Category: Willamette Valley

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Eugene Hiking Oregon Willamette Valley

Middle Fork Path – Dorris Ranch to Clearwater Park – 03/16/2024

March began with a couple of weeks of wet weather including several days with snow mixed in with the rain. Things finally changed this week and by the weekend temperatures in the Willamette Valley were entering the low 70’s which meant it was time for our March hike. Dorris Ranch had been on the schedule for March 2024 since 2022 following a February hike by my parents there. They’d been a little too early for any flowers, so March seemed like a good time for us to give the ranch a try.

The 268-acre Dorris Ranch (est. 1892) is located in Springfield, OR and is recognized as the first commercial filbert (hazelnut) orchard in the United States. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is reported that over 50% of the commercial filbert trees growing in the U.S. today originated from the Ranch’s nursery stock.

Trails crisscross the ranch ranging from the paved Middle Fork Path to gravel and natural surface paths. We parked at the Middle Fork Path Trailhead at Dorris Ranch. Our plan was to begin by hiking through the orchards to the confluence of the Coast Fork and Middle Fork Willamette Rivers then continue on to the Middle Fork Path and follow it to its end at Clearwater Park and then return to the trailhead via the Middle Fork Path.
Signboard for the Middle Fork Willamette River Path at Dorris RanchSignboard at the trailhead.

Dorris Ranch information and mapMap of the trails at Dorris Ranch.

Map of the Middle Fork Willamette River PathMap of the Middle Fork Path (red) and Mill Race Path (yellow).

Before heading for the rivers we visited the Living History Village. Replicas of the 1850’s buildings built by the Masterson family built prior to selling the land to the Dorris family are located along a short loop and is used for school field trips.
Living History Village at Dorris RanchThe Masterson cabin replica. They were a family of ten when they moved out.

Wagon at Dorris Ranch

Living History Village at Dorris Ranch

After checking out the Living History Village we headed downhill to the Dorris Ranch Barn.
Dorris Ranch

New cedar doors on the barn at Dorris RanchThese cedar doors were installed earlier this month replacing a broken door.

Dorris Ranch informationPlaque on the barn.

From the barn we took a wide gravel path past a gate to the orchards.
Trail at Dorris Ranch

Trail at Dorris RanchA January 16th ice storm hit the area hard and damaged a number of trees at the ranch and along the Middle Fork Path.

Trail at Dorris Ranch

Orchard at Dorris RanchSome signs of the ice storm damage.

Trail at Dorris RanchLarge trees around the pump house and packing shed.

American kestrel with breakfast (frog)An American kestrel with an unlucky frog atop a tall tree.

Oregon grapeOregon grape near the packing shed.

Old oak treeOld oak tree along the path.

Purple deadnettlePurple deadnettle beneath the old oak.

Black walnut orchardBlack walnut orchard just past the oak tree.

At the black walnut orchard the gravel gave way to a natural surface trail.
Trail at Dorris Ranch

VioletViolet

VioletViolet

The trail arrived at a bench overlooking the confluence of the Coast Fork and Middle Fork Willamette Rivers.
Confluence of the Coast and Middle Fork Willamette RiversThe confluence.

Middle Fork WillametteMiddle Fork Willamette River

From the confluence the trail turned left passing through a forest before arriving at the Middle Fork Path after half a mile.
Trail at Dorris Ranch

MallardsMallards

Hooded merganserHooded mergansers

ToothwortSlender toothwort

Breakfast buffetSomeone had left some seeds and nuts on this tree. While it’s not LNT compliant it was attracting a variety of wildlife.
Chipmunk and a squirrelChipmunk and squirrel

Chipmunk and a white-breasted nuthatchChipmunk and white-breasted nuthatch

Giant White Wakerobin, Trillium albidumGiant White Wakerobin, Trillium albidum

Middle Fork Willamette River Path from the Dorris Ranch trailThe paved Middle Fork Path dead ahead.

We turned right onto the Middle Fork Path and followed it for three and a quarter mile to the parking lot at Clearwater Park.
Middle Fork Willamette River Path

Ruby-crowned kingletRuby-crowned kinglet

WrenWren

Middle Fork Willamette RiverMiddle Fork Willamette River

Middle Fork Willamette River Path

CormorantDouble-breasted cormorant

HoundstonguePacific hound’s tongue

Ring-necked ducksRing-necked ducks

GooseGoose

Quarry CreekArriving at the Quarry Creek picnic area.

Spencer Butte from the Middle Fork Willamette River PathLooking back at Spencer Butte (post).

Middle Fork Willamette RiverA goose and a couple of common mergansers in the river.

Common merganserCommon merganser drake

Middle Fork Willamette River

Middle Fork Willamette River Path junction with the Mill Race PathApproximately 2.75-miles from Dorris Ranch we came to the junction with the 3-mile-long Mill Race Path. An adventure for another day.

Middle Fork Willamette River PathThere were plenty of benches along the path.

Columbian larkspurLarkspur starting to bloom.

Springfield Mill RaceSpringfield Mill Race

Mt. Pisgah through the treesMt. Pisgah (post) through the trees across the Middle Fork Willamette.

Clearwater ParkDisc golf course at Clearwater Park.

Middle Fork Willamette River PathNearing the parking lot at Clearwater Park.

Map at Clearwater ParkMap of the trails at Clearwater Park.

We weren’t aware of the informal trails shown on the map at Clearwater Park, but the prospect of seeing a couple of ponds piqued our interest so we crossed the park entrance road and followed a narrow gravel path into the woods.
Informal trail at Clearwater Park

Turkey vulturesTurkey vultures. We’d seen our first turkey vulture of the year a little earlier on the Middle Fork Path. I’d been on the lookout for one of these scavengers for the last couple of weeks knowing that their arrival in the Willamette Valley coincides with the onset of Spring.

Informal trail at Clearwater Park

We didn’t get far on the informal trails before ice storm damage turned us back.
Storm damage blocking the informal trail at Clearwater Park

We backtracked and took a different informal path to the parking area near the boat launch and then followed a dirt path back to the Middle Fork Path.
Turkey vulture warming upTurkey vulture enjoying the sunshine.

Clearwater Park and LandingArriving at the boat launch area.

Informal trail at Clearwater ParkHeading back to the Middle Fork Path.

We followed the Middle Fork Path back to Dorris Ranch, sticking to the paved trail all the way back to the trailhead.
Middle Fork Willamette River Path

Middle Fork Willamette River Path at Dorris RanchBack at Dorris Ranch. The trail we’d taken earlier that morning is to the left just before the bench.

Middle Fork Willamette River Path at Dorris Ranch

Western bluebirdsWestern bluebirds

Cooper's HawkI believe this is a Cooper’s hawk.

Middle Fork Willamette River Path at Dorris Ranch

Western buttercupsWestern buttercups

DaffodilsDaffodils

While we saw a few more flowers than my parents had in February we were still a week or two early, but at least we did see a few of the early bloomers. There was abundant wildlife though and the fairly level trails made for a relaxing hike. Our GPS units both showed this as a 9.2-mile hike which was just right for our feet this time of year given we were primarily on paved trails.

After the hike we met up with our Son for lunch at Ubon Thai Kitchen before heading back to Salem. As to close a perfect late Winter hike as you can get. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Middle Fork Path

Categories
Coastal Range Hiking Oregon Portland Trip report Willamette Valley

Ki-a-Kuts Falls Fernhill Wetlands – 02/24/2024

A mostly sunny, near 60-degree forecast, looked too good to pass up so we decided to head out and attempt a pair of short hikes in the Oregon Coast Ranges Tillamook State Forest. Our first stop was along Maple Creek Road for a hike to Ki-a-Kuts Falls.
Sunrise from Maple Creek RoadSunrise from the trailhead.

Clear cut along Maple Creek RoadClear cut at the trailhead.

The old alignment of the road was said to be located approximately 80 yards from the trailhead, but it appears that between time, storms, and logging operations the old road has become far less obvious.
Possibly the old alignment of Maple Creek RoadThis was the view through the forest from Maple Creek Road around the 80-yard mark.

We hiked further up Maple Creek Road and checked for a way down to the old alignment, but in the end decided that the slick conditions combined with the amount of blowdown on the hillsides would have made for a much more challenging hike than we were looking to tackle.
Looking out over the Tualatin River ValleyWe could hear the Tualatin River in the valley below and I managed to get far enough down the hill to get a glimpse of the water. I had descended from a pullout with a fire ring about 50-75′ looking for the old roadbed, but I still couldn’t make out where it actually was and had been slipping a lot on wet wood.

After climbing back up to Heather I called an audible and we turned to Plan B. The second hike we’d originally planned on was a 1.5-mile out and back further into the forest to visit Stairstep Falls, a rapid more than a fall, that requires fording the 25 yard wide Middle Fork North Fork Trask River. We decided against attempting that hike because it would effectively end our hiking day by leaving the only pair of hiking shoes I’d brought soaked. That was fine when it was going to be the final hike of our day, but we wanted to get a little more than 2.5-miles in. (We’d done close to 1 looking for the way to Ki-a-Kuts Falls.)

I’d known going in that there was a chance that we’d need to turn to Plan B because the most recent trip reports I could find for Ki-a-Kuts Falls was from 2014. That Plan B had been Fernhill Wetlands. Located in Forest Grove, OR the trailhead was just 26-miles from where we were. We drove back to Yamhill and then headed North on Highway 47 to the Fernhill Wetlands Trailhead.
Visitors Center at Fernhill Wetlands

Informational signboard at Fernhill WetlandsMap and information at the trailhead.

There are several loops possible at the wetlands and we hoped to maximize these, so we headed south along Fernhill Marsh.
Fernhill Marsh

StarlingStarling

Mt. Hood beyond Fernhill MarshLenticular clouds over Mt. Hood in the distance.

Indian plumOur first wildflower of the year is Indian plum in 2024.

EgretEgret

Fernhill WetlandsPath at Fernhill Wetlands.

We stayed straight at a junction with a path between Fernhill Marsh and Cattail Marsh.
Gazebo at Fernhill WetlandsGazebo overlooking Cattail Marsh.

Great blue heron at Fernhill WetlandsGreat blue heron on a post above Cattail Marsh.

Great blue heron

American cootAmerican coot

At the next junction we turned left between Cattail and Eagles Perch Marshes.
Eagles Perch Marsh sign

Fernhill Wetlands

Great blue heron at Eagles Perch MarshAnother great blue heron.

Red-winged blackbirdRed-winged blackbird

HawkHawk flying over Eagles Perch Marsh.

Fittingly at the far end of the marsh were a pair of bald eagles.
Bald eagles

We turned right and walked along Eagles Perch Marsh for a tenth of a mile to a gate along SW Geiger Rd.
Fernhill Wetlands

Ring-necked ducksRing-necked ducks

BuffleheadsBuffleheads

Hooded merganser?This one might be a hooded merganser?

