Category: Willamette Valley

Racket Ridge-Roemer’s Meadow Loop (Silver Falls S.P.) – 11/11/2025

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date November 13, 2025
No Comments on Racket Ridge-Roemer’s Meadow Loop (Silver Falls S.P.) – 11/11/2025

After missing out on some nice weather due to an illness more good weather on Veterans Day offered me an opportunity to hit the trails. Heather unfortunately didn’t get this holiday off, so it was another solo outing for me.

I decided to head back to Silver Falls State Park and check out three more of the backcountry trails that I had yet to hike. These were the Racket Ridge, Racket Ridge Connector, and Roemer’s Meadow trails. I had two options for trailheads, Howard Creek or North Falls. The Howard Creek Trailhead provided the shortest access to these three trails, but I would need to use a horse ford to cross the South Fork Silver Creek to do so. Starting at the North Falls Trailhead eliminated the need to ford any creeks, but it would add 2.4-miles to my planned route as I would need to use a 1.2-mile section of the Perimeter Trail to reach the Roemer’s Meadow Trail.

I chose the longer, drier, route and parked at the North Falls Trailhead.

I crossed the North Fork Silver Creek using the footbridge near the signboard then turned left passing under Highway 214 to reach a junction with the Perimeter Trail.

I hiked the Perimeter Trail back in 2022 and had passed the upper terminus of both the Roemer’s Meadow and Racket Ridge Trails on that big loop. From the junction it was a 1.1-mile climb to the Roemer’s Meadow Trail and another 1.9 to the Racket Ridge Trail. My plan was to go all the way to the Racket Ridge Trail and follow it downhill to its junction with the Roemer’s Meadow Trail. Before taking the Roemer’s Meadow Trail back up to the Perimeter Trail, I would continue on the Racket Ridge Trail to the Racket Ridge Connector Trail and then follow that trail 0.6-miles to the Nature Trail then turn around.

The Perimeter Trail was in good shape and as is always the case the Silver Falls Backcountry was beautiful.

The Roemer’s Meadow Trail junction. The Perimeter Trail turns to the left here.

The Moon above the treetops.

No flowers this late in the year, but there were plenty of mushrooms.

Arriving at the junction with the Racket Ridge Trail.

Map at the Racket Ridge junction.

I turned right onto the Racket Ridge Trail and followed it downhill 2.2-miles to the Roemer’s Meadow Trail.

A few of the deciduous trees still had their leaves.

Ruffed grouse

Coral fungus

The trail briefly followed this road.

The junction with the Roemer’s Meadow Trail which is to the right.

South Fork Silver Creek next to the Racket Ridge Trail.

Shortly before I reached the Racket Ridge Connector Trail, I ran into a doe coming up the trail toward me.

This was clearly the doe’s trail. She was not in the least concerned by my presence and she nibbled on leaves as she continued toward me. In an attempt to stick to Leave No Trace Principles I backed up a little and she just kept coming. Luckily the road that I had crossed was still nearby so in the end I cut up through some brush and stood on the road as she passed by on the trail.

Back on the trail I quickly came to the ford which was at the junction with the Racket Ridge Connector Trail.

I followed the Racket Ridge Connector to the South Falls Campground and its junction with the Nature Trail.

Another road crossing.

The trail followed along the road to cross the South Fork Silver Creek.

Trail pointer at the junction.

I had been at this junction three previous times, most recently in October during my Howard Creek Loop hike (post) making it a good spot to turn around.

I returned to the Roemer’s Meadow/Racket Ridge Trail junction and turned onto the Roemer’s Meadow Trail which immediately crossed a road.

Roemer’s Meadow Trail straight ahead.

After a brief climb the trail arrived at Roemer’s Meadow which it skirted before reentering the forest.

This was another nice trail with a couple of steeper sections which utilized switchbacks to climb those portions.

The trail made several access road crossings.

Arriving back at the Perimeter Trail.

I turned left onto the Perimeter Trail and followed it back down to the junction near Highway 214.

Since it was still before 11am when I arrived back at the junction I decided to visit Upper North Falls and turned right. It was 0.3-miles to the falls.

Upper North Falls

After visiting the falls I headed back toward the trailhead, but it was still before 11am when I was passing by so I decided I should visit North Falls as well. I passed the footbridge and headed for the junction of the Rim and Canyon Trails. On my way to that junction I decided why not just do the three-mile loop using the Rim, Winter Falls, and Canyon Trails. I took the Rim Trail just over a mile to the Winter Falls Trailhead.

Pointer at the Winter Falls Trailhead.

I took the Winter Falls Trail down to Winter Falls which was flowing nicely.

These falls all but dry up during the summer months.

I followed the Winter Falls Trail across the North Fork Silver Creek then turned right on the Canyon Trail.

It was 0.3-miles to Twin Falls then a little over a mile back to the trailhead.

Twin Falls

North Falls

From behind North Falls.

Cars parked at the trailhead ahead on the left.

This wound up being a 14-mile hike with approximately 2000′ of elevation gain. Had I skipped the waterfalls it would have been closer to 10.5-miles with a little over 1600′ of elevation gain.

During my time in the backcountry I only saw two mountain bikers. (Twice since they were riding the Racket Ridge/Roemer’s Meadow Loop in the opposite direction I was hiking.) There were quite a few more people on the waterfall trails but it didn’t feel too crowded. Now that I’ve added the Racket Ridge, Racket Ridge Connector, and Roemer’s Meadow trails to those that I’ve hiked in the park the only trails that I haven’t hiked is the downhill only upper section of the Catamount Trail, half of the Newt Loop, and parts of the paved Bike Path. Given the park is only 45-minutes from Salem I’m sure I’ll have the opportunity to check those sections of trail off at some point down the road. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Racket Ridge/Roemer’s Meadow Loop

Tags Canyon Trail, hiking, North Falls, North Fork Silver Creek, Oregon, Perimeter Trail, Racket Ridge Connector, Racket Ridge Trail, Rim Trail, Roemer's Meadow, Roemer's Meadow Trail, Salem, Silver Falls State Park, South Fork Silver Creek, Twin Falls, Upper North Falls, Winter Falls, Winter Falls Trail

Hiking Oregon Salem/Albany Trip report Willamette Valley

Willamette Mission S.P. Equestrian Trails – 11/02/2025

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date November 4, 2025
No Comments on Willamette Mission S.P. Equestrian Trails – 11/02/2025

A storm system moved through Oregon a week ago followed by a few nice days and then another round of rain on Saturday. This was a much weaker system, and it had moved on by Sunday morning. I had few free hours at the beginning of the morning which was boosted by falling back an hour for Daylight Savings. Heather was walking with her friend Elizabeth so I would be on my own. I decided to head back to Willamette Mission State Park for the second time this year (9/1/25) and check out some of the equestrian trails.

