back at the junction with the North Rim Trail.
I spotted several ruffed grouse as I was driving out of the trailhead.
Hunting information kiosk across from the Turtle Flats parking area.
The Turtle Flats restrooms. (Photo from the afternoon.)
The entire Turtle Flats Trail in one photo.
Viewpoint at the end of the trail.
I turned right here following said map through a small section of trees.
Poison oak is hard to miss when it is sporting its Fall colors.
Emerging from the trees and staying right.
McCulloch Peak (
Mary’s Peak (
One of several raptors hunting over the fields.
Pigeon Butte to the left and Green Peak in the distance.
Fog and McFadden Marsh to the left.
Mallards
Geese flying overhead.
Egret and ducks
Egrets
More egrets
Heron with the egrets.
McFadden Marsh
Egrets and a murder of crows.
Great blue heron
Red-winged blackbird
Prairie Trail along McFadden Marsh.
I could just make out the railings along Bruce Road from here.
Nutria family near Bruce Road.
The nutria family.
The Prairie Trail at Bruce Road.
Northern flicker
Starling
Muddy Creek
Interpretive signs at the larger parking area.
California scrub-jay
Peregrine falcon?
Pigeon Butte across Cheadle Marsh.
While I was photographing this egret I glanced to my left and noticed a buck staring back at me.
Meanwhile a great blue heron decided it wanted the egret’s perch.
The heron and egret
American coot
The roof of the Cheadle Barn poking up from the hill.
California quail escaping into the blackberry bushes.
The small hill up to the junction below the barn. My legs let me know that even this small hill was more than they were interested in today.
Robin
Spur trail to the Cheadle Barn.
Spotted towhee
The pond and Cheadle Barn.
Ducks in the pond.
Pied-billed grebe. I also had a yellow-rumped warbler nearly land on me, but then it disappeared into the trees across the pond.
The gravel road that serves as the Pigeon Butte Trail ahead.
A successful egret and unfortunate rodent.
The junction is located at the crest of the trail/road.
Spur trail to the summit of Pigeon Butte.
The dry ponds hosted a good number of songbirds.
It appeared that there had been a number of controlled burns performed throughout the refuge.
The 0.9-mile section ended at a junction with the Cattail Pond Trail.
Viewpoint bench looking toward Cabell Marsh.
Woolly bear caterpillar sharing the trail.
Gray Creek
Mallards
More mallards
Maple Knoll on the far side of Cattail Pond.
I’m assuming nutria but am not 100% convinced on this one.
This section was a mixture of the edge of fields and wooded trail.
Follow the pointer.
A cedar waxing joined by a pair of finches.
I turned right at this sign onto the Beaver Pond Trail and followed it a half mile back to the gravel roadbed.
Just under 100 yards from the Cattail Pond Trail is this unsigned junction. The left is a half mile out-and-back spur on along the side of Maple Knoll. I stayed right this time having done the spur in 2020 with Heather.
The trail passes the Beaver Pond just before arriving at the roadbed.
The Beaver Pond was pretty well deserted given its lack of water.
I turned left onto the Mid-Refuge Connecting Trail.
Authorized personnel only on the right-hand fork here.
Arriving at the junction.
The right fork is the trail I came up. The center fork is the Mill Hill Trail, and the left fork is the Mill Hill Loop Trail which loops around Mill Hill in 1.7-miles and arrives back at the junction where I took this photo from.
There are several junctions along this stretch, most of which are well signed.
This junction marks the start of the Intertie Trail.
Crossing Finley Refuge Road.
Signage at the Woodpecker Hill Loop.
The Woodpecker Hill Loop is a well-developed interpretive trail.
Stellar’s jay
Each of these kiosks has an informational placard inside.
Near the crest of the trail.
The shelter on Woodpecker Hill.
Dragon fly
Signboard at the Woodpecker Hill Trailhead.
Yay, more uphill.
The back of a killdeer.
Bald Hill on the left.
Winkle Butte is the near rise on the left. On a clearer day Mt. Jefferson would be visible in the distance to the right of Winkle Butte.
Cabell Barn ahead.
Historic granary
The lodge in April, 2021.
Geese
Pigeon Butte from the marsh.
Great blue heron towering over the ducks.
An egret along the shore to the right.
The egret facing off with the heron. The mallard appeared to be ready to act as the referee.
After a brief face off the egret moved on.
Observation blind accessed via the Homer Campbell Boardwalk.
Signboard at the boardwalk trailhead.
Back on the refuge road.
Muddy Creek
The path to Turtle Flats on the left and the start of the Prairie Trail ahead on the right.
This trail would eventually end at the LoneWolf/Patterson Mountain Trail (
The small trailhead along Highway 58.
Wrong way dummy.
The South Willamette Trail to the right.
It was clear that mountain bikers use this trail regularly.
I actually waited until I was on my way down to step off trail and look at the arch.
Eula Ridge Trail sign at the Hardesty Trail junction.
The lefthand fork leads to the viewless summit while the right is the Hardesty Cutoff Trail which bypasses the summit.
Forest below the Hardesty Cutoff Trail.
The Sawtooth Trail dropping to the right.
I was not looking forward to climbing back up some of these sections later.
Another saddle.
A view through the trees.
I passed the Hardesty Way Trail 1.5-miles from the Hardesty Cutoff Trail.
Mount June from the hillside.
Wallflower
Junction with the Lost Creek Trail.
The pointer for Eagles Rest (
I called this section “rhododendron ridge”.