After turning around we headed north passing Cattail Marsh and arriving at Fernhill Lake.
Fernhill wetlands

Fernhill LakeFernhill Lake

The trail bent eastward along the lake to a gazebo overlooking Barney Wetlands. From the gazebo we watched a flock of tundra swans. This was our second outing in a row (Wapato Lake) seeing tundra swans after not ever having seen them on a hike prior.
Fernhill LakeThis is where the trail turned east (for obvious reasons).

Barney WetlandsBarney wetlands

Tundra swans

Tundra swans

Tundra swans

Tundra swans

There were also quite a few ruddy ducks here which we don’t often see.
Ruddy ducks

Ruddy ducks

Ruddy ducks

Ruddy duck

After a good long break watching the swans we continued around Fernhill Lake to Dabblers Marsh.
Double-crested cormorantDouble-crested cormorant on a post in Barney Wetlands.

Double-crested cormorantDouble-crested cormorant

Double-crested cormorantDrying off in the sun.

NutriaNurtia at a bench near Dabblers Marsh

NutriaNutria

Dabblers MarshDabblers Marsh

Green-winged tealGreen-winged teal

Great blue heronGreat blue heron

Pie-billed grebePie-billed grebe

We turned west between Fernhill Lake and Dabblers Marsh and came to a nice view of the lake and the start of the Dabblers Marsh Loop Trail.
Fernhill Wetlands

Fernhill Lake

Dabblers Marsh Loop Trail

We turned onto the woodchip path along Dabblers Marsh and followed pointers to a loop around some farmland.
Dabblers Marsh Loop Trail

American robinRobin

Dabblers Marsh Loop Trail

Dabblers Marsh Loop TrailThe start of the loop at the edge of the farmland. We stayed left opting to hike the loop clockwise.

Anna's hummingbirdAnna’s hummingbrid

Geese in the fieldA gaggle of geese in the field.

Geese

American kestrals along the Dabblers Marsh Loop TrailAmerican kestrels manning their posts.

American kestral

Purple dead-nettlePurple dead-nettle

Cackling geese coming in for a landingMore geese coming in for a landing.

Dabblers Marsh Loop Trail

Dabblers Marsh Loop TrailNear the end of the loop the trail left the field along Dabblers Marsh.

Spotted towheeSpotted towhee

RabbitRabbit

After completing the loop and returning to Fernhill Lake we did a loop through the Water Gardens.
Geese on Fernhill LakeGeese on Fernhill Lake

Water Garden at Fernhill Wetlands

MallardMallard drake

MallardMallard female

Water Garden at Fernhill WetlandsWater Gardens

Water Garden at Fernhill Wetlands

Water Garden at Fernhill Wetlands

Northern shovelers and a mallardNorthern shovelers, a mallard, and a coot.

Oregon grape beginning to bloomOregon grape beginning to bloom.

Northern shovelerNorthern shoveler

Green-winged tealsGreen-winged teal pair

Trails at Fernhill WetlandsPath along the Research Wetlands.

EgretEgret near the parking lot at Fernhill Marsh

Research wetlands at Fernhill WetlandsLooking back at the Research Wetlands from the near the trailhead.

We managed to get 3.7-miles in at the wetlands and saw a lot of birds and other animals. While there were quite a few more folks here than we’d seen on our previous hike at nearby Wapato Lake Wildlife Refuge, it never felt too busy. Plan B had earned an A+ in our books. Happy Trails!

Categories
Hiking Oregon Trip report Willamette Valley

Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge – 02/10/2024

While we didn’t have another hike scheduled for February a decent forecast was too much to pass up. We were looking for something nearby (less than an hour from Salem) on the shorter side that would be more of a leisurely stroll than a hike. We decided it would be a good day to check out the Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge . Originally added (2007) as part of the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge (post) the Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge was designated in 2013. Eight years later the refuge was opened to public use and now has approximately 2.85 miles of trail. The trails are currently open from Feb 1st through Nov 30th each year (note the 1.3-miles of natural surface is closed to hiking starting Sept 1st). Also of note is that during periods of heavy rains the access trail may become flooded, but the Refuge website has a link to the USGS Monitoring Tool where you can easily check to see if the creek’s level is over 7.5 feet.

The trailhead is adjacent to Brown Park in the city of Gaston, OR and includes two ADA parking spaces and a restroom. What it lacks is signage from Highway 47. The parking area can be accessed from that highway or via Onion Lane by turning South off of E Main Street/SW Gaston Road. A paved trail begins at an informational signboard where you can also pick up a brochure.
Map and Informational signboard at the Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge Trailhead

It was a little cloudier than we’d hopped as we set off on the paved path. We followed the path to a footbridge over Wapato Creek to the levee that partially surrounds the lakebed. We faced a choice of heading left for 0.6-miles or right for up to 2-miles. Another person had just turned left so we opted to go right.
Trail at the Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Pedestrian bridge over Wapato Creek

Pedestrian bridge over Wapato CreekWe were a little confused by the sign on the left here stating the trail was closed. The website and signboard had said nothing about a closure and the gate at the far end of the bridge was open and others were already out on the levee. We assume they just hadn’t taken the sign down after the seasonal closure period.

Trail pointers along Wapato LakePointers on the levee.

NutriaNutria (sigh). We had hopped it was a beaver but alas the whiskers give it away.

Geese, ducks, and shorebirds at Wapato Lake National Wildlife RefugeGeese, several species of ducks, and some shore birds.

From the bridge to the right the levee’s surface is good gravel. We took our time as we strolled south trying to discern which types of ducks we were seeing.
Wapato CreekA great blue heron along Wapato Creek.

Great blue heronGreat blue heron

Wapato Lake National Wildlife RefugeWapato Lake

Beaver lodgeBeaver lodge

Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Ducks at Wapato Lake National Wildlife RefugeNorthern shovelers and an American wigeon

Wapato Lake National Wildlife RefugeOf course we forgot to bring binoculars making it even harder to make out which types of ducks were out there.

Ring-necked ducks and a cootRing-necked ducks with an American coot in the background.

Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Ring-necked duck and northern shovelersRing-necked duck and northern shovelers

Reflections in Wapato LakeReflections in Wapato Lake

Bench along Wapato LakeThere is virtually no shade along the lake which wasn’t an issue today but could be in the heat of Summer. There are however three benches along the levee allowing for a place to sit and watch the birds.

Lesser scaupsLesser scaups

Wapato Lake National Wildlife RefugeDucks flying over the lake.

Wapato CreekOld bridge over Wapato Creek. The gravel surface ended at this bridge.

After 0.7 miles of gravel the levee continued as a natural surface. The unevenness of the natural surface was a stark difference to the gravel.
Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge

We continued on the natural surface another three quarters of a mile to a gate at another old bridge. Across the lake we could see some tundra swans which were a first for us, and we startled a coyote that raced off through the brush along the lakebed.
Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Coyote in the burshThe coyote running off through the brush.

Tundra swansTundra swans

Ducks at Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Tundra swansTundra swans

Wapato Lake National Wildlife RefugeWe decided to turn around at this bridge even though the levee continued. It appeared that the water was further away from the levee going forward and we hadn’t planned on going much more than 3-miles today.

We were hoping that the partly sunny skies that had been forecast would make an appearance as we made our way back, but that never happened. Nevertheless, we were enjoying trying to identify the different ducks and birds we were seeing.
Northern pintailsNorthern pintails and some green-winged teals.

Green-winged teals and American wigeonsAmerican wigeons and a pair of green-winged teals.

Wapato Lake National Wildlife RefugeThere were a couple of times that blue sky seemed imminent.

BuffleheadsBuffleheads

Wapato Lake National Wildlife RefugeIowa Hill (post) across the lake.

Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge

BuffleheadsMore buffleheads

Immature bald eagleImmature bald eagle

SparrowSparrow

Horned grebeHorned grebe

CanvasbacksCanvasbacks, another first for us.

Great blue heronGreat blue heron on the osprey nest.

Great blue heron on an osprey nestTher heron on the nest.

When we arrived back at the bridge over Wapato Creek we stayed straight on the level and followed the gravel path north 0.6-miles to a gate where we turned around and returned to our car.
Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge

MallardsMallards

Red-winged blackbirdRed-winged blackbird

Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Bald eagleBald eagle

Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge

NutriaNutria

Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Gaston from Wapato Lake National Wildlife RefugeGaston from the refuge.

Green-winged tealsGreen-winged teals

Northern pintailsNorthern pintails

Ducks at Wapato Lake National Wildlife RefugeMostly American wigeons and green-winged teals

Wapato Lake National Wildlife RefugeOn the paved path back to the parking lot.

We wound up going a total of 4.8-miles (according to both our GPS units) which was a little further than we’d planned, but we got to see a lot of wildlife without much effort on the level trails.

This was an enjoyable visit and given its relative proximity to Salem one that we’ll likely revisit down the line. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Categories
Hiking Oregon Portland Trip report Willamette Valley

Forest Park (Germantown Road to Newberry Road) – 02/03/2024

Warm weather and possible blue sky prompted us to head out for our February hike the first day we had off. While the very recent weather had been unseasonably warm the Willamette Valley, and especially the Portland area, was still recovering from January’s Winter storm. We had changed our planned January hike due to storm damage in Portland’s Forest Park and found ourselves looking to change our planned February hike now as well.

We had originally planned on visiting some wetlands west of Portland but flooding from the ice storm and heavy rains that followed had left some of those trails flooded. A quick check of the current trail conditions at Forest Park revealed that there were no closures/detours listed for the area of the park we had planned to hike the previous week so that became our Plan B.

We had hiked in the 5200-acre Forest Park on five previous occasions with each hike including part of the approximately 30-mile Wildwood National Recreation Trail. The trail begins in Washington Park’s Hoyt Arboretum (post) and ends at Newberry Road to the NW. Our previous outings had covered all but approximately 3.3-miles of the Wildwood Trail between the arboretum and Germantown Road (post). A 2022 visit to the Pittock Mansion via the Wildwood Trail (post) connected to the hike from Hoyt Arboretum and to a 2020 loop starting on Leif Erickson Drive from Thurman Street (post). A 2019 loop from the Lower Saltzman Road Trailhead (post) didn’t connect to any of the other hikes leaving a 1.3-mile gap in the Wildwood Trail between the Maple Trail and Nature Trail junctions, and a 2-mile gap between Firelanes 5 and 7A.

We were missing all of the Wildwood Trail between Germantown Road and Newberry Road though, so that was the goal of today’s hike. We decided to start at the Germantown Road Trailhead as opposed to the Newberry Road Trailhead which was a choice we would regret later. We were the third car at the Germantown Road Trailhead at 7:15am.
Wildwood Trailhead at Germantown RoadSome of the damage from the ice storm at the trailhead.

One of the nice things about Forest Park is the numerous loops that are possible off of the Wildwood Trail which allows one to avoid straight out-and-back hikes. There is a price for the loops which is paid in the currency of elevation gain. The route I’d planned for the day included three loops beginning at the trailhead where instead of taking the Wildwood Trail we took the Connector Trail to the Cannon Trail and followed it downhill to the Leif Erickson Drive North Trailhead.
Connector Trail at Germantown RoadSign for the Connector Trail at the trailhead.