With Daylight Savings moving Sunrise back up to 6:52am I was able to make the 25-minute drive and be there when it opened at 7am. I parked at the equestrian trailhead.

While there was no rain in the forecast patchy fog was, but it was supposed to burn off around 9am. I picked up the dirt equestrian trail from the trailhead and followed it across the paved bike path.

The route I’d planned would be a little over six miles with less than a half mile of that being on sections of trail that we’d hiked before. I followed the equestrian trail for a half mile before arriving at a signed junction.

It won’t be long and some of the trail in the park will be closed due to seasonal flooding.

Right after I took this picture a deer dashed out of the brush on the left, ran across the trail and vanished before I could take another photo.

I went left at this junction which was labeled “H North Loop Start” on the signboard map.

This 0.4-mile section of trail wound through the woods before arriving at a 4-way junction.

I turned right onto the paved path at this junction and followed it for a tenth of a mile to a 3-way junction.

I turned left at the 3-way junction and continued on the paved bike path for 0.6-miles. There was some blue-sky on my right and fog to my left.

American kestrel in the fog.

I left the paved path here and veered right to rejoin the equestrian trails and stayed right at the junction for just under a quarter mile to a junction with the South Hill Trail.

This section of trail crosses this high-water channel coming off of Windsor Island Slough meaning the south loops are sometimes cut off from the rest of the park.

The path passes close to the slough, but it was hard to see with the dense fog. There was a great blue heron on the far side, but the fog made it virtually impossible to photograph.

The South Hill Trail to the left.

I stayed straight saving the South Hill Trail for my loop back and continued another 0.4-miles to another junction.

I turned right at this junction in order to make the widest loop possible. The trail passed through an open bottomland then curved left at a pointer to pass through a short section of forest before making a brief climb to the edge of a filbert grove.

Northern flicker

The trail turned right here following a roadbed around the filbert trees.

This post is “L” on the park map.

A coyote trotted across the road in front of me but disappeared in the trees before I got the camera up.

At the far end of the trees was the “M” signpost.

I turned left continuing around the filberts until I came to post “N”.

Quail

At “N” the trail made a ninety-degree turn to the right along a barren field.

Looking back at the “N” post.

This was the least obvious section of trail over the whole hike.

The “patchy” fog was not letting up.

A covey of quail.

After passing post “O” the trail curved along Goose Lake which I detoured down to when the opportunity presented itself.

Goose Lake

There were a lot of birds around the lake including a couple of ducks, but with all the fog it was hard to get any photos.

Stellar’s jay

After checking out the lake I continued around the field until reaching post “P” at a junction.

Doves

I turned right at post “P” which put me on the South Hill Trail which led through the woods for almost a mile to complete the loop.

Squirrel

This little buck was slowly walking up the trail in front of me for a while before deciding to duck into the brush.

These were some cool mushrooms.

Completing the loop.

I turned right and recrossed the high-water channel then veered right on a narrow path that led me back to the paved bike path.

Starlings

I turned right on the bike path for a few steps then veered left onto the continuation of the equestrian trail.

I followed this section of the equestrian trail for 0.6-miles to the 4-way junction where I’d turned right onto the paved path earlier in the morning.

American kestrel

I turned right onto the paved path and followed it three-quarters of a mile back to the equestrian trailhead.

Self-heal

Two tenths of a mile after turning right I passed a junction with the bike path I had just crossed a little earlier.

The fence along the parking area just ahead.

My hike came in at 6.3-miles with minimal elevation gain.

The dotted line is today’s track. Dark blue is our 2019 track and the track to the left is from our Spring Valley Greenway hike in 2022.

This was a nice little outing despite the fog and some muddy tread. Hopefully it will be a little clearer next time I visit but I did get to see quite a bit of wildlife so I can’t complain. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Willamette Mission Equestrian Trails

Tags Equestrian Trailhead, Goose Lake, hiking, Oregon, South Hill Trail, Willamette mission State Park, Willamette Valley, Windsor Island Slough

Hiking Oregon Salem/Albany Trip report Willamette Valley

Willamette Mission State Park – 09/01/2025

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date September 4, 2025
1 Comment on Willamette Mission State Park – 09/01/2025

After two days of challenging hikes we opted for a recovery outing on Labor Day. We chose Willamette Mission State Park for the short hike since it is less than 30 minutes from Salem, and we could use the annual State Park pass we purchased earlier this year.

Our only other visit to the park was back in 2019. Our hike that day started from the overflow parking area and was just over 7-miles long which was more than we were looking to do today. This time we parked at the Filbert Grove Day Use Area.

There are quite a few trails packed into the park, both paved and natural surface.

We took a paved path past the restrooms and through the disc golf course to the Bike Path.

We turned right on the Bike Path which we had hiked on our previous visit.

Dove and possibly a woodpecker.

Moth mullein

Willamette River

Rabbit on the side of the trail.

Rabbit

We turned off the Bike Path onto the natural surface Mission Trail when it joined from the right.

Orange jewelweed

Barred owl

Viewpoint of the former Willamette Mission site.

The former mission site across Mission Lake.

Female wood duck

After 0.4-miles on the Mission Trail we came to an unsigned fork.

We took the right fork which was a short connector to the Jogging Trail. We quickly took another right onto a fainter path which went to the right of the Mission Lake B picnic shelter.

The trail became more obvious here.

After just a tenth of a mile we turned left at a “T” junction.

The righthand fork is a little longer loop and rejoins the lefthand fork 0.2-miles from this junction.

