Category: Trip report

2024 Wildflower Gallery Part 2

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date January 7, 2025
1 Comment on 2024 Wildflower Gallery Part 2

This is part 2 of our annual wrap up of wildflowers we saw during the year on our hikes. (Part 1) I’ve tried to identify non-natives as well as indicate if this was our first time (that we know of) seeing a particular flower. We continue to work on learning to identify the flowers we see and remain a long way from being able to tell some of the different species apart, so any corrections or additional IDs are greatly appreciated.

The date and hike/trail of our observation is inculded.
Ocean spray – August 4th – Wizard Island (Crater Lake NP), OR

Olympic onion – June 8th – Cedar Butte, OR

One-sided wintergreen – July 25th – Minam River Trail, OR

Tapertip onion – July 21st – Granny View Overlook (Hells Canyon), OR

Ookow – June 1st – Cook Hill, WA

Orange agoseris – June 29th – Grasshopper Mountain, OR

Orange globe mallow- May 25th – Barnes Butte (Prineville), OR

An orchid – July 22nd – Hurricane Creek Trail (Eagle Cap Wilderness), OR

Oregon bluebells – June 29th – Grasshopper Mountain Trail, OR

Oregon grape – March 30th – Mulkey Ridge Trail (Corvallis), OR

Oregon sunshine – July 13th – Nasty Rock Trail, OR

Pacific coralroot – July 13th – Joyce Lake Trail, OR

Pacific hound’s tongue – March 30th – Mulkey Ridge Trail (Corvallis), OR

Pacific waterleaf – May 12th – Cathedral Tree Trail, OR

Indian paintbrush – May 25th – Willow Creek Canyon, OR

Paintbrush – probably scarlet (Castilleja miniata) – August 18th – Cliff Creek Trail (Wallowa-Whitman National Forest), OR

Parry’s arnica – July 21st – Hat Point, OR

Patridge foot – September 13th – Pacific Crest Trail (Mt. Jefferson Wilderness), OR

Gray sagewort – July 21st – Granny View Overlook (Hells Canyon), OR

Pea-vine – May 26th – Madison Butte, OR

Pearly everlasting – June 19th – Deception Butte Trail, OR

Woolly head clover – July 24th – Tenderfoot Wagon Road Trail (Eagle Cap Wilderness), OR

Pennycress – July 23rd – McCully Creek Trail (Eagle Cap Wilderness), OR

Penstemon – May 25th – Barnes Butte (Prineville), OR

Penstemon – June 1st – Cook Hill, WA

Pestemon – July 13th – Nasty Rock Trail, OR

Venus penstemon – July 21st – Granny View Overlook (Hells Canyon), OR

Globe penstemon – July 24th – Tenderfoot Wagon Road Trail (Eagle Cap Wilderness), OR

A phacelia – July 26th – East Peak (Eagle Cap Wilderness), OR

Phantom orchid – June 1st – Cook Hill, WA

Phlox – June 1st – Cook Hill, WA

Pinedrops – August 3rd – The Pinnacles Trail (Crater Lake NP), OR

Pink pyrola – June 19th – Deception Butte Trail, OR

Pioneer violet – April 13th – Wind Mountain, WA

Woolly goldenweed? (If so this was a first for us.) – May 26th – Madison Butte, OR