Cannon TrailCannon Trail

From the Leif Erickson Trailhead we crossed Germantown Road at the gate for Firelane 9 then hiked uphill along the shoulder of Germantown Road just over 100 yards to Firelane 10.
Firelane 9 across Germantown Road from the Leif Erickson TrailheadFirelane 9 across from the trailhead.

Firelane 10 at Germantown RoadFirelane 10

We followed Firelane 10 downhill to a stream crossing then climbed to a junction with the Linnton Trail.
Firelane 10

Stream flowing over Firelane 10Unsurprisingly the recent weather had most of the stream beds flowing which we hadn’t witnessed on our other visits.

Firelane 10Heading up to the junction.

Linnton Trail at Firelane 10The Linnton Trail heads down a ridge to the Linnton Trailhead.

We turned left at the junction sticking to Firelane 10 which climbed back up to the Wildwood Trail. The 1.7-mile detour from the Germantown Trailhead came with an elevation loss of 375′ and gain of 550′.
Firelane 10

Firelane 10 junction with a bypass trail on the left.We passed the Keyser Trail which rejoins Firelane 10 just a quarter mile ahead. We stuck to Firelane 10 which climbed very steeply in that quarter mile leading us to believe the Keyser Trail may have been a little more gradual as the map showed it bowing away from Firelane 10 before rejoining.

Downed tree from the recent ice storm over Firelane 10The first of only three trees that were still down over the trails we hiked. In the distance is a Wildwood Trail sign at the junction.

We turned right onto the Wildwood Trail and followed it for just over a mile to the BPA Road.
Wildwood Trail

Stream between the Wildwood TrailThe trail repeatedly bows into the hillside to cross creek beds.

Sign at the junction with the connector trailWe passed three pointers for Newton Road and then crossed Newton Road along this section of the Wildwood Trail. We would be using Newton Road to make another small loop on our way back.

Wildwood Trail junction with Newton RoadThe Wildwood Trail crossing Newton Road.

Trail map at the Wildwood Trail/Newton Road junctionNot all of the junctions have maps, but most of the major ones do to help keep hikers and runners on track (or to give them more ideas).

Wildwood Trail

Wildwood TrailClimbing up to the BPA Road crossing.

Wildwood Trail on the right and the BPA Road on the leftThe BPA Road heading uphill with the Wildwood Trail we’d just come up to the right.

We turned off of the Wildwood Trail here and took a right onto the BPA Road. After a brief climb the BPA Road dropped to a saddle where Firelane 12 joined from the left at the Fix-the-Hole plaque.

BPA Road junction with Firelane 12Firelane 12 on the left.

Fix-the-Hole plaque along the BPA Road in Forest ParkThe middle of three plaques commemorating the 1999 acquisition of 73-acres that was in danger of being developed.

We turned left onto Firelane 12 and descended for half a mile to Firelane 15 near another unnamed creek.
Firelane 12

Could get this varied thrush to sit still or come out into the open so this was the best I could do :(Once again varied thrush 1 – Deryl 0. If I was keeping score, it would probably be something like 179-10.

Firelane 12 junction with Firelane 15Firelane 15 on the left ahead.

We turned left onto Firelane 15 and climbed over 230′ in 0.4-miles to the Wildwood Trail.
Firelane 15The small creek along Firelane 15.

Firelane 15Blue sky and powerlines above Firelane 15.

Firelane 15 junction with the Wildwood TrailWildwood Trail crossing Firelane 15.

We turned right onto the Wildwood Trail once again and followed it nearly 1.8-miles to its end at Newberry Road. There were no firelanes or side trails along this final stretch of the Wildwood Trail.
Wildwood Trail

Wildwood Trail

Curved footbridge along the Wildwood TrailThe fanciest bridge we crossed all day.

Looking down at the Wildwood Trail from the Wildwood TrailWhy is the trail way down there when the road is up above on the far hillside?

Woolly bearWoolly bear

Wildwood Trail climbing to the Newberry Road TrailheadClimbing to Newberry Road just to say we made it to the end of the Wildwood Trail.

Northern end of the Wildwood Trail at Newberry RoadNewberry Road Trailhead.

After a brief break at the trailhead we headed back. We stuck to the Wildwood Trail passing both Firelane 15 and the BPA Road. Just under 4-miles from Newberry Road we arrived at Newton Road were we turned right and left the Wildwood Trail.
Wildwood Trail

Woodpecker way up in treeAnother sub-par bird photo, but it took us quite a while just to spot this woodpecker who was way up in the treetops (and mostly in the shade).

Wildwood Trail

Wildwood Trail junction with Firelane 15Crossing Firelane 15.

Wren (Pacific?)Another blurry bird. This one a wren, one of many we heard but the only one we were able to spot.

Uprooted trees along the Wildwood TrailUprooted trees along the Wildwood Trail.

Wildwood Trail left and Newton Road to the rightNewton Road to the right of the Wildwood Trail.

We turned uphill onto Newton Road and followed it just over half a mile to the Newton Road Trailhead where we paused to use the facilities.
Mile post 3/4 along Newton RoadMile marker along Newton Road.

Douglas squirrelDouglas squirrel

Habitat restoration project along Newton RoadOne of several small habitat restoration study areas along Newton Road.

Newton Road Trailhead in the distanceThe Newton Road Trailhead in the distance.

After our break at this trailhead we followed Firelane 10 at the far end of the parking area 0.2-miles to the Wildwood Trail.
Firelane 10 from the Newton Road Trailhead

Firelane 10 junction with the Wildwood Trail

It was just over three quarters of a mile on the Wildwood Trail from Firelane 10 to the Germantown Road Trailhead.
Bench along the Firelane Wildwood TrailOne of only two benches we saw all day.

Wildwood Trail approaching Germantown RoadCars parked along Germantown Road in the distance.

According to the Garmin our hike was 12.2 miles with approximately 2200′ of elevation gain. A good challenge for us this early in the year. (Our feet were not too happy with us.)

Despite the challenge it had been a nice hike with excellent weather, and while Forest Park is much busier than many of the trails we visit it never really feels too crowded.

While our experience on the trails had been good we arrived back at our car to find that people had parked along a fence behind us in the parking lot which didn’t leave us enough room to back out from between the cars on either side of us. We hadn’t expected anyone to park there because of the lack of room, but we should have known better. We spent the next half hour or so waiting for the owners of any of the three cars parked around us to return and set us free. (Although the SUV parked on our right was most likely going to be in the same predicament we were.) Fortunately the people that had parked directly behind us returned and we were able to escape. There have been other times I worried about having the car get trapped, but until today it had just been my own paranoia. Hopefully we will choose our parking spots more carefully in the future. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Northern Forest Park

Categories
Hiking Oregon Portland Trip report Willamette Valley

Mt. Tabor, Mt. Talbert, Scouters Mtn., & Hidden Falls Parks – 12/16/2023

For our final outing of 2023 we headed to Portland to visit some Boring volcanoes. Not to be confused with boring, the Boring Volcanic Field which consists of more than 80 small volcanic vents and associated lava flows dispersed throughout the greater Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area. Several of the resulting cinder cones are home to parks providing hiking opportunities and we planned on visiting three of these along with a city park with a 15′ waterfall.

We began our morning at Portland’s Mt. Tabor Park. We parked in in the lot next to the Mount Tabor Visitors Center and set off toward the playground.
IMG_2023The playground behind and to the right of the signboard at the Visitors Center.

We were attempting to follow, as closely as possible, the route described by Matt Reeder in “PDX Hiking 365”. (His hike has a different starting point but loops through the parking area where we were starting.) After a little confusion near the playground we located the red trail and followed it to the Mount Tabor Stairs where we turned right.
IMG_2027The red trail continuing on the far end of the playground.

IMG_2028Mt. St. Helens from the playground.

IMG_2031On the red trail.

IMG_2032The Mount Tabor stairs extend from the park border up to the summit.

IMG_2034Summit restrooms

IMG_2036The restrooms were reopened in 2017 after being renovated.

IMG_2041Mount Tabor summit

IMG_2040Mt. Hood from the summit.

IMG_2044Downtown Portland

At the southern end of the summit, near the former site of a statue of Harvey W. Scott (and later a bust of York), we headed downhill on a steeper trail.
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At a wide junction we turned right onto the Red Trail and passed above Reservoir No. 1.
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At Reservoir Loop Road we veered left staying on the Red Trail climbing up and over Poison Oak Hill. The trail then dropped back down to the loop road near Reservoir No. 5.
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IMG_2061Mallards

We walked along reservoir road to a small building then crossed the road and headed down a long flight of stairs.
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At the bottom of the stairs we turned right on the Green Trail and followed it past some tennis courts before turning uphill. We stuck to the Green Trail as it neared the parking area and followed it back behind The Crater before arriving back at the Visitors Center.
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IMG_2073We forked right at this junction sticking to the green pointers.

IMG_2076Arriving at The Crater.

IMG_2077Coming around The Crater near the Visitors Center.

This was just over a two-mile loop with approximately 350′ of elevation gain.

From Mount Tabor we made the nine-mile drive to the Sunnyside Road Trailhead for the Mount Talbert Nature Park.
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We set off on a gravel path that descended to a metal bridge over Mount Scott Creek.
IMG_2079Mount Talbert from the path.

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IMG_2082Mount Scott Creek

Beyond the creek the forested trail began to climb Mount Talbert. We passed a junction with the Cedar Park Trail joining from the left and after 0.4-miles arrived at a T-junction with the Park Loop Trail.
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IMG_2088The Park Loop Trail junction just uphill.

Mount Talbert is an Oregon Metro park which meant well marked junctions complete with small maps.
IMG_2089Note that the map at the Park Loop/Sunnyside Road Trail junction mis-identifies the location with the “You Are Here” star located at the Park Loop/Summit Ridge junction.

We turned left onto the Park Loop Trail and followed it further uphill to the actual Summit Ridge Trail junction.
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We turned right onto the Summit Ridge Trail and followed it up and over the wooded summit to the West Ridge Trail.
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IMG_2099Arriving at the West Ridge Trail junction.

We turned right again and followed the West Ridge Trail as it traversed the hillside brining us back to the Park Loop Trail.
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IMG_2103Rejoining the Park Loop Trail.

We completed the loop and turned down the Sunnyside Road Trail to return to our car to complete this 2.5-mile (and 700′ gain) hike.
IMG_2108Mt. Adams was visible through the web of small branches.

IMG_2110A snowy Mt. Adams.

IMG_2113Back at the Sunnyside Road Trail.

From the Sunnyside Road Trailhead it was just a 3.5-mile drive to the parking area at Scouters Mountain Nature Park.
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From the parking area we set off on the paved Shelter Trail toward the summit.
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After just 0.2-miles we arrived at the shelter and a great view of Mt. Hood.
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IMG_2122The benches throughout the park contained various nature sculptures, this one is “Moss Group”.

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After admiring the mountain we made a small loop on the summit then continued on our larger loop by taking the Boomer Trail at the southern end of the summit downhill and looping around the East side of the mountain to return to the parking area.
IMG_2148On the Boomer Trail.