The Mt. June Trail coming up from the right.
If you look closely, you can see the tops of the Three Sisters poking up over the smoke in the distance. The open hillside in the foreground is the meadow below Sawtooth Rock and the hump just behind is Hardesty Mountain.
Heading down from the summit.
Climbing the hillside below Sawtooth Rock.
Sawtooth Rock
There was just a little smoke now and then in the forest.
The Eula Ridge Trail coming into view.
There wasn’t much in the way of Fall colors along the trail, but these leaves really stood out.
Lookout Point Lake (Middle Fork Willamette River) from the trail.
There was one more small uphill on the far side of South Creek before dropping to the trailhead.
South Creek
Not having light until after 7am is rough for someone who likes to get an early start.
The Salmon River Trail is located next to this interpretive sign near the trailhead.
A flash was necessary as I set off.
There was a very brief road walk along this section.
There was also plenty of time along the Salmon River.
I veered right at this picnic table to cross into the campground.
The day use area at the campground.
Water spigot at the day use area.
It was hard to read the date for this cougar sighting, it appeared to be from June, but I couldn’t make out the year.
Entering the Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness
One of the downed trees, this one covered both sides of a switchback.
A rare viewpoint along the forested trail.
A level stretch along a narrow ridge.
A healthy looking paintbrush.
The Sun rising above Hunchback Ridge.
It was going to a be a bluebird day.
Sign ahead marking the Hunchback Trail junction.
One of the “downs”.
This trail was also in good shape with just a few easy obstacles.
I did not go investigate the source of the “water”, it could have been a trap (there is a spring shown on the map).
Signs at the junction below Devil’s Peak.
Mount Jefferson
Olallie Butte (
The lookout from the Mt. Jefferson viewpoint.
Mt. Hood from the lookout.
You can’t see Mt. Jefferson from the lookout due to trees.
Trail signs at the Cool Creek Trail junction.
Lookout Mountain(
Mt. Hood from the Hunchback Trail.
Arriving at the trailhead on FR 2613.
It’s hard to make out in the photo but that is a giant pothole (crater) in the middle of the road seen from the trailhead.
That is the trailhead at the end of the road on the right.
There were some nice Fall colors along the Kinzel Lake Trail.
There were also a few obstacles that were trickier than anything on the other trails involved in this loop.
Salmon Butte (
Nearing the Salmon River Trail.
Trail sign at the Salmon River Trail junction.
There wasn’t much water at all in any of the side creeks.
There are several viewpoints just over 3.5-miles from the trailhead.
The furtherst hump in the center is Huckleberry Mountain (
Wilderness kiosk along the trail. There were self-issued permits here, but none at Green Canyon Way so I stopped and filled one out even though I was almost done with my hike (and out of the wilderness).
Salmon River
There were a couple of good-sized fish in the pool here.
The trail arriving back at the trailhead.
We had also parked here in 2021 for our Barlow Butte hike (
The colors of Fall.
Tom, Dick, and Harry Mountain (
Mt. Hood teased an appearance a couple of times along the lower portion of the PCT. It was enough to see that there was a dusting of fresh snow on the mountain.
The signed junction with the Yellowjacket Trail.
The wet brush had me whishing I’d worn boots.
The Yellowjacket Trail passing a small meadow.
Makeshift footbridge along the trail.
New snow on Mt. Hood.
The valley is the result of an eruption around 250 years ago.
Pacific lupine
At the end of the levee the route climbed a moraine then continued its gradual ascent to the Timberline Trail.
Dark-eyed junco. There was a good variety of birds along the moraine, but this was the only one that sat still long enough to have its picture taken.
Frost on a log. It was really nice to be hiking in the crisp cool air.
Boy Scout Ridge from the moraine.
The unsigned junction with the Timberline Trail.
Mt. Hood from the junction.
Sign for the PCT nearly absorbed by the tree.
Lupine (broadleaf?)
A few remaining blooms on the goldenrod.
Signpost at the PCT junction ahead.
The coyote with Mt. Hood looming behind.
Mt. Jefferson to the south with the Three Sisters behind to the left.
The Three Sisters and Mt. Jefferson
The round peak along the far ridge is Gunsight Butte (
We’d lost sight of the coyote until it ran across the trail not too far in front of us.
More lupine
A few remaining aster blossoms in the foreground.
Timberline Lodge across the Salmon River Canyon.
Looking back down the White River Valley. Barlow Ridge is the near hump on the right.
Another look at Timberline Lodge.
Despite all the cars at the lodge we would only encounter a half dozen other trail users until we were back at the Barlow Pass Trailhead.
Small waterfall below the ridge.
I turned around here where the Timberline Trail headed across the Salmon River drainage. The Silcox Hut is straight ahead on the side of the mountain.
Looking back at the high point where Heather had stopped.
Mt. Hood’s summit.
The waterfall looking pretty small far below the mountain.
It took us a moment to decide what the dark rounded peak straight ahead in the distance was. We eventually correctly identified it as Black Butte (
Olallie Butte (
Birds on mountain ash.
The Timberline Trail junction.
Beargrass meadow, there hadn’t been any blooms this year.
Lousewort
It was nearly 2-miles between the Timberline and Yellowjacket trail junctions.
We were shocked to see a bunchberry that still had some petals, even if they were in sad shape.
Mushrooms and fungi are not surprising this time of year.
Highway 35
Arriving at the Barlow Road.
Our various hikes around the mountain. There are still a few areas where we could add a track or two. Happy Trails!
wanderingyuncks 