Prairie smoke – May 26th – Bull Prairie Lake, OR

Prince’s pine – July 22nd – Hurricane Creek Trail (Eagle Cap Wilderness), OR

Purple dead-nettle – February 24th – Fernhill Wetlands, OR

Purpleflower honeysuckle – June 29th – Grasshopper Mountain, OR

Pussypaws – July 26th – Mount Howard, OR

Pussytoes – July 13th – Nasty Rock Trail, OR

Queen’s cup – June 22nd – Big Huckleberry Mountain, WA

Raceme pussytoes – June 29th – Grasshopper Mountain, OR

Rosy pussytoes – June 22nd – Big Huckleberry Mountain, WA

Ragwort – May 26th – Madison Butte, OR

Red clover – July 24th – Tenderfoot Wagon Road Trail (Eagle Cap Wilderness), OR

Red flowering currant – April 13th – Wind Mountain, WA

Rhododendron – June 15th – O’Leary Mountain Trail, OR

Rockcress – May 26th – Madison Butte, OR

Rose campion (non-native) – June 19th – Buckhead Nature Trail, OR

Rosy bird’s-foot trefoil – June 8th – Kilchis Forest Road, OR

Sagebrush mariposa lily – July 22nd – Hurricane Creek Trail (Eagle Cap Wilderness), OR

Salal – June 8th – Kilchis Forest Road, OR

Salmonberry – April 13th – St. Cloud Trail, WA

Sandwort – July 24th – Bonny Lakes Trail (Eagle Cap Wilderness), OR

Saxifrage – July 24th – Tenderfoot Wagon Road Trail (Eagle Cap Wilderness), OR

Scarlet gilia – July 4th – Horsepasture Mountain, OR

Scouler’s bluebell – June 19th – Deception Butte Trail, OR

Scouler’s corydalis – April 13th – Lower Archer Falls, WA

Scouler’s woollyweed – July 24th – Bonny Lakes Trail (Eagle Cap Wilderness), OR

Seaside bittercress – May 11th – Ecola State Park, OR

Self-heal – June 19th – Deception Butte Trail, OR

Serviceberry – May 26th – Madison Butte, OR

Shooting star – May 26th – Madison Butte, OR

Silverleaf phacelia – May 25th – Willow Creek Canyon, OR

Silvery raillardella (new to us) – August 4th – Crater Lake National Park, OR

Sitka mist-maidens – April 27th – Wahkeena Trail, OR

Skunk cabbage – May 11th – Ecola State Park, OR

Slender phlox – May 26th – Madison Butte, OR

mall-flowered woodland-star – May 26th – Madison Butte, OR

Small bluebells – May 26th – Madison Butte, OR

Snowberry – June 19th – Deception Butte Trail, OR

Solomonseal – April 20th – Jackson Bottom Wetlands, OR

Oregon oxalis – April 13th – Lower Archer Falls, WA

Spirea betulifolia – June 22nd – Big Huckleberry Mountain, WA

Spiraea douglasii – July 6th – Independence Riverfront Park, OR

Spiraea splendens – July 25th – Minam River Trail, OR

Spotted coralroot – June 1st – Cook Hill, WA

Spreading dogbane – July 22nd – Hurricane Creek Trail (Eagle Cap Wilderness), OR

Spreading stickseed? – June 1st – Cook Hill, WA

Star-flowered false solomonseal – June 8th – Cedar Butte, OR

Starflower – June 1st – Cook Hill, WA

Stonecrop – June 1st – Cook Hill, WA

Wormleaf stonecrop – July 13th – Nasty Rock, OR

Strawberry – March 30th – Mulkey Ridge Trail (Corvallis), OR

Streambank globe-mallow – July 24th – Tenderfoot Wagon Road Trail (Eagle Cap Wilderness), OR

Sub-alpine mariposa lily – June 19th – Deception Butte Trail, OR

Sugar sticks – July 4th – Olallie Trail, OR

Swamp onion – July 24th – Bonny Lakes Trail (Eagle Cap Wilderness), OR

Chicory (non-native) – August 18th – Cliff Creek Trail (Wallowa-Whitman National Forest), OR

Sweet coltsfoot – April 27th – Wahkeena Trail, OR

Tall bluebells – June 29th – Grasshopper Mountain Trail, OR

Tansy ragwort (non-native) – July 6th – Independence Riverfront Park, OR

Tasselflower brickellbrush – July 22nd – Hurricane Creek Trail (Eagle Cap Wilderness), OR