There were a lot of active squirrels and birds in the park.

Squirrel

Spotted towhee

Egrets

The other end of the loop on the right.

The Jogging Trail passed a horse and group camp on the left and a hiker/biker camp on the right before arriving at the Filbert Grove Day Use Area.

Hiker/Biker Camp

Filbert Grove Day Use Area

We crossed the day use area to return to the car completing the short 2.2-mile loop.

There was almost no elevation gain for this hike.

The hike was exactly what we needed to help keep our muscles from stiffening up too much from the previous day’s hikes without being too strenuous. The Jogging Trail was new to us and there are still a number of trails here that we’ve yet to explore. Given its proximity to Salem, a return trip or two is in order. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Willamette Mission State Park

Tags Barred Owl, Filbert Grove Day Use Area, hiking, Mission Lake, Oregon, Willamette mission, Willamette mission State Park, willamette river

Hiking Oregon Salem/Albany Trip report Willamette Valley

Silver Falls State Park – 08/16/2025

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date August 18, 2025
4 Comments on Silver Falls State Park – 08/16/2025

A rare August atmospheric river was forecast to hit the NW with a potential to drop 1-3 inches of rain in the mountains and an inch or more in the northern Willamette Valley. By Sunday the system was projected to be moving on and giving way to sunny skies. We adjusted our plans accordingly and had decided to visit Silver Falls State Park on Sunday after the rains subsided to see how the waterfalls looked with the additional rainwater.

We got a little rain on Friday, and more overnight, but by early Saturday morning it became apparent that the river had stayed to the north and mostly missed the Salem area. Around 9am we decided that there was no reason to wait an additional day and quickly packed up and were on our way to Silver Fall by 10am.

We parked in the busy South Falls Day Use Area and hung our State Park Day Use Parking Permit. (Parking is $10.00 for one day.)

Our plan was to hike the Trail of Ten Falls in a clockwise direction starting with South Falls.

South Falls Lodge and Cafe

South Falls

For the loop you can either hike behind South Falls or continue to a footbridge over South Fork Silver Creek below the falls. The majority of people go behind the falls which is normally the route we take as well, but it looked pretty busy behind the falls so we headed for the bridge.

South Falls from the bridge.

After crossing the bridge we turned right to continue on the Canyon Trail along the creek.

Hedgenettle

Largeleaf avens

The next waterfall up was Lower South Falls, approximately a mile from South Falls.

Like South Falls the trail goes behind Lower South Falls.

Lower South Falls wound up being our favorite today.

We continued on the Canyon Trail past a junction with the Maple Ridge Trail which provides an option for a shorter loop back to the South Falls Day Use Area.

It was nearly another mile on the Canyon Trail to the third waterfall, Lower North Falls on the North Fork Silver Creek.

Self-heal

Footbridge over the North Fork Silver Creek.

The recent rain was most obvious with this waterfall. We’ve visited the waterfall twice in July when it typically looks like this.

Just after passing Lower North Falls we detoured left on the short spur to Double Falls.

Double Falls

Back on the Canyon Trail the next waterfall up was Drake Falls followed shortly by Middle North Falls.

Drake Falls

Middle North Falls

Middle North Falls is another waterfall that you can hike behind, but unlike South and Lower South Falls it is not part of the loop. We detoured on the spur trail that led downhill behind the falls.

We returned to the Canyon Trail and continued on to a junction with the Winter Trail. Winter Falls all but disappears in the Summer and even with the recent rain we didn’t expect that there would be enough flow to make the half mile roundtrip detour worth it.

The Winter Trail footbridge through the trees.

A third of a mile beyond the Winter Trail we passed Twin Falls which is the most difficult of the waterfalls to get a good view of.

After the leaves fall off the trees there is a decent view of Twin Falls from the trail as you are coming from the Winter Trail junction, but today this was the best view we had.

Near Twin Falls the Twin Falls Trail split off to the left which led uphill to the new North Canyon District (post). If you found the need for a restroom while you were on the loop the only one outside of the South Falls Day Use Area is located at this new trailhead.

We opted not to make the climb up to the new North Rim Trail and stuck to the Canyon Trail for another mile to North Falls.

Required picture of these large boulders in the creek.

North Falls

North Falls is the other waterfall that you can hike behind and we followed the Canyon Trail underneath.

Rainbow below North Falls.

Scouler’s corydalis

We climbed the steps on the far side of North Falls to the junction with the Rim Trail, but before continuing the loop we detoured to Upper North Falls. It’s approximately four tenths of a mile from the junction with the Rim Trail to Upper North Falls.

To reach Upper North Falls you pass under a footbridge coming from the North Falls Trailhead and Highway 214.

Bleeding Heart

Upper North Falls

After visiting Upper North Falls we returned to the Rim Trail and followed it nearly 2-miles back to the South Falls Day Use Area where we had another half miles back to our parked car.

North Falls from the Rim Trail.

Salal berries. These were the only ripe edible berries that we came across. They aren’t the best trail berries, but these were fairly juicy and sweet prompting me to have a couple.

Winter Creek at the top of Winter Falls. Our suspicion of low water flow was confirmed.

Given where we parked and various detours our GPS showed an 8-mile hike with approximately 600′ of elevation gain.

Despite the atmospheric river being more of a seasonal creek in our part of Oregon there had been enough rain to make a noticeable impact on the falls which was fun to see. It was another reminder that Silver Falls State Park is worthy of a visit anytime of the year. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Silver Falls 2025

Tags Canyon Trail, Double Falls, Drake Falls, hiking, Lower South Falls. South Falls, Middle North Falls, North Falls, Oregon, Rim Trail, Silver Falls State Park, South Falls Day Use Area, Twin Falls, Upper North Falls

Oregon Salem/Albany Trip report Willamette Valley

Enchanted Forest – 07/26/2025

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date July 28, 2025
3 Comments on Enchanted Forest – 07/26/2025

Instead of going out on a typical hike this week we had the chance to a join a small group of my co-workers at the Enchanted Forest theme park. The family-owned park opened in 1971 is located just south of Salem along Interstate 5. Enchanted Forest has been a part of countless Oregonians childhoods, and the nostalgia felt for the park makes it fun to revisit as adults.