IMG_2150The Boomer Trail turned left at the bottom of these stone steps.

IMG_2151Another Metro trail map and pointers.

IMG_2152The Boomer Trail, named for Mountain Beavers which are sometimes called boomers, crossed the entrance road before climbing back up to the parking area.

IMG_2156This was an impressive root system.

IMG_2160A less obstructed view of Mt. Adams. (Mt. St. Helens was also briefly visible from this section of trail.)

IMG_2161Slightly clearer shot of Mt. Adams.

IMG_2162Back at the trailhead.

This was just a 1.3-mile loop with 200′ of elevation gain, and it was still early enough that we could easily fit one more stop in. From Scouters Mountain we drove another 4.5-miles to Hood View Park

At the far end of the parking area we followed a service road down to SE 162nd Ave and followed it right to its end at a sign for the Hidden Falls Nature Park.
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IMG_2164Mt. St. Helens from the service road. Mt. Hood was also visible to the right through some fences around the ball fields.

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A wide path led somewhat steeply downhill a third of a mile to an impressive bridge over Rock Creek and a view of Hidden Falls.
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IMG_2170The large area to the right didn’t offer much of a view of the falls, but the view from the bridge was great.

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We continued past the bridge a short distance along Rock Creek before turning around when the path veered away to climb up into another neighborhood.
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The Oregon Hikers Field Guide describes a 4.1-mile loop that visits some other parks while also passing through several neighborhoods. We were content with seeing the falls and headed back making this just a 1.2-mile out-and-back with a couple hundred feet of elevation gain. For the day we logged 7.2-miles and 1475′ of cumulative elevation gain. It was a nice relaxing way to end our 2023 hiking season. Happy Trails and Merry Christmas!

Our final three hikes.
Categories
California Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument Crater Lake Area Grants Pass Area Hiking Klamath Mountains Klamath/Siskiyou Mountains Marble Mountains Medford/Ashland Area Mt. Shasta Area Mt. Theilsen/Mt. Bailey Area Oregon Red Buttes Wilderness Rogue-Umpqua Divide Roseburg Area Salmon Mountains Scott Mountains Siskiyou mountains Sky Lakes/Mountain Lakes Area Trinity Alps Trinity Divide

Southern Oregon & Northern California

Several years ago we set a goal for ourselves to hike all 500 featured hikes in William L. Sullivan’s “100 Hikes…” series of guidebooks (post). In 2020 we completed the first of these books covering the Central Oregon Cascades (post). We followed that up by completing a pair of books in 2021 starting with Sullivan’s “100 Hikes/Travel Guide Oregon Coast and Coast Range” 3rd edition (post) followed up by “100 HIkes/Travel Guide Northwest Oregon & Southwest Washington” 4th edition (post).

Generally speaking in order to check a hike off our list we need to have hiked a substantial portion of Sullivan’s described hike or visited the main attraction(s) he identifies for the hike. For 66 of the hikes we followed the books described route. For the other 34 hikes various factors contributed to us not completing all of each featured hike. For some we started at a different trailhead, others had portions of trail(s) closed when we visited, and several had longer options that would have required multiple days to complete. In some other cases we did slightly different routes, sometimes by accident.

The area covered by Sullivan in this book, as the title suggests includes parts of Southern Oregon and Northern California. It contains his southernmost featured hike, Caribou Lakes. In general the area covered in Oregon begins just North of Roseburg extending East to Highway 97 (with the exception being Klamath Falls which is included in his Eastern Oregon book), South to California, and West to Marial on the Rogue River. In California the area extends south to the Trinity Alps Wilderness, West to the Siskiyou Wilderness, and East to the Mount Shasta Wilderness.

The hikes inside the red lines represent the location of the featured hikes.
A closer look at the area covered.

In addition to the three wilderness areas in California mentioned above the featured hikes included visits to the Marble Mountain, Castle Crags, Russian, and Red Buttes Wilderness areas in California. Wilderness areas in Oregon included the Red Buttes (OR & CA share this wilderness), Kalmiopsis, Wild Rogue, Soda Mountain, Mountain Lakes, Sky Lakes, Rogue-Umpqua Divide, Boulder Creek, and Mt. Thielsen.

In addition to the 15 designated wilderness areas there were hikes in two National Monuments – Oregon Caves & Cascade-Siskiyou, and Crater Lake National Park.

#1 North Bank Ranch-Hiked 6/5/2015 6/25/2023
Middle Ridge Trail - North Bank Habitat
#2 Fall Creek Falls-Hiked 6/13/2022 8/7/2022 6/25/2023
Fall Creek FallsFall Creek Falls
#3 Little River Waterfalls-Hiked 8/7/2022
Yasko FallsYasko Falls
#4 Boulder Creek-Hiked 9/7/2020
Boulder Creek
#5 Twin Lakes-Hiked 6/14/2022
Twin Lakes from a viewpoint above Twin Lakes
#6 Fish Lake-Hiked 9/3/2022
Highrock Mountain from Fish Lake
#7 Buckey and Cliff Lakes-Hiked 9/3/2022
View from Grasshopper Mountain
#8 Umpqua Hot Springs-Hiked 6/13/2022
Surprise Falls
#9 Toketee and Watson Falls-Hiked 6/13/2022
Toketee Falls
#10 Lemolo Falls-Hiked 6/13/2022
Lemolo Falls
#11 Cowhorn Mountain-Hiked 9/15/2016
Sawtooth Mountain from Cowhorn Mountain
#12 Miller and Maidu Lakes-Hiked 8/1/2012
Tipsoo Peak from Maidu Lake
#13 Tipsoo Peak-Hiked 10/2/2014
Howlock Mountain and Mt. Thielsen
#14 Thielsen Creek-Hiked 8/8/2020
Pacific Crest Trail at Thielsen Creek
#15 Mount Thielsen-Hiked 9/23/2012
Mt. Thielsen
#16 Diamond Lake-Hiked 9/5/2020
Mt. Thielsen from the Dellenback Trail
#17 Mount Bailey-Hiked 8/12/2012
Mt. Bailey Trail
#18 Boundary Springs-Hiked 6/13/2014
Unnamed waterfall below Boundary Springs on the Rogue River
#19 Park Headquarters-Hiked 7/31/2023
Wildflowers along the Castle Crest Wildflower Trail
#20 Garfield Peak-Hiked 7/31/2023
View from the Garfield Peak Trail
#21 Discovery Point-Hiked 9/19/2022
Crater Lake
#22 The Watchman-Hiked 8/12/2012 7/31/2023
Rim Trail
#23 Wizard Island-Hiked 8/1/2023
Crater Lake
#24 Mount Scott-Hiked 10/2/2014
Crater Lake
#25 Plaikni Falls and The Pinnacles-Hiked 7/30/2023
Plaikni Falls
#26 Crater Peak-Hiked 7/30/2023
Garfield and Applegate Peak on the left and Mt. Scott on the right
#27 Annie Creek & Godfrey Glen-Hiked 7/30/2023 7/31/2023
View from the Godfrey Glen Trail
#28 Union Peak-Hiked 9/17/2022
Union Peak Trail
#29 Upper and Lower Table Rocks-Hiked 6/9/2017 (Lower) & 5/26/2022 (Upper)
Wildflowers on Lower Table RockLower Table Rock

Lower Table Rock from Upper Table RockView from Upper Table Rock
#30 Lost Creek Lake-Hiked 6/9/2017
Lost Creek Lake
#31 Takelma Gorge-Hiked 10/15/2020
Takelma Gorge
#32 Natural Bridge-Hiked 10/16/2020
Rogue River
#33 Union Creek-Hiked 10/17/2020 9/20/2022
Union Creek Falls
#34 Abbott Butte-Hiked 10/17/2020
Old lookout tower on Abbott Butte
#35 Hershberger Mountain-Hiked 10/16/2020
View south from Hershberger Mountain
#36 Muir Creek-Hiked 5/27/2018
Hummingbird Meadows
#37 Rattlesnake Mountain-Hiked 9/6/2020
Rattlesnake Mountain from the Rogue-Umpqua Divide Trail
#38 Seven Lakes West-Hiked 9/9/2023
Alta Lake
#39 Seven Lakes East-Hiked 9/9/2023
Seven Lakes Basin
#40 Blue Lake Basin-Hiked 9/18/2022
Pear Lake
#41 Mount McLoughlin-Hiked 8/27/2016
Mt. McLoughlin
#42 Fourmile Lake-Hiked 8/26/2016
Mt. McLoughlin from Fourmile Lake
#43 Sky Lakes via Cold Springs-Hiked 9/24/2022
Luther Mountain and Lee Peak from one of the Heavenly Twin Lakes
#44 Sky Lakes via Nannie Creek-Hiked 9/24/2022
Saddle Mountain, Cherry Peak, and Pelican Butte with Trapper and Marguerette Lakes from the Divide Trail
#45 Fish Lake-Hiked 10/7/2018
Fish Lake Trail
#46 Brown Mountain Lava Flow-Hiked 8/28/2016
Mt. McLoughlin from the Brown Mountain Lava Flow
#47 Lake of the Woods-Hiked 10/7/2018
Mt. McLoughlin from Lake of the Woods
#48 Mountain Lakes-Hiked 8/25/2016
Mt. McLoughlin, Whiteface Peak, Pelican Butte, and Mount Harriman from Aspen Butte
#49 Soda Mountain-Hiked 6/3/2015
Boccard Point and Mt. Shasta in the distance
#50 Pilot Rock-Hiked 7/29/2017
Columnar basalt of Pilot Rock
#51 Mount Ashland Meadows-Hiked 6/3/2015
A cloud covered Mt. Shasta from the Pacific Crest Trail on Mt. Ashland
#52 Lithia Park-Hiked 6/2/2015
Black Swan Lake in Lithia Park
#53 Bandersnatch Trail-Hiked 6/17/2022
Marty the Pacific Fisher from the Bandersnatch Trail
#54 White Rabbit Trail-Hiked 6/17/2022
Mike Uhtoff Trail
#55 Grizzly Peak-Hiked 6/5/2015
Veiw from Grizzly Peak
#56 Roxy Ann Peak-Hiked 5/30/2022
View from the Ponderosa Trail
#57 Wagner Butte-Hiked 6/4/2015
Mt. McLoughling from Wagner Butte
#58 Siskiyou Gap-Hiked 6/16/2022
Big Red Mountain
#59 Jack-Ash Trail-Hiked 5/27/2022
Jack-Ash Trail
#60 Sterling Ditch Tunnel-Hiked 6/10/2017 5/2/2023
Sterling Mine Ditch Trail
#61 Jacksonville-Hiked 6/8/2017
View from Panorama Point
#62 Enchanted Forest-Hiked 6/11/2017
Enchanted Forest Trail
#63 Observation Peak-Hiked 6/15/2022
View from Observation Peak
#64 Collings Mountain-Hiked 6/8/2017
Applegate Lake from the Collings Mountain Trail
#65 Applegate Lake-Hiked 6/8/2017 5/29/2022
Applegate Lake
#66 Red Buttes-Hiked 10/27/2015
Marble outcrop below Kangaroo Mountain
#67 Frog Pond-Hiked 6/18/2022
Cabin ruins at Frog Pond
#68 Azalea Lake-Hiked 10/26/2015
Azalea Lake and Figurehead Mountain
#69 Sturgis Fork-Hiked 10/7/2023
Boundary Trail passing through a meadow
#70 Grayback Mountain-Hiked 10/9/2023
Grayback Mountain snow shelter
#71 Oregon Caves-Hiked 10/30/2015
Looking up inside the Paradise Lost room of the Oregon Cave
#72 Mount Elijah-Hiked 10/7/2023
Lake Mountain Trail heading toward the taller Mount Elijah
#73 Sucker Creek-Hiked 10/26/2015
Sucker Creek Shelter
#74 Tanner Lakes-Hiked 10/8/2023
Tanner Lake
#75 Bolan Lake-Hiked 10/8/2023
Bolan Lake
#76 Polar Bear Gap-Hiked 7/1/2022
Polar Bear Mountain
#77 Raspberry Lake-Hiked 7/3/2022
Preston Peak and Bear Mountain from the Raspberry Lake Trail
#78 Devils Punchbowl-Hiked 7/2/2022
Devil's Punchbowl
#79 Rough and Ready Creeks-Hiked 5/12/2017
Rough and Ready Creek
#80 Babyfoot Lake-Hiked 10/9/2023
Babyfoot Lake
#81 Eight Dollar Mountain-Hiked 5/4/2023
Eight Dollar Mountain Boardwalk
#82 Illinois River Beaches-Hiked 5/4/2023
Illinois River from the Kerby Flat Trail
#83 Grants Pass Nature Trails 5/3/2023
Indian warrior along the Outback Loop
#84 Rouge River Trail East-Hiked 5/1/2023
Manzanita along the Rogue River Trail
#85 Rogue River Trail West-Hiked 6/24/2023
Rogue River Trail
#86 Paradise Lake-Hiked 6/28/2016
View from Kings Castle
#87 Sky High Lakes-Hiked 6/29/2016
Shooting star along Frying Pan Lake
#88 Campbell Lake-Hiked 6/27/2016
Cliff Lake
#89 Paynes Lake-Hiked 7/24/2017
Paynes Lake
#90 Russian Lake-Hiked 8/24/2022
Russian Lake
#91 Hidden & South Fork Lakes-Hiked 8/26/2022
Upper South Fork Lake
#92 Trail Gulch Lake-Hiked 8/25/2022
Trail Gulch Lake from the Trail Gulch Tie Trail
#93 East Boulder Lake-Hiked 8/23/2022
East Boulder Lake
#94 Kangaroo Lake-Hiked 7/23/2017
Kangaroo Lake
#95 Deadfall Lakes-Hiked 7/25/2017
Lower Deadfall Lake
#96 Caribou Lake-Hiked 7/27/2017
View from the Old Caribou Lake Trail
#97 Castle Lake-Hiked 7/26/2017
Castle Lake and Mt. Shasta
#98 Castle Crags-Hiked 7/26/2017
Castle Crags
#99 Black Butte-Hiked 7/28/2017
Mt. Eddy from the Black Butte Trail
#100 Mount Shasta Meadows-Hiked 8/22/2022
Mt. Shasta from South Gate Meadows