Thimbleberry – April 20th – Jackson Bottom Wetlands, OR

Thistle – June 8th – Kilchis Forest Road, OR

Thistle (non-native) – July 6th – Independence Riverfront Park, OR

Greene’s thistle (Cirsium inamoenum) – July 26th – Mount Howard, OR

Threadleaf phacelia – May 25th – Barnes Butte (Prineville), OR

Tiger lilies – June 19th – Deception Butte Trail, OR

Dalmation toadflax (non-native) – May 25th – Willow Creek Trail (Madras), OR

Tolmie’s mariposa lily – June 19th – Deception Butte Trail, OR

Toothwort – March 30th – Mulkey Ridge Trail (Corvallis), OR

Trillium – March 30th – Mulkey Ridge Trail (Corvallis), OR

Twinberry – April 20th – Jackson Bottom Wetlands, OR

Twin flower – July 4th – Olallie Trail, OR

Valerian – June 8th – Kilchis Forest Road, OR

Vanilla leaf – June 1st – Cook Hill, WA

Variable-leaf collomia – June 8th – Cedar Butte Road, OR

Vetch – May 28th – Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge, OR

Vine maple – April 13th – Lower Archer Falls, WA

Violet – March 6th – Dorris Ranch (Eugene), OR

Violet – July 25th – Minam River Trail, OR

Canary violet – May 26th – Madison Butte, OR

Hookedspur violets – May 26th – Madison Butte, OR

Wallflower – June 8th – Kilchis Forest Road, OR

Wallowa paintbrush – July 25th – Minam River Trail, OR

Washington lily – July 4th – Olallie Trail, OR

Western buttercups – March 16th – Middle Fork Willamette Path (Eugene), OR

Western clematis – August 19th – Pine Lakes Trail (Eagle Cap Wilderness), OR

Western featherbells – July 13th – Nasty Rock Trail, OR

Western Labrador tea – July 25th – Minam River Trail, OR

Western meadowrue – April 27th – Angel’s Rest Trail, OR

Western snakeroot – August 4th – Wizard Island (Crater Lake NP), OR

White mariposa lily – July 24th – Bonny Lakes Trail (Eagle Cap Wilderness), OR

Bushy blazing-star (Mentzelia dispersa) – July 24th – Tenderfoot Wagon Road Trail (Eagle Cap Wilderness), OR

Tough-leaved iris – March 30th – Mulkey Ridge Trail (Corvallis), OR

Wild onion (Tolmie’s?) – May 26th – Madison Butte, OR

Wild roses – May 28th – Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge, OR

Willowherb – July 24th – Tenderfoot Wagon Road Trail (Eagle Cap Wilderness), OR

Wintergreen – July 13th – Nasty Rock Trail, OR

Possibly woolly groundsel – July 24th – Tenderfoot Wagon Road Trail (Eagle Cap Wilderness), OR

Yarrow – June 22nd – Big Huckleberry Mountain, WA

Yellow bell – May 26th – Madison Butte, OR

Yellow columbine – July 22nd – Hurricane Creek Trail (Eagle Cap Wilderness), OR

Yellowleaf iris – June 15th – O’Leary Mountain Trail, OR

Yellow sweet clover (non-native) – Hurricane Creek Trail (Eagle Cap Wilderness), OR

Youth-on-age – June 8th – Kilchis Forest Road, OR

Zigzag groundsmoke – August 3rd – The Pinnacles Trail (Crater Lake NP), OR

Unceremoniously the last flower seen was the non-native Queen Anne’s Lace at William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge on October 18th.
Invasive Queen Anne’s Lace lower right corner.

I’m sure we saw more varieties than we are able to identify, but even with our limited knowledge I’m confident we easily topped 300 by years end. The five best wildflower hikes we took in 2024 by date order were:
Madison Butte, OR – 5/26/24 (post)
Cook Hill, WA – 6/1/2024 (post)
PCT to Big Huckleberry Mountain, WA – 6/22/24 (post)
Olallie Trail to Horsepasture Mountain, OR – 7/04/24 (post)
Bonny Lakes, OR – 7/24/24 (post)

We look forward to seeing what kind of variety 2025 will bring. Wildflowers will start popping up in January when the grass widows make their appearance at the eastern end of the Columbia River Gorge with many others to follow. Happy Trail!