The park is open seasonally, generally starting with Spring Break and running through the last weekend in September. At both the beginning of their season and in September the park is only open on weekends. An entrance fee allows guests to explore the park including several interactive attractions and shows. Other rides require tickets which can be purchased when entering or at booths around the park.

Upon entering Enchanted Forest the first attraction is Storybook Lane which begins at a castle to the left of the entrance.

To the right are restrooms, food options, and gift shops.

Storybook Lane is a series of fairy tale themed exhibits, many of which are interactive such as a rabbit hole based on Alice in Wonderland, a crooked house, and a slide based on the Old Lady Who Lived in The Shoe.

The rabbit hole exit.

Inside the dwarves mine.

Entrance to the slide which we all went down.

Outside of the Crooked House. Inside the floors are indeed crooked.

After winding up the through Storybook Lane the next area is the western themed Tofteville.

To the left (north) of Tofteville is the Haunted House which requires tickets.

Before we headed into the Haunted House we headed for the Comedy Theatre which is just a little past the Haunted House. Since 1973 Enchanted Forest has put on musical comedies which provide some good laughs and a good chance to rest tired feet.

This year’s performance is Jack and the Beanstalk.

There is an area of kiddy rides just beyond the theatre including a little train, bumper boats, a small Ferris wheel, and frog hopper. There is also a bumper car ride in that area with a 42″ height requirement. All of these rides require tickets.

We didn’t have any kiddos with us so after the performance we went through the Haunted House then back through Tofteville to the Old European Village area.

One of the displays inside the Haunted House.

The entrance to the Challange of Mondor, another ticket ride. This ride is similar to Buzz Lightyear in Disney Land where a car takes you through the ride while you try and hit targets with a laser gun. Heather and I were outdone by Elizabeth in our car while Mary Ann took top honors in the other car.

After making our way through the Old European Village we stopped into the Fantasy Fountains Water-light Show.

Inside Pinocchio’s Playhouse.

This free show repeats every 15 minutes inside the Jolly Roger Inn where guests can get pizza, popcorn, PB&J Sandwiches, other snacks, and drinks.

The water show is actually pretty relaxing, and another good excuse for a break from walking. After our break here we headed back uphill (the park is located on a forested hillside) to the Big Timber Log Ride. The log ride is the most thrilling ride in the park and there was about an hour wait time. (I didn’t actually check the time, but it seemed to go pretty quickly.)

Waiting in line. There are a number of warnings that riders will get wet on this ride. Ponchos are available for purchase at ticket booths and gift shops for those who want to avoid this.

The final drop.

This is the main source of soaking although there is a smaller drop before this where some water will likely hit you.

Heading up.

Members of our group in the flume below us.

I’m pretty sure I wound up the wettest of our group with Heather a close second. The good news was that we were wearing hiking clothes which are designed to dry quickly. After the log ride my coworkers headed out, but Heather and I stuck around for the Ice Mountain Bobsled Roller Coaster.

The Ice Mountain Bobsled is the runner up to the log ride for thrill factor. It was a 40-minute (or so) wait for the bobsleds.

I’m old enough to remember when the bobsleds were introduced in 1983 (I was 10). The ride is still fun as an adult however there are a couple of sudden stops/slowdowns that can be a bit jarring.

We had both gotten hungry standing in the bobsled line so after the ride we headed back down through the Old European Village to Gretel’s Grill and grabbed a bite to eat. After eating we debated on sticking around a little longer or heading home to our cats. The cats won out and home we went. We’d had a lot of fun as we always do anytime we have an excuse to visit this local treasure. Happy Enchanted Trails!

Flickr: Enchanted Forest

Tags Big Timber Log Ride, Challenge of Mondor, Comedy Theatre, Enchanted Forest, Haunted House, Ice Mountain Bobsled, Oregon, Salem, Tofteville

Corvallis Hiking Oregon Trip report Willamette Valley

Dimple Hill from Lewisburg Saddle – 07/05/2025

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date July 8, 2025
2 Comments on Dimple Hill from Lewisburg Saddle – 07/05/2025

The day after the 4th we had the opportunity to join a friend for her birthday hike at McDonald Dunn Forest near Corvallis, OR. This was a great opportunity to catch up with some friends and meet some new people with a bonus hike thrown in.

We’d done a few hikes in the area (Bald Hill & McCulloch Peak, Chip Ross Park and Dimple Hill, Peavy Arboretum – McDonald Forest, McDonald-Dunn Forest via Sulphur Springs – 10/02/2021, Peavy Arboretum to Dimple Hill – 10/22/2022) but had never begun a hike at the Lewisburg Saddle.

The group of friends and family set off on Patterson Road 600 across Sulphur Springs Road from the trailhead and followed it to Road 650 which leads to Dimple Hill.

Fireweed

Daisies and trefoil

Near this area a bird flew across the road and landed in a tree on the other side. Someone had noticed that it appeared to have a small rodent which seemed odd for such a small bird.

The lighting made it difficult to make much out, but the shape made me think it could be a northern pygmy owl.

After using the camera and phones to try and get a better look we agreed that it was indeed a pygmy owl.

That is the back of its head with the rodent hanging down.

After the little owl flew off we continued on and a little while later I spotted a buck grazing on the hillside below.

Rubbing on the tree trunk.

St. John’s wort on the hillside.

Hedgenettle

Road 650 to the left.

The group turned left onto Road 650 then left the road after a tenth of mile to follow Upper Dan’s Trail to Dimple Hill.

Spotted towhee

Upper Dan’s Trail on the left.

Viewpoint bench on Dimple Hill.

Mary’s Peak (post) from Dimple Hill.

A new addition since my last visit to Dimple Hill was the upper viewpoint bench which had been replaced.

The group gathering at the viewpoint bench.

After a short break at the viewpoint we all headed back the way we came to Lewisburg Saddle.

Chipmunk

Snake

After returning to the trailhead a small group headed to Good Grounds Coffee Shop to do a little more catching up before heading our separate ways. This was a great hike for catching up and meeting new people as the wide gravel road meant we didn’t need to be single file. The weather couldn’t have been much better either.

This out and back was about 5-miles round trip with 600′ of elevation gain.