In our minds this was by far the most challenging area to finish even though we did so before completing Eastern Oregon. The difficulty with Eastern Oregon mostly revolves around distance from Salem and the size of the area covered. The Southern Oregon-Northern California area is smaller and the hikes not as far away, but it involved a lot of trails that frankly don’t see the level of maintenance that most of the other areas receive. While we’ve encountered rough trails, all over poison oak is much more prevalent down south which doesn’t invite pushing through overgrown tread or bushwacking around obstacles. This area has also been hit harder by fires over the last couple of decades leaving extra work to reopen them as well as remove additional blowdown as the dead trees fall over. When the conditions were good though the scenery and diverse plant and wildlife made for some spectacular hikes. There are many that we’d love to do again and several non-featured hikes that we have in our future plans, so we aren’t done with area yet. Happy Trails!

Categories
Hiking Oregon Roseburg Area Trip report Willamette Valley

Fern Falls and Comstock Day Use Area – 06/25/23

We spent the night in Roseburg after making the long drive from Salem to Marial for a day hike along the Rogue River (post) and on the way home we made a couple of stops. Our plan involved portions of two of Sullivan’s featured hikes. Because we’d done one of the options for each of the hikes we had checked them off our to-do list, but we didn’t want to pass up the chance to do the additional options.

Our first stop involved a short out-and-back to Fern Falls along the North Umpqua Trail. In his Fall Creek Falls hike Sullivan provides two options, the hike to Fall Creek Falls (post) or three stops including Fall Creek Falls, Susan Creek Falls (post), and Fern Falls.

It took a bit of research online to figure out if the section of the North Umpqua Trail to Fern Falls was actually open. The area burned in the 2020 Archie Creek Fire closing the lower sections of the trail. The first few miles are managed by the BLM before the Forest Service takes over at the Umpqua National Forest boundary. The Forest Service has not lifted their closure order but it wasn’t clear whether or not the BLM had reopened their portion. Since there was no information on the BLM site stating that the trail was closed and several people had posted recent trip reports on Alltrails we decided to give it a try and drove to the Swiftwater Trailhead along the North Umpqua River.
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There was no closure order posted at the trailhead and a couple of fishermen had beaten us to the parking area so we set off on the trail.
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IMG_2248Fireweed

At the quarter-mile mark we forked right on a spur trail to an interpretive sign overlooking Deadline Falls.
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IMG_2262Deadline Falls

After admiring the falls we returned to the North Umpqua Trail and continued on through the fire scar.
IMG_2268Signs of ongoing trail work.

IMG_2273Northern phlox

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IMG_2279Remains of a footbridge lost to the Archie Creek Fire.

IMG_2280The current creek crossing. We joked that this was a prime difference between the BLM and Forest Service. It feels like the Forest Service waits until everything has been repaired (plus a year or two) before reopening trails after a fire while the BLM reopens them once they are passable.

IMG_2282Self-heal

IMG_2295The trailing blackberries were ripening along the trail providing us with a nice second breakfast.

IMG_2296North Umpqua River from the trail.

IMG_2302We also spotted a few ripe blackcap raspberries.

IMG_2310Bleeding heart

IMG_2314Crab spider on a California harebell.

IMG_2317Heather was really excited to find ripe thimbleberries too.

IMG_2323Highway 138 on the far side of the river.

Approximately 1.7 miles from the trailhead we arrived at Fern Falls.
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A fallen log dissected the view of the falls, a result of the fire but it was a nice view and a good turn around point.
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IMG_2338Musk monkeyflower

IMG_2340I managed to pull a ripe salmonberry out of this bush below Fern Falls.

We returned the way we’d come under increasing sunlight. Birds had been singing all morning and with the increased light we were finally able to spot some of them.
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20230625_071045Moth

IMG_2350Lazuli bunting

IMG_2365Black-headed grosbeak

IMG_2368Unidentified small bird.

IMG_2376Wren, possibly a house wren.

IMG_2378This little one was way up atop a snag. Merlin suggests it’s a Macgillivray’s warbler.

IMG_2381Woodpecker

IMG_2386Backside of a Stellar’s jay.

IMG_2388Raven

Our hike here came to 3.4 miles with maybe 300′ of elevation gain.

We hopped into the car and drove to our next stop at the Comstock Day Use Area for the BLM managed North Bank Habitat Management Area.
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We had visited the area in 2015 starting a loop from the West Access Trailhead. We planned another loop from this trailhead which would share a 1.2-mile section of that earlier loop.
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We began by passing a green gate at the NW end (left) of the trailhead parking area and following an old roadbed for 0.1-miles to a fork.
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We stayed right on the signed Soggy Bottom Trail.
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We followed the Soggy Bottom Trail for 0.7 miles to the Middle Barn.
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20230625_081411Checker-mallow

IMG_2412Turkey vulture

IMG_2419We spotted a deer way up on the hillside in the distance.

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IMG_2422Heading down to Soggy Bottom.

IMG_2425Middle Barn

We stayed right past a road to the barn and continued to the next fork and turned left on the North Gate Trail.
IMG_2428Soggy Bottom

IMG_2430Bindweed

IMG_2431The North Gate Trail ahead on the left.

IMG_2433North Gate Trail

20230625_082841Elegant brodiaea

IMG_2435Common wood nymph

The trail climbed steadily for the first three quarters of a mile passing a grove of cedars near the end of the stretch.
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IMG_2445The cedar grove.

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IMG_2449A little past the cedar grove we passed an old structure on the opposite side of a barbed wire fence.

IMG_2451On the far side of the structure was a sign for the Wrong Way Trail which looked as though it saw little to no use. The map at the trailhead showed this trail dead-ending in the forest which might explain why.

Beyond the Wrong Way Trail junction the North Gate Trail began a much steeper climb up to a junction at a saddle with the Middle Ridge Trail.
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Much of this section was in full sunlight making it a bit of a trudge.
IMG_2463View from the North Gate Trail.

IMG_2464Steepest section of the trail but at least there was some shade here.

IMG_2467Gopher snake

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IMG_2472Trail sign at the saddle.

We turned left on the Middle Ridge Trail for 1.2 semi-familiar miles.
IMG_2473The Middle Ridge Trail.

IMG_2474View from the Middle Ridge Trail.

IMG_2476View from the saddle.

IMG_2484A dip along the ridge.

IMG_2490First view of the North Umpqua River.

IMG_2503Hawk on a tree.

IMG_2505A different hawk in flight.

IMG_2507Elegant brodiaea

IMG_2512Looking back along the Middle Ridge Trail.

IMG_2513We remembered this structure in the ground.

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Approximately 1.2 miles from the saddle we arrived at a junction with the Thistle Ridge Trail.
IMG_2525Approaching the junction.

IMG_2526View back up along the trail.

IMG_2528Whistlers Bend Reservoir and the North Umpqua River. Despite a bit of haze the view was far better than it had been in 2015.

North Umpqua River from North Bank HabitatThe 2015 view on a cloudy June 5th.

We turned onto the Thistle Ridge Trail which led us past a few great madrone trees.
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IMG_2538Ookow

IMG_2539View from the Thistle Ridge Trail. Below is the lower portion of the trail which seemed to be quite a way down.

We quickly realized why it seemed so far down when we came to what we believe may be the steepest section of trail we’ve hiked.
IMG_2542When you can’t see the bottom of the hill you know it’s steep.

IMG_2546The trail finally leveled out a bit through a stand of oak trees.

After just under a mile on the Thistle Ridge Trail we came to a junction with the West Barn Road.
IMG_2547The junction below from the Thistle Ridge Trail.

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We turned left again and followed this steepish trail down 0.2 miles to the West Barn.
IMG_2553European centaury (invasive but pretty)

IMG_2555West Barn

IMG_2558The West Barn Road was a little muddy in spots.

We followed this road a total of 0.7 miles back to the junction with the Soggy Bottom Trail where we turned right to return to the trailhead.
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IMG_2563Daisies were profuse in some areas.