Tags hiking, Oregon, Washington, wildflowers

Hiking McKenzie River Old Cascades Oregon Trip report

Lower McKenzie River Trail – 12/21/2024

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date December 23, 2024
No Comments on Lower McKenzie River Trail – 12/21/2024

There haven’t been many good weather days in December and those that were dry had either been on days when we were at our desks at work, or one of us was under the weather. With Christmas right around the corner we were running out of time for a December hike so we decided that no matter what the weather we would be heading out on the winter solstice. Once again, the forecast was for a dry day Friday but rain all day Saturday. Given the forecast we opted for a river hike. Forested river hikes typically don’t have big views so cloudy skies don’t negatively impact the hike.

We headed to the McKenzie River National Recreation Trail to hike a segment of the trail we had not hiked before. We parked at the Lower McKenzie River Trailhead. (Note that the linked Forest Service page incorrectly states the trailhead is along Highway 125 instead of 126.)
The trailhead.

The trail begins at a signboard at the eastern end of the trailhead. For the first half mile the trail squeezes between the river and the highway before briefly veering away from the highway.
The caution sign was related to some pile burning that the Forest Service had been doing.

McKenzie River

Mushrooms

The trail approached the highway again across from McKenzie River Ranger Station.

After passing a junction with a spur trail coming from the ranger station at the 1 mile mark the McKenzie River Trail dropped away from the highway.
National Recreation Trail symbol on a tree to the left.

For the next 4.5 miles the trail stayed further away from the highway. At times it followed the bank of the McKenzie River and at others it veered away to avoid private property. At all times the trail passed through a lush green forest.

Private Road sign on Duffy Rd.

There was quite a bit of witches’ butter fungus along the trail.

There were a lot of other mushrooms too.

Unnamed creek crossing.

Ruby-crowned kinglet. We didn’t see much wildlife on this hike but there were several kinglets flitting among the trees here. This was the only photo of one I managed to get though.

We had not expected any blue sky so this was a treat. It had rained for most of the drive and sprinkled for a minute shortly after we started hiking, but it had been dry otherwise.

The trail switching back up a small hill.

The most significant elevation change was this decent to a footbridge over Lost Creek.

Coral fungus

Lost Creek

The footbridge over Lost Creek was a little over 4.5-miles from the Lower McKenzie Trailhead.

Lost Creek

Willamette National Forest Boundary

Approximately 5.25-miles from the trailhead we crossed Belknap Hot Springs Road.

Sign for the Belknap Hot Springs Lodge and Gardens.

Shortly after passing the lodge the trail approached the highway again for a brief time before the river veered away again and the trail followed it.

We had originally planned on turning around at 11am, but Heather’s ankle was starting to bother her, so she turned around at 10:45. I decided to keep going for another 15 or so minutes to try and reach Forest Road 2650 where the trail crosses the river to continue on the western side of the river.
Unnamed seasonal stream.

Footbridge over Scott Creek.

Scott Creek

Mushrooms

Footbridge over Boulder Creek.

Highway 126 bridge over Boulder Creek from the footbridge.

Boulder Creek flowing into the McKenzie River.

Forest Road 2650.

Boat ramp at Forest Road 2650.

The river from Forest Road 2650.

I turned around on the bridge and started back at a quick pace to try and catch up to Heather.

This short section along the road is just east of Belknap Springs Road.

Madrones

Moving at a quick pace had heated me up enough that I had to take off my rain gear which I’d been wearing the entire hike despite it being 99% dry.
A little sunlight on the forest floor.

Not 10 minutes after removing my rain gear it began to rain.
Rain shower falling over Lost Creek. It wasn’t raining hard enough to convince me to pull my rain gear back out.