Orange is the out-and-back from today.

While we don’t often get the chance to hike with others (most are not insane enough to wake up before 3:30am on a day off) it was a lot of fun to get to do so on this day and to help celebrate a friend’s birthday. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Dimple Hill from Lewisburg Saddle

Tags Corvallis, Dimple Hill, Good Grounds Coffee, hiking, LEwisburg Saddle, McDonald-dunn Forest, McDonald-Dunn Research Forest, Northern Pygmy Owl, Oregon

Hiking Oregon Roseburg Area Trip report

Cow Creek Trail and Gorge – 06/22/2025

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date June 26, 2025
2 Comments on Cow Creek Trail and Gorge – 06/22/2025

After spending the night in Roseburg (post), we were finally headed to the Cow Creek Trail. There wasn’t much recent information online regarding trail conditions. The trail is an additional hike in the back of William L. Sullivan’s “100 Hikes/Travel Guide Southern Oregon”. It also doesn’t help that the Forest Service websites have been undergoing an update and trail information is basically non-existent at this point. VanMarmot’s Travels has the best write up on the trail, but his visit was back in 2018. There were a couple of brief write ups from 2023 & 2024 from outings that didn’t provide details, nor did they appear to have hiked the entire 6-mile trail.

Located about an hour SE of Roseburg, the Cow Creek Trailhead is not identified on Google Maps but there is a pit toilet and room for a number of cars.

The trail begins next to the East Fork Cow Creek next to a small memorial plaque.

The trail was pretty overgrown which was fine except for the fact that the previous day’s rain was still sitting on the leaves which quickly soaked us.

The trail climbed a bit and swung around a ridge leaving the East Fork Cow Creek drainage and entering the South Fork Cow Creek drainage.

Madia along the trail.

Madrone along the trail.

The trail then descended to the first of several bridgeless crossings of the South Fork Cow Creek.

We had brought our water shoes for the fords which we changed into even though our feet were damp from the wet vegetation anyway.

Shortly after crossing the creek we entered the 2021 Wildcat Fire scar which burned almost down to the creek.

Another overgrown section of the trail.

The first tricky obstacle we had to get through.

There were some big trees along the trail.

About a mile from the trailhead we came to the second ford of the creek. At this point we’d left the fire scar behind.

The trail is straight ahead on the far side.

We came to the third ford less than a quarter mile from the second.

Wildflowers in the trail.

The trail became even more overgrown beyond the third crossing.

Columbine and blowdown along the trail.

Twinflower

The trail here was completely covered by salal.

Rhododendron above the trail.

Pond along the trail.

The trail had climbed above the creek which helped with the amount of brush along the trail, but it presented new challenges with downed trees.

Wintergreen

Anemones

This section of downed trees required crawling under a few and over others.

I had gotten ahead of Heather and at approximately the 2.75-mile mark I came to a pair of large, downed trees that had caused a small slide on the far side of them. These could not be ducked under and in order to get over them I had to go between the two by bracing my left foot on the upper tree and then hoisting myself over the large lower tree.

I paused on the far side assessing the trail ahead while realizing that Heather’s legs aren’t long enough to make it over this obstacle as I did. Going below the trees wasn’t an option due to their length and the steepness of the hillside, and going around above them would have led through the small slide which didn’t seem like a safe choice. Then I looked back and realized that getting back over these trees from the side I was on was going to be even harder than getting over had been due to the angle of the trees. While there were no other visible obstacles ahead along the small portion of trail I could see I knew I was still over 3-miles from the upper end at Railroad Gap with no idea what the conditions ahead were. I decided to call it and work on figuring out a way back over the trees.

I was barely able to get my leg high enough onto the tree to pull myself over using the bark of the tree for a grip (good thing it didn’t come off). A couple of minutes later I met up with Heather and let her know about the obstacle ahead and we headed back to the car. While it was a little disappointing to turn back we would at least be getting home earlier than we’d expected.

We skipped the water shoes on the way back since fording the creek couldn’t add any more water to our shoes/socks and just enjoyed the scenery along the trail.

Pink pyrola

Northern phlox

Snail

Another look at the first major obstacle.

Pinesap

Tiger lily

Coral root dressed as vanilla leaf.

Since we had ended the hike early we decided to stop at the Cow Creek Falls Trail which we’d passed on the drive to this trailhead. Located across form the entrance to the Devil’s Flat Campground we parked near old Devil’s Flat Guard Station.

We followed a pointer for the Cow Creek Falls Trail to complete a 0.4-mile loop passing above Cow Creek Gorge.

Devil’s Flat Guard Station

Cow Creek Falls Trail

Tiger lilies

We came to an unsigned fork near a footbridge and correctly chose to turn left.

The right-hand fork just led back up to Cow Creek Road according to the GPS.

We had to keep an eye out for poison oak along this trail.

Cow Creek Gorge

Stable from the trail.

Prince’s pine

Stonecrop

The loop led back up the Devil’s Flat near the old stable.

From the stables we followed a road back to our car near the Guard Station.

My 5.5-mile track at Cow Creek and our hike at Cow Creek Gorge.

The Cow Creek Trail was beautiful so it’s unfortunate that we weren’t able to hike the whole thing, but we enjoyed the portion that we could. Maybe the trail will see some maintenance, but that is becoming harder and harder with budget cuts and now the current administrations staffing cuts. Combine that with the possibility of public lands being sold off and the outlook is a little bleak. Knowing that things don’t last forever is one of the reasons that we have been trying to visit as many different trails as possible while we can. The other thing we can do is let our representatives know how important it is to keep our recreational lands open to the public. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Cow Creek Trail and Gorge

Tags Cow Creek Falls Trail, Cow Creek Gorge, Cow Creek Trail, Cow Creek Trailhead, Devil's Flat, Devil's Flat Campground, Devil's Flat Guard Station, East Fork Cow Creek, hiking, Oregon, roseburg, South Fork Cow Creek, Umpqua National Forest

Hiking Mt. Theilsen/Mt. Bailey Area Oregon Roseburg Area Trip report

Highway 138 Waterfalls Part 2 – 06/21/2025

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date June 25, 2025
1 Comment on Highway 138 Waterfalls Part 2 – 06/21/2025

In June 2022 we spent a night in Roseburg during a week of vacation. Before checking into our room we had spent the day visiting several waterfalls along Highway 138 (post). The next day we had originally planned on hiking the Cow Creek Trail on our way to Ashland, but we wound up doing other hikes instead and saved Cow Creek for another year (post). This was the year that we put Cow Creek back on our schedule. The plan was to hike the Cow Creek Trail Saturday morning then spend the night in Roseburg and the following morning hike the 1-mile Shadow Falls Trail before returning home.