IMG_2567We ignored the Deer Hollow Tie Trail that joined on the right.

IMG_2568The Comstock Day Use Area from the West Barn Road.

Our loop here came to 5 miles with a little over 1000′ of elevation gain, some of which was impressively steep.

The trails here were lined with poison oak at times but they were always wide enough for us to easily keep away from it.

These were a couple of pleasant hikes and made for a nice outing before driving back home to Salem. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Fern Falls and North Bank Habitat

Categories
Hiking Oregon Portland Trip report Willamette Valley

Tualatin River Wildlife Refuge, Cooper Mountain, and Graham Oaks – 05/13/2023

While Spring has largely been a no-show so far this year, Summer decided to make an early appearance with a weekend forecast for temperatures topping 90 degrees. We’ve been lucky to hit 60 so we’ve had no time to adjust to that kind of heat. In the past when temperatures have soared, we’ve opted to adjust our planned hike to minimize the impact. That wasn’t necessary this time though as our planned outing was to take three short hikes, each less than an hour North of Salem.

We started our morning by re-visiting the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge. We’d stopped here in March of 2019 (post) but could only hike the River Trail at that time of the year. The longer Wetland Trail loop is closed from October 1st through April 30th so we’d scheduled this May visit to check out the loop. We started from the Roy Rogers Trailhead where we found a nice patch of wildflowers to greet us.
IMG_7765The refuge is open from dawn to dusk. We arrived at a quarter to six to get an early start and avoid being out during the hottest parts of the day.

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IMG_7771The patch of wildflowers.

IMG_7773A checker-mallow surrounded by golden paintbrush.

DSCN3325Plectritis amid the golden paintbrush.

We decided to go counterclockwise and forked right across Chicken Creek on a bridge.
IMG_7776We had a pretty good view of Mt. Hood.

The Wetland Trail follows a service road around the refuge. We began seeing wildlife almost immediately with a family of geese and a pair of deer hanging out on some private property adjacent to the refuge.
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It was approximately 1.5-miles from the Roy Rogers Trailhead to the Refuge Headquarters and Wildlife Center. It was slow going as we kept stopping to watch the wildlife.
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DSCN3353Mallards

DSCN3369Greater yellowlegs

DSCN3372Mourning dove

DSCN3375Great blue heron

DSCN3380An egret and some ducks

DSCN3394More families of geese

IMG_7789Swallows flying above the Wetland Trail.

Northern shoveler, Scaups, and a buffleheadNorthern shoveler, scaups (leaning toward greater), and a bufflehead.

DSCN3401Mallards

DSCN3424Northern shoveler

Ruddy duckRuddy duck

DSCN3435Gadwalls

DSCN3434Spotted sandpiper

DSCN3439Purple martins

DSCN3441Killerdeer

DSCN3456Cinnamon teals

DSCN3446Nutria, one of several of these non-native rodents that we saw.

DSCN3415Nap time (or just a late sleeper).

DSCN3450Ducklings

DSCN3458Song sparrow

DSCN3468Common yellowthroat

IMG_7798Wildlife Center

We took in the view from the overlook next to the Wildlife Center before continuing on with the loop.
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DSCN3476Great blue heron watching from a little island.

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We followed the Wetland Trail until we came to the River Overlook where we cut over to the River Trail (the trails are less than a yard apart in this area) to check in on the Tualatin River.
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DSCN3483Anna’s hummingbird

DSCN3484The same Anna’s hummingbird. When catching light their head/throat is bright pink but appear black when not.

IMG_7810River Overlook

IMG_7812Tualatin River

DSCN3487Robin

From the overlook we stuck to the River Trail following it through a short section of forest before rejoining the Wetland Trail.
IMG_7813The Wetland and River Trails running parallel.

DSCN3489Spotted towhee

DSCN3496Rabbit

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IMG_7819Pacific waterleaf

IMG_7821Violets and fringecup along the River Trail.

IMG_7823Bleeding heart

IMG_7820We skipped the spur trail to the Ridgetop Overlook since we’d done that on our previous visit.

IMG_7828Chicken Creek

IMG_7829The River Trail meets the Wetland Trail across from the Weland Observation Platform.

We didn’t observe much from the platform on this visit. We continued on with our loop back on the Wetland Trail.
IMG_7834

DSCN3506Great white egrets

IMG_7838There were some impressively tall trees along this portion of the loop.

The trail made a 90-degree turn just before another branch of Chicken Creek and headed in a near straight line back toward the Roy Rogers Trailhead.
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DSCN3518Another egret

IMG_7842More egrets across Chicken Creek.

DSCN3527Red-winged blackbird

DSCN3530Savannah sparrow

DSCN3535Checker-mallow

DSCN3537A parsley

While our loop was only 3.6-miles it was packed full of sights, a great start to our morning. From the refuge we made the roughly 10-minute drive to our next stop at the Cooper Mountain Nature Park, yet another park managed by Oregon Metro. The park hosts a little over three miles of trails which start at a nice little playground.
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20230513_081204Our planned route was to go right on the Little Prairie Loop to the Cooper Mountain Loop and then stay right on that loop (with a detour to hike the Larkspur Loop) to Blacktail Way. We’d then take Blacktail Way back to the Little Prairie Loop and turn right again to finish that loop and return to the trailhead.

IMG_7856The view from Cooper Mountain Nature Park.

The trail system heads downhill from the trailhead so keep in mind that all hikes here end with on an uphill.
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IMG_7849Metro is currently running an odd little trial with very short “photo loops”. Mowed paths just off the main trails for photography. We took the first loop just to check it out and they were not kidding when they said the surface may be uneven.

IMG_7861One of two trial photo loops.

The idea is to limit the negative effects of off trail hiking. It’s an interesting idea but it would be easier if people could follow simple rules. We quickly found ourselves back on the Little Prairie Loop and forking right.
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IMG_7864The second trial loop. You can see how short this one is by the signboard just downhill marking its other end.

IMG_7865There were several interpretive signs and benches along the trails.

DSCN3543White-crowned sparrow

DSCN3544Anna’s hummingbird

IMG_7874Star flower

IMG_7878As usual Metro had the trail junctions well marked with little maps on top of the posts. This is the Cooper Mountain Loop junction with the lower end of the Outback Trail.

IMG_7876Camas

IMG_7881

20230513_083618Tough-leaved iris

IMG_7892Serviceberry

IMG_7894Honeysuckle

IMG_7896Looking back uphill to some wildflowers.

DSCN3554Monkeyflower

DSCN3555Tomcat clover

DSCN3559Spotted towhee

IMG_7904Bench along a pond filling an old quarry.

IMG_7905The pond. Red-legged frogs apparently breed here. We didn’t see any frogs but there was a mallard hanging out in the brush.

IMG_7907Iris on the hillside above the quarry.

IMG_7911The Larkspur Loop continuing straight from the Cooper Mountain Loop which turns uphill at the junction.

An endangered species of larkspur, pale larkspur (Delphinium leucophaeum), typically blooms in the park in late Spring into June. With everything running late this year we didn’t spot any yet this year as we completed the 0.7-mile lollipop loop.
IMG_7914Prior to the loop the Larkspur Loop dips to cross a creek in the trees.

IMG_7915The little creek.

IMG_7918View from the Larkspur Loop.

IMG_7919While watching for the larkspur I noticed these giant blue-eyed Mary.

We returned to the Cooper Mountain Loop which made a steep climb to its junction with Blacktail Way.
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IMG_7921Blacktail Way to the right.

IMG_7922Map at the junction.

Blacktail Way climbed more gradually on its way to the Little Prairie Loop.
IMG_7926The “earphone” next to the bench here was neat. There was also one at the trailhead and they really allowed you to isolate the sounds of the woods.

IMG_7927The Little Prairie Loop.

We turned right onto the loop and then quickly detoured to the Little Prairie Overlook.
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IMG_7931The pale larkspur also grows in this area but again we were too early.

IMG_7933These were the only woodland-stars we spotted.

After checking out Little Prairie we finished the loop and returned to our car. This stop came to 3.1 miles with 300′ of elevation gain.

From Cooper Mountain we drove 18 miles south to our final stop of the day at Graham Oaks Nature Park. Another one of Metro’s parks Graham Oaks also hosts approximately three miles of trails. Unlike many of the other Metro parks we’ve visited recently this one allows bikes and dogs (on leash) albeit limited to the Tonquin Trail.
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Our planned route here was another counterclockwise loop starting on the Tonquin Trail. We would follow that trail to the hiker only Oak Woodland Walk and then turn onto Coyote Way then take the Legacy Creek Trail returning to Coyote Way just before its end at the Tonquin Trail. Then we would simply follow the Tonquin Trail back to the trailhead.

Despite this being our third stop, the early start had gotten us here shortly after 10am, it was already over 70 degrees when we set off on the Tonquin Trail. Luckily for us there was an occasional breeze that helped cool things off a bit.
IMG_7941Heading toward Acron Plaza on the Tonquin Trail.

IMG_7944Interpretive sign at Acorn Plaza.

There were large amounts of large camas blooming along the trail along with yellow buttercups and some patches of lupine.
IMG_7948Lupine and buttercups

DSCN3565Lupine

IMG_7953Meadow checker-mallow

We detoured to Elder Plaza at a trail marker.
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IMG_7956The “elder” oak is between 150-200 years old.

IMG_7958

IMG_7957

DSCN3570We watched this American Kestral hover on a near vertical line for what felt like quite a while. It eventually dove and attempted to catch something in the grass. We couldn’t tell if it had been successful.

We continued down the Tonquin Trail and made a second detour to visit the Wetland Overlook.
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IMG_7962

IMG_7964

IMG_7969Mylitta crescent

We made a third detour when we reached a 4-way junction with the Oak Woodland Walk and Arrowhead Creek Trails. We turned right onto the Arrowhead Creek Trail to see what the creek might look like since we could see a little footbridge from the junction.
IMG_7971

IMG_7972Footbridge over Arrowhead Creek.

There wasn’t really any water flowing in the creek bed and we turned around after crossing and returned to the 4-way junction where we crossed the Tonquin Trail onto the Oak Woodland Walk.
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IMG_7978

IMG_7977The Lycaenidae family of butterflies remains a mystery to me. This appears to be an Eastern Tailed Blue based on the ventral spots.

IMG_7981Snow in the Cascade foothills. If you look really closely behind the bigger snow patch to the far-right, you can just barely make out Mt. Jefferson.

We turned onto Coyote Way and quickly spotted several species of birds.
DSCN3574Starling

DSCN3572Northern flicker

DSCN3580This scrub jay would not come out from behind the oak leaves.

Coyote Way eventually entered some trees and crossed a boardwalk.
IMG_7985

IMG_7986There was a lot of candy flower beneath the trees.

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We turned onto the Legacy Creek Trail and found ourselves under a much denser canopy of trees. This extra shade made this feel like the coolest section of trail we’d been on all day which was welcome because it was now over 80 degrees in the Sun.
IMG_7988

IMG_7989

IMG_7990Mushrooms along the Legacy Creek Trail.