I spotted Heather with a little over three and a quarter mile left back to the trailhead. (Look for a little orange in the trees ahead and to the right of the trail.)

The rain had stopped again by the time I caught up to Heather.

Ours was the only car at the trailhead when we got back.

My Garmin showed 13.8 miles for the hike to FR 2650, and I’d estimate close to 700′ of elevation gain spread out over several short climbs.

With this hike in books, we’ve now hiked much of the 26.5 McKenzie River Trail.
Red – Clear Lake, June 2014 (post). Green – Tamolitch Pool, May 2013 (post), Cyan – Middle segment, November 2020 (post).

We also started a hike at the Upper McKenzie Trailhead in July 2023 (post) but took the Santiam Wagon Road to Sand Mountain instead of the McKenzie River Trail. We are now just missing sections of the trail between the upper trailhead and Clear Lake, Clear Lake and Koosah Falls, and FR 610 and FR 2650. At some point we do plan on filling in those gaps.

This hike wraps up our 2024 hikes. We hope everyone has a merry Christmas and a happy New Year, and as always happy trails!

Flickr: Lower McKenzie River Trail

Tags Belknap Springs, Boulder Creek, hiking, Lost Creek, Lower McKenzie River Trail, McKenzie River National Recreation Trail, McKenzie River Trail, Oregon, Scott Creek

Hiking Oregon Salem/Albany Trip report Willamette Valley

Silver Falls State Park – Thanksgiving 2024

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date December 2, 2024
1 Comment on Silver Falls State Park – Thanksgiving 2024

With November quickly coming to an end we hadn’t managed to get out on a trail yet. We skipped the first two weekends due to poor weather and then spent most of the next week at theme parks in Southern California (post). While we got plenty of walking in at the parks, I didn’t consider those days as our monthly outing. Both Heather and I came down with head colds following our return home, so another weekend came and went without a hike. The forecast was dry for Thanksgiving which provided an opportunity to get a morning hike in. I was feeling better, but Heather was still dealing with a lingering cough, so I set out alone to check out the newest trailhead at nearby Silver Falls State Park.

The North Canyon Trailhead was opened in June 2023 followed by the North Rim Trail in July 2023. I was looking forward to checking out these new features, so I parked at the new trailhead and set off following pointers for the North Rim Trail.

The route I’d planned was to take the new trail 0.8-miles to the North Falls Trailhead then take a 0.6-mile out-and-back detour on the Upper North Falls Trail to visit Upper North Falls. After returning to the North Falls Trailhead I would take the Trail of Ten Falls down into the canyon passing behind North Falls and following this trail past Twin Falls to the Winter Falls Trail where I would turn left to visit Winter Falls and then climb out of the canyon to the Winter Falls Trailhead.

At the Winter Falls Trailhead I would again pick up the Trail of Ten Falls aka the Rim Trail where I would turn right and follow it past the Nature Store. Shortly after passing the Nature Store the Trail of Ten Falls heads down into the canyon again to pass behind South Falls. The trail is also known as the Canyon Trail between this point and where it heads into the canyon near the North Falls Trailhead. I would follow the Trail of Ten Falls/Canyon Trail behind South and then Lower South Falls on the South Fork Silver Creek. The trail eventually leaves the south fork behind and then later crosses the North Fork Silver Creek before passing Lower North Falls. A short spur trail just East of North Falls leads to Double Falls on Hult Creek. After crossing Hult Creek the Trail of Ten Falls passes Drake Falls followed by Middle North Falls. I would take another short spur trail leading behind Middle North Falls before continuing another half mile to a junction with the Twin Falls Trail. Finally I would take the Twin Falls Trail uphill a half mile back to the North Canyon Trailhead. This route resulted in an approximately 8.8-mile hike with close to 1000′ of elevation gain.

I chose the route because it included roughly 1.5-miles of trail that was new to me. The new-to-me trail included the North Rim Trail, Twin Falls Trail, and a short section of the Winter Falls Trail (between Winter Falls and the Winter Falls Trailhead). I chose the direction (clockwise) because the last two times I’d visited the waterfalls I’d been going the opposite direction, so I wanted a different perspective this time around.