Our timing coincided with the first weekend of Summer as well as some unseasonably cold and wet weather. As the weekend neared and the forecast became clearer, Saturday called for rain showers along with temperatures in the upper 30’s to low 40’s (Fahrenheit). Sunday however was going to be rain free with partly sunny skies emerging later in the day.

Friday evening we decided to tweak our plans and visit Shadow Falls on Saturday morning and save Cow Creek for Sunday. With Shadow Falls only being a two-mile hike we would have plenty of time to add some other stops. While we had visited most of the well-known waterfalls along Highway 138 in 2022 there were a couple that we had not stopped at so we added those to the itinerary along with a stop at Cavitt Creek Falls near Shadow Falls and the Clearwater River Trail along Highway 138. This would give us a 5 stop day and close to 6.5-miles of hiking.

We made the approximately three-hour drive from Salem to the Shadow Falls Trailhead along Forest Road 25 in the Umpqua National Forest. The drive took us to Glide on Highway 138 where we turned off onto Little River Road which we were familiar with from our visit to Wolf Creek Falls in August 2022 (post).

The hike here is straightforward with the trail losing a little over 300′ of elevation in a mile to a viewpoint of the waterfall.

Salal

Oregon goldthreads

Geranium

Snail

Footbridge over Cavitt Creek.

Cavitt Creek

There were some nice rock formations along the creek.

Shadow Falls

There was a rope and scramble trail next to the fence at the viewpoint, but with the wet and muddy conditions we stuck with the view from the end of the official trail. After spending a little time admiring the waterfall we headed back up to the car.

Rhododendron

Looking down from above the falls.

The top of Shadow Falls.

Northern phlox

From the trailhead we drove back along FR 25 8.5-miles to the BLM managed Cavitt Creek Falls Recreation Site. The site consists of 10 campsites ($10.00 fee and reservations must be made 5 days in advance) and a day-use picnic area. The main attraction is a swimming hole below Cavitt Creek Falls. The falls themselves are under 10′ in drop, but they are a scenic little cascade. An ADA accessible trail leads down to a viewpoint above the falls, and a set of stairs continues down to the swimming hole.

The campground host from the small day-use parking area.

The wheelchair accessible path.

Picnic area near the viewpoint above the falls.

The swimming hole was empty except for this common merganser.

Cavitt Creek below the falls.

This was a nice little stop where we managed to get in almost a third of a mile of walking. Being there on a wet, chilly morning worked out great for just checking out the waterfall. We returned to our car and made our way back to Highway 138 where we turned right (east) and headed for our next stop at Clearwater Falls. It was a little over 63 miles from the Cavitt Creek Falls Recreation Site to the Clearwater Falls Campground where we parked near the picnic area and followed a short (one tenth of a mile) path to the beautiful Clearwater Falls.

Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway Map at the picnic area.

First time we’ve seen a wolf warning; it is usually bear or cougar.

Understandably this was the first stop where there were other people, but it wasn’t crowded, and everyone got a chance for a little solitude on the observation deck. After taking our turn we returned to the car and headed back west on the highway just 3.6-miles to Whitehorse Falls Campground.

The small parking area near the picnic grounds.

An even shorter trail here led to a viewing platform for Whitehorse Falls. We saw several of the same faces here as we’d seen at Clearwater Falls.

Clearwater River below Whitehorse Falls.

Once again we returned to the car and continued west, this time 8.8-miles to the Clearwater (East) Trailhead.

The trailhead is just a pullout along the shoulder of FR 4776.

The 1.7-mile Clearwater River Trail begins (or ends if you start at the Clearwater (West) Trailhead) on the opposite side of the road.

The pointer to the right was labeled “Unmanaged Trail” which was a term we had not encountered before. We would pass four such signs along this trail and can only assume they are use trails connecting to FR 4776 at various points.

This was a lovely trail which made a couple of ups and downs as it followed the river toward Toketee Lake.

Crab spider on prince’s pine.

Twin flower

This was the biggest skunk cabbage that we’d ever seen.

Hedge nettle

Tiger lily

Northern phlox

Arnica

One of several small cascades along the river.

Scouler’s bluebells

Rhododendron

Another Unmanaged Trail heading off to the right.

Candysticks

Yet another Unmanaged Trail.

Arriving at the west trailhead.

We were hoping for a view of Toketee Lake, but we would have had to road walk a bit to get one.

We returned the way we’d come without seeing another person on this trail.

Foam flower

There were a pair of ouzels flying around this cascade.

Ouzel aka American dipper.

This stop came to 3.5-miles, our longest hike of the day. There was a little noise from the highway at brief times along the trail but for the most part the river drowned out the cars. It was a good way to end the day as far as hiking went.

With all the stops being short and/or simple out-and-backs instead of the individual tracks here is a map of their relative locations.

This image includes our 2022 visits as well.

We timed things pretty well too with the rain really letting loose on our drive into Roseburg. After checking in to our room and getting changed we headed out to get some dinner at 7 Seven Thai which turned out to be a great pick, then headed to Fred Meyer for some room snacks before turning in for the evening. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Highway 138 Waterfalls Part 2

Tags Cavitt Creek Falls, Cavitt Creek Recreation Site, Clearwater Falls, Clearwater Falls Campground, Clearwater River, Clearwater River Trail, Highway 138, hiking, Oregon, roseburg, Shadow Falls, Waterfalls, Whitehorse Falls, Whitehorse Falls Campground

Hiking Oregon Salem/Albany Trip report Willamette Valley

Champoeg State Heritage Area

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date June 24, 2025
1 Comment on Champoeg State Heritage Area

On Juneteenth we headed to Champoeg State Heritage Area for a morning hike. We had visited the park in December 2015 (post) as part of our “500 featured hikes” goal and run into a few flooded sections of trail. Our focus on this visit was to hike those sections on this visit to fill in the gaps of Sullivan’s featured hike.