IMG_7992Violets, candy flower and the invasive herb robert (pink).

We left the trees and quickly arrived back at Coyote Way where we took a right followed by another right on the Tonquin Trail after 200′.
IMG_7996Coming up to Coyote Way.

IMG_7999Back on the Tonquin Trail and heading for the trailhead.

This was our shortest stop of the day coming in at just 2.7 miles. For the day we logged 9.4 miles with approximately 400′ of cumulative elevation gain, primarily from our stop at Cooper Mountain. These were all enjoyable stops and each provided a different experience. Happy Trails!

Tualatin River Refuge
Cooper Mountain
Graham Oaks
Categories
Hiking Oregon Portland Willamette Valley

Canemah Bluff and Newell Creek Canyon – 04/29/2023

A brief streak of 80+ degree temperatures arrived for the final weekend of April, and we celebrated with a pair of short hikes in Oregon City. We had our sights on two small parks managed by Metro, a regional council covering Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington counties which includes two dozen cities. The largest of which is Portland.

Our first stop of the day wasn’t at either of the parks though, it was at the Willamette Falls Scenic Viewpoint along McLoughlin Boulevard. The viewpoint was on our way to Canemah Bluff and neither of us had ever actually seen this waterfall in person.
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IMG_6201

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After reading up on some Oregon history we drove on to Canemah Children’s Park which doubles as the trailhead.
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We reviewed the map and decided on the following route: From the children’s park we would take the Camas Springs Trail to Cemetery Road and turn right to the Spur Trail. We’d then take the Spur Trail to the Licorice Fern Trail and then turn right on the Old Slide Trail. The Old Slide Trail would bring us back to the Licorice Fern Trail which we would follow to the park boundary before turning around and hiking back to Cemetery Road via the Licorice Fern Trail. Then turning right on the road, we would follow it to the Frog Pond trail where a left would bring us back to the Childrens Park. This whole route was just barely over 2 miles with a little under 190′ of elevation gain.

The delayed Spring was showing here as the wildflower show was just getting underway.
IMG_6211Most of the camas was still working on blooming but a few were open.

IMG_6216

IMG_6217Buttercups

DSCN3180Dark eyed junco

DSCN3182Possibly a female yellow-rumped warbler.

IMG_6223

DSCN3189Plectritis

IMG_6225Willamette River

DSCN3193Robin

IMG_6231Giant blue-eyed Mary

IMG_6236Camas catching a little sunlight.

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This first part of the hike reminded us very much of another nearby hike we’d taken at Camassia Natural Area (post) which is located on the opposite side of the Willamette from Canemah Bluff.

The Camas Springs Trail eventually entered the trees before arriving at the Cemetery Road.
IMG_6240

IMG_6241Red flowering currant

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IMG_6245Metro’s signage has been top notch in the parks we’ve visited so far.

We followed the Cemetery Road to its end at the privately owned Canemah Pioneer Cemetery where we turned onto the Spur Trail.
IMG_6247Hooker’s fairy bells

DSCN3200Hummingbird

IMG_6257

IMG_6261Fawn lilies

IMG_6265The cemetery behind the fence.

IMG_6266The Spur Trail.

It was a trillium show along the Spur Trail.

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IMG_6271

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At the junction with the Licorice Fern Trail we spotted a couple of largeleaf sandworts in bloom.
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After just 100′ on the Licorice Fern Trail we turned onto the Old Slide Trail which climbed 150′ along a hillside before descending to rejoin the Licorice Fern Trail which we followed to the park boundary near a neighborhod.
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IMG_6289

IMG_6292

IMG_6295

IMG_6296The boundary marker. The trail continues a short distance to 5th Place.

We dropped a bit and now had to regain that elevation as we headed back along the Licorice Fern Trail.
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IMG_6297

We spotted a few more flowers at varying stages of blooming as we made our way back to Cemetery Road.
IMG_6300Youth-on-age

IMG_6304Salmonberry

IMG_6312Violets

IMG_6322Back on the road.

We turned onto the Frog Pond Trail which was only about 100 yards long. The trees around the pond were full of little birds that we watched flit about for quite a while before continuing to our car.
IMG_6325

IMG_6328The frog pond.

Bewick's wrenBewick’s wren

Nashville warblerNashville warbler?

DSCN3225House finches

DSCN3230Spotted towhee

DSCN3224Bleeding heart near the pond.

IMG_6333Arriving back at the trailhead.

From Canemah Bluff it was only a 2.6-mile drive to Newell Creek Canyon Nature Park. The park opened in December 2021, so it is a relatively new addition to the parks Metro manages. There were just a couple of other cars in the good-sized parking area when we arrived just after 8am.
IMG_6337View from the trailhead.

IMG_6334Trailhead signboard.

There are three types of trails at Newell Creek Canyon: Shared use (bicycle & hiker), hiker only, and bicycle only. Our plan here was to start with the shared use trails and finish with the hiker only Canyon Spring Loop. This way we would finish the shared use trails nice and early in hopes of avoid too much traffic. We made our way around the outside of the grassy picnic area to the start of the trails at a gate.
IMG_6339Please note that pets are not allowed at most Metro parks.

IMG_6341Don’t forget to brush off your shoes when brushes are available.

With the word canyon in the name, it’s not surprising that the Tumble Falls Trail begins by descending into Newell Creek Canyon.

We passed the biker only Shady Lane Trail on our right and further along a second biker only connector to the Shady Lane Trail.
IMG_6342The Shady Lane Trail.

IMG_6346Oregon grape, red flowering currant and Indian plum

IMG_6347One of several benches located throughout the park.

IMG_6349The connector trail.

IMG_6351Candy flower

IMG_6353Trillium with a tiny insect.

IMG_6355Carpet of green.

IMG_6356A rare bluebird day for us this year.

Near the 0.4-mile mark we passed the Canyon Springs Loop which forked off to the left.
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We continued on the Tumble Falls Trail which was now somewhat level.
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IMG_6362Salmonberry blossoms

IMG_6365Fringecup and pacific waterleaf that had yet to start blooming.

The Shady Lane Trail joined from the right just before reaching the Tumble Falls Bridge.
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IMG_6369The Tumble Falls Bridge.

IMG_6371Tumble Falls

On the far side of the bridge the trail became the shared use Cedar Grove Trail from which the biker only Red Soil Roller Trail quickly split off.
IMG_6373

IMG_6374The Red Soil Roller Trail to the right.

We followed the aptly named Cedar Grove Trail downhill to its end at a bench overlooking Newell Creek Canyon. While we couldn’t see the creek itself the sound of flowing water let us know that it was down there.
IMG_6376A small pond along the trail.

Song sparrowSong sparrow

IMG_6379Western red cedars

IMG_6381Nearing the end of the trail.

IMG_6383Map at the end of the Cedar Grove Trail.

IMG_6384Newell Creek is down there somewhere.

We headed back the way we’d come. It was warming up nicely and we spotted our first butterflies of the year as we climbed back toward Tumble Falls.
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IMG_6387Male margined white?

IMG_6390Female margined white?

When we reached the Canyon Spring Loop we turned onto it and followed it for 500′ to a junction on the ridge where the actual loop began. We chose to go right and followed the ridge east.
IMG_6401Slender toothwort

IMG_6402The Canyon Spring Trail below in the trees.

The trail lost approximately 100′ before completing a 180 degree turn and leveling out as we headed back West.
DSCN3243Spotted towhee

DSCN3248Chipmunk

IMG_6407Heading back beneath the ridge.

Shortly after starting back beneath the ridge, and not long after the subject of owls had come up, we spotted a great horned owl sitting in the undergrowth just off the trail near a tree.
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We stopped a ways back to see if it would fly off but aside from some slight head movement and slight eye opening it didn’t move. We made note of where it was and slowly passed giving it as much space as possible. Our plan was to report it when we got back to the car in case it was injured or sick. We finished up the loop and had started up the Tumble Falls Trail when we passed two Metro parks staff. We let them know about the owl, showed them a photo, and pointed out on the map where we’d seen it and they were going to check on it and report it to the appropriate entity if necessary. We hope the owl turned out to be okay. As much fun as it is to see the wild animals it is sad when we come across an injured one.
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DSCN3256Trillium and mushrooms

DSCN3260Squirrel

DSCN3263Woodpecker

DSCN3267Stellar’s jay

IMG_6416Back at the Tumble Falls Trail.

We felt better knowing that we’d let someone know about the owl and made our way back to the picnic area which we passed through to return to the car.
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Our hike here came in at just under 3.5 miles with 570′ of elevation gain giving us approximately 5.5 miles and 760′ of elevation gain on the day. Both parks were nice and really well maintained, kudos again to Metro for the job they do with the public spaces. One thing that became clear as the morning heated up was that we are not at all prepared for warm weather hiking. It’s been so cool (cold) and overcast for so long our bodies aren’t ready for temps in the 70 or 80s. Hopefully there is still time for a reasonable transition to the heat of Summer but that window grows shorter every day and more cool, wet weather appears to be on the way for the coming week. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Canemah Bluff and Newell Creek Canyon

Categories
Corvallis Hiking Oregon Salem/Albany Trip report Willamette Valley

Albany Parks and Snag Boat Bend – 04/22/2023

The delayed arrival of Spring weather has begun affecting the timing of the hikes that I’d planned for us this year. We had originally planned a wildflower hike for this weekend, but they are running at least two weeks behind so we turned to a pair of wildlife hikes instead. Our first stop was at the Snag Boat Bend unit of the William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge.
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This 341-acre unit is located a across the Willamette River to the East of the 5,325-acre refuge. The unit has several miles of trails although the amount accessible fluctuates due to flooding.
IMG_6048Not sure how “official” the writing is on the map, but it wasn’t wrong about the Turtle Loop being “closed” (high water).

The Snag Boat Bend Loop Trail begins as a boardwalk that passes over the North Beaver Pond. Oddly there wasn’t much, if any, water in this pond despite other areas later being flooded.
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After the short boardwalk section the trail became a combination of grass/mud as it followed a swollen Lake Creek toward the Willamtte River.
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IMG_6054A swollen Lake Creek

IMG_6056A third of a mile from the trailhead is a picnic table overlooking a former channel of the Willamette River that is now an oxbow lake filled by Lake Creek.

IMG_6058The oxbow lake.

The trail makes a hard left at the picnic table passing along the water.
IMG_6061Lots of water in the lake.

DSCN2912Woodpecker hiding in the trees.

Just under 0.2 miles from the picnic table, during low water, is said to be a path that makes it possible to connect the Snag Boat Band and Turtle Loop Trails.
IMG_6062Note the sign on the far side vs the closer sign barely sticking up out of the water.

A quarter mile from the picnic table the Snag Boat Bend Loop turns left at a junction. We stayed straight and visited the Observation Blind before setting off on the Blue Heron Trail.
IMG_6100Oregon grape

20230422_071830Red flowering currant

IMG_6068Slug

IMG_6100Signs at the junction.

IMG_6071The observation blind.