Onward to the pictures!
The North Rim Trail heads left at a fork with the Twin Falls Trail a short distance from the parking lot.

I stuck to the North Rim Trail here leaving another (short) trail to do next time.

The Nature Play Area along the loop trail I didn’t take.

One of two bridges along the North Rim Trail.

Railing near the North Falls Viewpoint.

North Falls from the viewpoint.

North Falls

Map located at the North Falls Trailhead.

Upper North Falls from the Upper North Falls Trail.

Upper North Falls.

The split in the Trail of Ten Falls where the Canyon Trail heads down to North Falls.

North Falls

Trail behind North Falls.

Behind North Falls.

I will always take pictures of these large boulders in the creek.

Hair ice, a phenomenon that only occurs on rotting wood when the correct mix of moisture, atmospheric conditions, and temperature combines with the fungus Exidiopsis effusa. There were quite a few occurrences this morning.

Trail marker at the Twin Falls Trail junction.

Twin Falls

Twin Falls is a tough one to get a good clear view of the full waterfall. Recent rainfall had provided good flow for this fall which helps with the visibility.

This is Twin Falls on July 7, 2006.

All the rain had the side creeks and falls flowing as well.

Nearing the Winter Falls Trail and its bridge over the creek.

The view from the bridge.

Winter Falls from the Winter Falls Trail.

Winter Falls

It’s a steep couple of tenths of a mile climb from Winter Falls up to the trailhead which warmed me up enough that I removed my beanie, buff, and made a switch to lighter gloves shortly after I’d turned back onto the Trail of Ten Falls/Rim Trail.

The forecast had called for sunny skies, but we were also dealing with an air stagnation warning. For a brief moment I thought the fog might burn off, but that never materialized and by the time I arrived at South Falls more fog had rolled in.

There are some nice big trees scattered throughout the park.

Trail of Ten Falls/Canyon Trail above South Falls.

South Falls

Behind South Falls

For a short loop just to South Falls you can cross the bridge and return to the rim.

The trail below heading for Lower South Falls.

From behind Lower South Falls. I scared a poor woman so badly as I neared the falls. She was setting her phone up on a tripod for a selfie and didn’t see me coming nor could she hear me with the roar of the falls until I was just a couple of feet away. When I said that I was just going to sneak behind her she let out the loudest scream I’ve heard in a while.

Ankle deep pools behind the falls.

Lower South Falls

The mile long Maple Trail (right) allows for a shorter loop to both the falls on South Fork Silver Creek.

This is now the North Fork Silver Creek.

Unnamed falls on a side creek.

The footbridge over the North Fork Silver Creek.

Pool below the bridge.

Lower North Falls

Footbridge over Hult Creek and the spur trail to Double Falls.

Double Falls

Back on the Canyon Trail.

More fog.

Drake Falls

Middle North Falls

Spur trail (right) to Middle North Falls.

Behind Middle North Falls.

Splash pool

The Winter Falls Trail footbridge spanning the creek ahead on the right.

Chipmunk.

I saw a few birds (and heard several more) and saw a deer on my drive through the park, but this was the only wildlife that I managed to even try and get a photo of on the hike.

Twin Falls again which meant I was nearly to the Twin Falls Trail.

Twin Falls Trail junction.

It was another stiff climb out of the canyon. There was a bench at a switchback with a somewhat obstructed view of Twin Falls.

The Twin Falls Trail leveled out near its end.

Arriving back at the junction with the North Rim Trail.

I spotted several ruffed grouse as I was driving out of the trailhead.