As we’d done on our previous visit we parked at the Riverside Day Use Area.

We followed a paved path through the picnic area to the pavilion which marks the place where the first American government on the Pacific Coast was created.

The Pavillion Trail.

The trail in 2015.

We passed the pavilion and headed down some steps to a trail along the Willamette River where we veered left on the trail closest to the river.

We took the trail angling left which took us to the river.

Duck flying by an eagle’s nest.

The path continued above the river before looping back toward the pavilion.

Bittersweet nightshade

Coastal manroot and red elderberry.

Heading back toward the pavilion.

We came to another set of stairs and headed up to a small picnic shelter.

At the small shelter we detoured to the right to check out the foundational remains of a building then headed back past the shelter on a paved path that led back to the pavilion.

The sign below the window marks the high-water marks of the 1861 flood that destroyed all of the original buildings in the area.

After reading the interpretive signs at the pavilion, we took another path down toward the river.

This path briefly followed the river before veering away and leading to the Townsite Day Use Area and a private residence (We assume this is for the park ranger?).

Robin

At the far end of the Townsite Day Use Area parking lot we picked up the Champoeg Townsite Trail.

This dirt path led us to a group tent area and boat ramp near the Oak Grove Day Use Area.

Scenery along the trail.

The Willamette River.

Blackberry blossoms and wild cucumber (fruit from coastal manroot).

Young rabbit along the trail.

Moth mullein

Starling

At the far end of the group tent area the trail headed toward the boat ramp before turning right through some blackberry bushes.

The trail veered away from the river at a bench near Champoeg Creek. The trail then followed the creek bed to a park road and bike path.

Ground squirrel

We turned left on the bike path and crossed over Champoeg Creek near the campground entrance.

Champoeg Creek

Champoeg Creek in 2015.

We continued on the paved path for a tenth of a mile then turned left at a hiker symbol for the Kitty Newell Gravesite.

In 2015 we went all the way to Butteville but today we had some chores to do at home, so we skipped it this time.

We turned left on the dirt trail and then took another left at a “Y” junction to visit the gravesite.

The gravesite trail is to the left with the Nature Trail to the right.

The trail continues a short distance beyond the gravesite to a bench along Champoeg Creek.

We returned to the junction with the Nature Trail and followed that by staying left at junctions. After 0.4-miles we popped out onto the bike path near another bench.

There was some poison oak along this trail.

Willamette River

We turned right on the bike path and after 0.2-miles found ourselves back at the sign for the Kitty Newell Gravesite. We continued back across Champoeg Creek but stayed on the bike path at the Champoeg Townsite Trail.

We stayed on this paved path for a half mile to a “Visitor Center” pointer.

Ground squirrel

Checker mallow

This was supposed to be a picture of the elegant brodiaea but apparently the camera was obsessed with the grass.

We skipped the center during our 2015 visit so this time we turned left and headed up a small hill.

After walking around the grounds at the Visitor Center we headed back down the hill and continued on the bike path back to the Riverside Day Use Area.

Swallow

Phacelia

Marker for Napoleon Street.

The sign at the bottom of the tree is the water line for flooding that occurred in 1996 and the one up higher (a lot higher) is for 1861.

The bike path leaving the Townsite Day Use Area.

Just hanging out.

Heading for the Riverside Day Use Area parking lot.

Today’s hike came in at 5.7-miles with just 100′ of elevation gain.

It was a beautiful morning, and we accomplished what we’d set out to do by filling in the missing pieces of the featured hike. (One thing to note is that Champoeg is a fee park – $10.00/day or $30.00/annual pass.) With the park being less than 45-minutes from Salem we were home by 10:30am giving us plenty of time to do a few chores before doing some relaxing with the cats. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Champoeg State Heritage Area

Tags champoeg creek, Champoeg State Heritage Area, hiking, Oregon, Riverside Day Use Area, Willamette Valley

Coastal Range Eugene Hiking Oregon Trip report Willamette Valley

Wildlife Week – Day 7: Fern Ridge Wildlife Area (and bonus waterfalls) 05/03/2025

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date May 5, 2025
4 Comments on Wildlife Week – Day 7: Fern Ridge Wildlife Area (and bonus waterfalls) 05/03/2025

The final outing of Wildlife Week fell on Saturday, so Heather was able to join me. I’d picked the Fern Ridge Wildlife Area west of Eugene, OR for this final outing, in part because it gave us an excuse to check out a pair of waterfalls SW of Eugene between Reedsport and Drain.

The forecast called a chance of showers through early afternoon, and we drove through several along Interstate 5 before exiting the freeway on Highway 38 south of Cottage Grove. As we headed west on Hwy 38 the showers eased and we even had some blue sky by the time we parked at the gated entrance to Loon Lake Recreation Site.

With the campground still closed for the season we parked at a pullout next to a bridge over Mill Creek and then hiked past the gate to the day use area.
Mill Creek from the bridge.

Stellar’s jay

Chipmunk

Loon Lake

The lake was formed by a landslide. The boulders in the Mill Creek picture above were part of that landslide.

At the end of the day use area we picked up a paved path that led into the forest.

Trillium

We veered right at a hiker symbol onto a short path (about a quarter mile) that led into the Elliott State Research Forest and ended at Loon Lake Falls.
This was our first hike in the Elliott State Forest and possibly only hike given the forest webpage states under “There are no established trails, restrooms, or trash receptacles.”

Fairy lanterns

Given that the unnamed stream that feeds the waterfall appears to start just a bit further uphill I suspect it doesn’t often have much of a flow, but it was a decent waterfall in a lovely setting.

After admiring the waterfall we hiked back to the car. This stop was just 1.5-miles with 200′ of elevation gain.

Quite a bit of the distance was walking from the road to the day use area.