There wasn’t a whole lot to observe from the blind since the morning fog limited visibility.
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DSCN2924Goose

DSCN2927Spotted towhee

DSCN2928Mallard drake

IMG_6075The Blue Heron Trail followed the boarder of the refuge and some private farmland.

It was approximately another quarter mile from the blind to a 4-way junction. Here the Blue Heron Trail began and finished a theoretical loop using the left most forks and the Turtle Trail split off to the right along a dike.
IMG_6077Blue Heron Trail to the left and Turtle Trail on the right.

We turned right onto the Turtle Trail and as we got onto the dike we could see that the area below, where a loop shown on the Oregonhikers page joined back up, was likely flooded. We followed the dike a quarter of a mile to another junction where the Turtle Trail made a hard right and descended from the dike into an open area where several rabbits were busy having their breakfast.
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American widgeonAmerican widgeon

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We followed this grassy track for a third of a mile back to the swollen Lake Creek where, during low water, the Turtle Loop would turn right along the creek and loop back around.
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IMG_6086Another sign out in the middle of the water.

We turned back and returned to the junction with the Blue Heron Trail.
IMG_6088The start of a possible loop using the Blue Heron Trail. The fainter track on the right heading downhill was flooded just 100 feet or so away.

IMG_6089The flooded area where the loop would end.

I had gone down to the flooded section to see if there was possibly a way across without having to wade but there wasn’t. The good news was that my heading down to this spot had caused a great horned owl to move trees which allowed both Heather (on the other section of the Blue Heron Trail) and myself to spot it.
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Since we knew that we would be able to make the Blue Heron Trail into a loop we followed it a half mile from the junction, making a sharp right near the 0.4-mile mark and decided to turn around. The trail had gone from gravel to wet grass and our feet were getting pretty damp which helped make the decision to turn around.
IMG_6095Cottonwood with red flowering currant, Oregon grape, and Indian plum blooming in front.

IMG_6096We were able to keep our feet dry on the gravel surfaces.

20230422_082100Mushroom

DSCN2984Rufous Hummingbird

DSCN2985Hawk preparing for takeoff.

IMG_6097We had started to go past the turn for the Blue Heron Trail so this photo is as we headed back toward the turn. We came from the right-hand side so the path straight ahead would have been the “sharp right”.

DSCN2987Killdeer

IMG_6098Our turn around spot. The trail was beginning to bend back to the East here.

We headed back along the Blue Heron Trail following it to the Snag Boat Bend Loop where we turned right in order to finish that loop.
DSCN2992A chipping sparrow among the golden-crowned sparrows.

IMG_6101On the Snag Boat Bend Loop

IMG_6103The trail turned left to follow this gravel roadbed for the final third of a mile.

IMG_6106The gate in the distance is at the trailhead.

Our hike at Snag Boat Bend came in at 3.9 miles with maybe 50′ of elevation gain. Had some of the loops not been flooded it might have been a bit shorter.

It was a nice first visit though and we are now interested in returning in late Summer/early Fall when some of the flooded trails might be accessible. While the fog made it a bit hard to see we still managed to see a few ducks, a goose, several rabbits, the owl, a hawk, lots of smaller birds, and one bald eagle that flew overhead. From the trailhead we drove North to the city of Albany where we’d plan to visit a series of the city’s parks. The idea was to start at Monteith Riverpark and hike East along the Willamette River to Simpson Park and then continue along the river there past First and Second Lakes if the trail wasn’t flooded. If it was flooded, we could turn inland at Simpson Park and re-visit the Talking Water Gardens (post).

I had two reasons for putting this urban hike on our schedule. First it was close to home and secondly Monteith Riverfront Park sits at the confluence of the Calapooia and Willamette Rivers, and the Calapooia is one of Oregon’s rivers that we had yet to see on a hike. This 80-mile long tributary of the Willamette begins in the Willamette National Forest near Tidbits Mountain (post) and flows Northwest through Brownsville, OR before turning North to the East of Interstate 5. It was disappointing to arrive and find that the entire park was closed for a large waterfront project by the City of Albany. (Normally I would check the status of our destination prior to heading out, but I didn’t expect an entire city park to be closed, and after looking online when I got home, I’m not sure I would have found the information anyway.)
IMG_6107We wound up parking East of the Riverfront Community Center and hoping on the Dave Clark Trail there.

Less than 100 yards from where we’d parked we came to an observation platform that led out over the Willamette River. From this platform we could at least see the mouth of the Calapooia emptying into the Willamette.
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IMG_6111The confluence ahead to the left.

IMG_6112Highway 20 passing over the Willamette to the left. Fun fact about U.S. Highway 20 – It runs from Newport, OR to Boston, MA and is the longest road in the USA according to the Federal Highway Administration. Click here for more information and an interesting write up of the drive from Boston to Newport by Boots on the Trail.

We followed the Dave Clark Trail East passing under both bridges of the highway and then later under the Union Pacific Railroad.
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IMG_6119Orange crowned warbler. One of many small birds we saw along this trail.

DSCN3009We thought it was a little odd to see two occupied nests atop the railroad so close together until we realized that the occupants weren’t both birds of prey.

DSCN3006Canada geese were using one of the nests.

DSCN3013Might be the mate looking acting as lookout from the bridge.

DSCN3012Osprey occupied the other and appeared to be in the process of renovations.

We also encountered a beautiful male Anna’s hummingbird but for the life of me I couldn’t get either one of the cameras I was carrying to focus on the little guy so the only picture we wound up with was a cropped shot from Heather’s phone.
20230422_095150His bright pink head was more impressive in person.

After ducking under the railroad and passing some apartments the trail passed the Willamette Community Garden and climbed to NE Oak Street.
IMG_6123The community garden (not pictured) was on our right.

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IMG_6128Pretty tulips at the sign.

Here the trail follows several blocks of sidewalk before reaching its end at Bowman Park. The official route of the trail turned right on Oak St for a block then left for 5 blocks NE Water Ave to Geary St where it turned left and descended 3 blocks to Bowman Park. We stayed straight on Front Ave NE though and followed it 3 blocks to Harrison St. NE where we turned right for a block to NE Water Ave to rejoin the Dave Clark Trail.
IMG_6129Not a lot to see in the residential neighborhoods but we did cross Pettyjohn Creek along the way.

IMG_6130Sign for Bowman Park at Geary St.

IMG_6133Bowman Park on the left and the paved path we took on the right.

A paved path led East from Bowman Park behind a new apartment complex where it turned to a wood chip surface.
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DSCN3018Cormant in the middle of the Willamette.

At the far end of the apartment complex the trail suddenly turned into a slick, muddy single track.
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DSCN3020Squirrel

Things got started getting interesting here, and not in the good way. We quickly started passing vacant and/or abandoned homeless camps and the trail surface was just a mess. At this point we were only about a half mile from the Simpson Park Trailhead though so we pressed on.
IMG_6139Seen near a homeless camp which sort of captures the situation. A combination of unaffordable house, drug abuse, and mental illness has created a crisis up and down the West Coast with no simple (or quick) answer.

IMG_6140We initially mistook all the footprints and bike tracks as a sign that the trail saw good recreational use.

According to the Oregonhikers.org Field Guide entry for the Albany Riverfront Hike there is a concrete bridge over Cox Creek near Simpson Park. We never made it that far though as after a quarter mile we came to small pond over the trail. There was no foreseeable way around and we didn’t want to do to much searching for an alternate route for fear of stumbling upon an occupied camp so we turned around.
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Prior to reaching the impassible puddle we had already decided to forgo trying to hike further along the Willamtte from Simpson Park and had planned instead of visit Talking Water Gardens and return via roads instead of the muddy trail. Now that we’d been stymied though we trudged back through the mud and past the homeless camps to the apartments where we turned left on a path that led a short distance uphill into Eads Park.
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We turned left and passed through this small park then turned right onto Burkhart St NE and began our second stint of neighborhood hiking. After a block on Burkhart we made a left on Willamette Ave NE and followed it 0.2-miles to its end at the Albany/Millersburg Water Reclamation Facility where we turned right onto Davidson St. NE. A block on Davidson brought us back to Front AVE NE and a sign for the Talking Water Gardens.
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Front Ave became Waverly Dr NE and we followed it until we finally crossed Cox Creek three tenths of a mile later.
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We made our way to the gated entrance to the Talking Water Gardens happy to see that the man-made waterfall in the Beaver Marsh was flowing this time.
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DSCN3026Buffleheads

We turned right and headed for the main sign board to get a picture of the map and decide on our route.
20230422_105035We decided to loop around the West Beaver Marsh and Central Oak areas before heading back.

There was obviously a lot more water present now then there had been in November and while there were less ducks present there was a larger variety of birds and best of all a bunch of western pond turtles.
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IMG_6159View from above the waterfall.

IMG_6160The first set of turtles we spotted.

IMG_6162Western pond turtles.

DSCN3041Female red-winged blackbird

DSCN3055Green-winged teal

DSCN3057Yellow-rumped warbler (Audubon’s)

DSCN3060More turtles

DSCN3063Mallard drake

DSCN3064Turkey vulture

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DSCN3070Another bale of turtles. (I had to look up “bale” because I had no idea what a group of turtles was called.)

IMG_6165Another man-made waterfall.

IMG_6168This had been full of ducks on our previous visit.

DSCN3076Yet another turtle.

DSCN3081Black phoebe

DSCN3084Acorn woodpecker

DSCN3091Sparrow

Northern shovelerNorthern shoveler

DSCN3096Hummingbird

20230422_111554Red-winged blackbird

IMG_6180Bench along the Central Oak area.

DSCN3103The first goslings we’ve spotted this year.

DSCN3108Very zoomed in shot of a hawk seen in the distance.

DSCN3123Bullfrog

DSCN3126Marsh wren

DSCN3129Final set of turtles.

DSCN3141Mallard pair

DSCN3149Chickadee

DSCN3152Yellow-rumped warbler (Myrtle)

We took about an hour to hike a little over 1.25-miles through the gardens. There was a lot of stopping to watch the wildlife and attempt to get photos. After exiting the gardens we made our way back to Front Ave via Waverly Drive and this time followed signs for the Dave Clark Trail back to it.
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We followed the Dave Clark Trail back to our car, but not before spotting a bit more wildlife.
DSCN3157A couple ahead of us on the trail spotted this guy for us.

DSCN3166Squirrel

Our Albany Parks hike wound up being just 6.3 miles with under 100′ of elevation gain bringing our total for the day to 10.2 miles and maybe 100 total feet of elevation gain. All the hiking on paved surfaces in Albany combined with having wet shoes and socks made it feel like more though.

At the end of the day we were glad that we wound up in Talking Water Gardens given how much fun wildlife we spotted there but I probably would not do the rest of this hike over. The Dave Clark Trail along the Willamette was nice enough and if I was in Albany for another reason and had some time it would be a fine place for a stroll but necessary neighborhood walk to reach Simpson Park/Talking Water is not nearly as nice as either simply starting at the Simpson Park Trailhead or hiking along Cox Creek from Waverly Lake as we had done in November. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Snag Boat Bend and Albany Parks