I really enjoyed this loop. It began and ended with waterfalls and saved Middle North Falls, which I’ve decided is my favorite of the ten, until near the end. It was also a great time of the year to visit to see the falls full from the recent rains. This was my seventh visit to the park and even with my 2022 perimeter loop (post) there are still a number of trails I’ve yet to explore away from the waterfall area. I’m already looking at possible routes for the next visit. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Silver Falls State Park Thanksgiving

Hiking Mt. Hood Area Oregon Trip report

Devil’s Peak Loop (Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness) – 10/07/2024

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date October 10, 2024
4 Comments on Devil’s Peak Loop (Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness) – 10/07/2024

I have a little more vacation time than Heather which means flying solo from time to time. For those solo outings I try and pick hikes to places we’ve already visited or hikes that Heather doesn’t mind missing out on. The latter tend to either be long hikes (14+ miles) or have significant elevation gains >3000′, or a combination of both. One such hike that I’ve had my eyes on for a while was a long loop in the Salmon-Huckelberry Wilderness combining the Salmon River, Green Canyon Way, Hunchback, and Kinzel Lake Trails.

I began the loop at the Salmon River West Trailhead and started the loop clockwise on the Salmon River Trail.
Not having light until after 7am is rough for someone who likes to get an early start.

The Salmon River Trail is located next to this interpretive sign near the trailhead.

A flash was necessary as I set off.

We’d been on this section of trail in 2015. I followed this level path for half a mile to the Green Canyons Campground, another potential starting point for this hike.
There was a very brief road walk along this section.

There was also plenty of time along the Salmon River.

I veered right at this picnic table to cross into the campground.

The day use area at the campground.

I walked through the day use area to the campground entrance then crossed Salmon River Road to find the start of the Green Canyon Way Trail.
Water spigot at the day use area.

It was hard to read the date for this cougar sighting, it appeared to be from June, but I couldn’t make out the year.

The Green Canyon Way Trail gains 2400′ in 3.2-miles to reach the Hunchback Trail, a 9.1-mile-long trail traversing Hunchback Ridge. Green Canyon Way was in pretty good shape, with just a few smaller trees to step over. The climb was well graded which kept it from ever feeling too steep.
Entering the Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness

One of the downed trees, this one covered both sides of a switchback.

A rare viewpoint along the forested trail.

A level stretch along a narrow ridge.

A healthy looking paintbrush.

The Sun rising above Hunchback Ridge.

It was going to a be a bluebird day.

Sign ahead marking the Hunchback Trail junction.

We had hiked a 5.6-mile section of the Hunchback Trail in 2020 starting at the trails north end at the Lower Hunchback Trailhead. I turned SE (right) at the junction and followed the trail up and down (mostly up) along Hunchback Ridge for 2.4-miles to a junction below Devil’s Peak.

One of the “downs”.

This trail was also in good shape with just a few easy obstacles.

I did not go investigate the source of the “water”, it could have been a trap (there is a spring shown on the map).

Signs at the junction below Devil’s Peak.

I detoured uphill to the right for 100 yards to the Devil’s Peak Lookout.

We were here back in 2018 when the lookout was still open to the public for use. I took a short break here to take in the views before continuing the loop.
Mount Jefferson

Olallie Butte (post) and Mt. Jefferson

The lookout from the Mt. Jefferson viewpoint.

Mt. Hood from the lookout.

You can’t see Mt. Jefferson from the lookout due to trees.

I continued on the Hunchback Trail passing the Cool Creek Trail in another 105 yards and began a 1.25-mile descent to the Devil’s Peak Trailhead. Note that the drive to this trailhead requires traveling nearly 10 miles on an awful road that Sullivan describes as a “nightmare”.
Trail signs at the Cool Creek Trail junction.

Lookout Mountain(post), Gunsight Butte (post), and Bonney Butte (post) along the far ridge.

Mt. Hood from the Hunchback Trail.

Arriving at the trailhead on FR 2613.

It’s hard to make out in the photo but that is a giant pothole (crater) in the middle of the road seen from the trailhead.

A short walk along the roadbed led to the Kinzel Lake Trail on the right.
That is the trailhead at the end of the road on the right.