The next waterfall we visited was Camp Creek Falls. This waterfall is on private timberland just off of a BLM road. The timberland company’s public access map available online currently shows the area as open to the public but that could change at any time. Because of this I am not going to go into detail for the location but there is information online from other sources. If you do plan on trying to visit the waterfall, I highly suggest looking up the current land ownership through the Douglas County Assessor (Douglas County GIS| County Map) and then looking up the current owner online to find out about public access.
A very short path led down to the waterfall.

Camp Creek Falls. The rock here is sandstone which creates the 31′ stairstep cascade.

Snail

This was a very pretty waterfall. There were however a few beer cans and bottles around and a fire pit along the creek which were disappointing. We’ll never understand why someone would take the time to visit such a beautiful location and mar it.

With the waterfall visits checked off we headed back to Highway 38 then made our way north to the Fern Ridge Wildlife Area.
Before reaching Highway 38 I had to pull over to get a couple of photos of an elk herd.

We started our hikes at Fern Ridge WLA by parking along Cantrell Road at a pullout for the West Coyote Unit.

The wildlife area maps showed loops on both sides of Coyote Creek. We set off on a trail leading off from the pullout which followed an old roadbed.

Camas

Not sure why this was lying on the side of the trail away from the trailhead, but it provides information on the seasonal allowed usage of the units.

The trail led to a grassy track along Coyote Creek.

Geese

The maps showed the trail then looping back closer to the creek and returning to Cantrell Road at the Coyote Creek Canoe Access. There was a bench right next to the creek near the mowed track but we didn’t see any sign of a trail here, so we continued another 0.2-miles on the grassy tack before deciding we’d for sure missed the return trail, if it even still existed.
Roses

Channel along the dikes.

We turned around and returned to the bench where, coming from this direction, we could make out a faint trail leading into the woods.

This trail was muddy with vegetation encroaching on it, including an alarming amount of poison oak.

Rough-skinned newt

Slug

Snail

Made it out.

Dodging poison oak isn’t either of our favorite pastimes so we were hesitant about the trail in the Coyote East Unit. Nevertheless we crossed Coyote Creek on Cantrell Road where large signboards announced the Nature Trail. (FYI there are no parking pullouts on this side of the creek.

We walked up the trail a short distance to the start of the loop where Heather said thanks but no thanks and headed back to the car.

I opted to give it a try and set off to the right on the more obvious trail. There was a bit of poison oak but on this trail it wasn’t encroaching as much as it had in the Coyote West Unit.

Western meadowrue

Bench along Coyote Creek

The Nature Tail also emerged onto a mowed track where I messed up the route.

If I had consulted the map I would have realized the trail continued left on the grass for a short distance before returning to the woods and looping back around to mowed tracks. The trail then sticks to the grass as it heads south before turning back to the west. I turned right mistakenly thinking I was further along the route and having not paid attention to the mix of grass tracks and woods.
I should have gone this direction. The presence of the bench should have tipped me off.

I kept my eyes out for a trail on my right and after 0.2-miles I spotted a possibility.
Overgrown but in the right spot.

I was now paying closer attention to the map compared to the GPS and realized my mistake of turning right, but I could also see that this overgrown path must be the continuation of the loop. It was muddy and overgrown but in just 370′ I was back at the start of the loop.

After completing my “modified” loop I road walked back to Heather and the car. This hike wound up being two miles with no elevation gain.
The orange section is where I turned right instead of left as I should have. I estimate that going the correct way would have added approximately 0.75-miles. I don’t know what type of condition the other section of trail through the woods is in.

These were an odd couple of trails, possibly more useful for hunters during hunting seasons. We had one more stop at planned at Fern Ridge WLA at the https://myodfw.com/sites/default/files/2019-02/Fisher%20Butte.pdf. We parked at the large trailhead off Highway 126 and set off past a large signboard.

We’d spent time in this unit in November 2021 when we started from a different trailhead along Royal Avenue (post). The “trails” here are a series of dikes through the wetlands creating multiple route opportunities. We wound up with a 4.3-mile hike consisting of two loops.

Road to Fisher Butte,

We spotted quite a few different species of birds and heard a lot of bull frogs. There were also some impressive camas fields in some of the wetlands.
Camas

Bird viewing platfrom.

Red-winged blackbird

Bullfrog. They were everywhere and continuously startled us when they would make a loud “alarm” sound before jumping into the water.

We turned left at the platform onto this dike.

Sparrow

Blue-winged teals. This was the first time seeing this species during Wildlife Week. We had seen a couple of these ducks back in 2021 at Cold Springs National Wildlife Refuge in Eastern Oregon (post).

Another big field of camas.

Fisher Butte at the end of another dike.

Geese in formation.

Checkerbloom

Blue sky, a far cry from the low clouds and showers we’d driven through in the Eugene area earlier in the morning.

Geese and cinnamon teals.

I needed a more powerful camera to make out the various ducks and other birds we were seeing in the distance.

There were a number of great blue herons hunting in the wetlands.

Another viewing platfrom.

Looking toward the Royal Avenue Unit.

Pelicans. Another species that I hadn’t seen at any other wildlife area this week.

Purple martin

One of at least a half dozen American bitterns that we saw in flight. We were unable to spot any before or after they were in flight.

Swallows in flight

There was a lot happening in this part of the unit.

White pelicans and a mute swan (non-native)

Geese

Another first this week – greater white fronted geese. It’s a blurry photo but it was the best I could do given their distance.

Goose passing the swan.

Same goose passing a pelican.

Northern shoveler

Hawk

Another large group of various ducks and other birds.

Bald eagles

Two types of camas

Heading back to the trailhead along the side of Fisher Butte.

Flax

The final stretch of Wildlife Week.

The showers never materialized, and the wildlife was abundant making this a great end to Wildlife Week. Over the seven days I visited five national wildlife refuges, two state wildlife areas, and two wetlands covering nearly 60-miles of hiking. I got to see a great variety of wildlife and know I missed so much more. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Fern Ridge WLA plus waterfalls

Tags Coyote Creek, Coyote East Unit, Coyote West Unit, Fern Ridge Wildlife Area, Fisher Butte Unit, hiking, Loon Lake, Loon Lake Falls, Loon Lake Recreation Site, Nature Trail, Oregon, pelicans. blue-winged teal