I turned down the Kinzel Lake Trail and after a third of a mile came to an unsigned junction with a spur trail to Kinzel Lake on the left.

I turned down the spur trail which dropped steeply then made two more steep up and downs before arriving at an old campground at the small lake in a little over a quarter mile.

After checking out the lake I climbed back up to the Kinzel Lake Trail and continued downhill another two miles where I turned right on the Salmon River Trail.
There were some nice Fall colors along the Kinzel Lake Trail.

There were also a few obstacles that were trickier than anything on the other trails involved in this loop.

Salmon Butte (post)

Nearing the Salmon River Trail.

Trail sign at the Salmon River Trail junction.

I turned right on the Salmon River Trail. We had hiked this section of trail during an overnight trip in 2018

It was approximately 6-miles from the junction back to the trailhead. I bypassed most of the viewpoints this time since we’d visited them on previous trips, and this was already a long enough hike without adding more detours.

There wasn’t much water at all in any of the side creeks.

There are several viewpoints just over 3.5-miles from the trailhead.

The furtherst hump in the center is Huckleberry Mountain (post).

Wilderness kiosk along the trail. There were self-issued permits here, but none at Green Canyon Way so I stopped and filled one out even though I was almost done with my hike (and out of the wilderness).

Salmon River

There were a couple of good-sized fish in the pool here.

The trail arriving back at the trailhead.

The first people I saw all day had been camped along the river near Goat Creek, and in total I saw less than 20 people, nearly all in the last three and a half miles. The hike itself showed 16.5-miles on the GPS and included over 4350′ of elevation gain.

This was a challenging but nice loop. My only wish is that it had been 15 to 20 degrees cooler. Clockwise was definitely the way to go in order to get the bulk of the climbing over with during the cooler morning hours. The Kinzel Lake Trail also seemed slightly steeper than the Green Canyon Way Trail making the climb up to Hunchback Ridge a little easier. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Devil’s Peak Loop

Tags Devil's Peak, Devil's Peak Lookout, Green Canyon Way Trail, Green Canyons Campground, hiking, Hunchback Ridge, Hunchback Trail, Kinzel Lake, Kinzel Lake Trail, Mt. Hood National Forest, Oregon, salmon river, salmon river trail, Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness

High Cascades Hiking Mt. Hood Area Oregon Trip report

Boy Scout Ridge – 10/06/2024

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date October 7, 2024
No Comments on Boy Scout Ridge – 10/06/2024

We try and get to the Mt. Hood Wilderness at least once a year and this year’s visit kicked off our October hikes. The one area where we hadn’t really been on the mountain was the SE side along the White River. The Pacific Crest Trail climbs on the mountain on that side crossing Highway 35 near Barlow Pass and following Boy Scout Ridge joining the Timberline Trail in approximately 3.75 miles and continuing on to Timberline Lodge. We weren’t planning on going quite as far as Timberline Lodge this time, but we were planning on a loop in the middle of the hike utilizing the Yellowjacket Ski Trail and Upper White River Trail.

It was a little wet, and 35 degrees Fahrenheit (2 Celsius) when arrived at the nearly empty Barlow Pass Trailhead.
We had also parked here in 2021 for our Barlow Butte hike (post).

The PCT passes just east of the parking area and can be accessed behind the signboard near a picnic table or as it crosses the Barlow Wagon Road which is where we hopped on this time.

We followed the trail for a quarter mile through forest before joining an old roadbed where we turned right to reach the Highway 35 crossing.

On the far side of the highway the trail climbed gradually through a nice forest arriving at the Yellowjacket Trail junction in just under 2-miles.
The colors of Fall.

Tom, Dick, and Harry Mountain (post) catching the morning Sun.

Mt. Hood teased an appearance a couple of times along the lower portion of the PCT. It was enough to see that there was a dusting of fresh snow on the mountain.

The signed junction with the Yellowjacket Trail.

We turned right onto the Yellowjacket Trail and followed the faint tread nearly a mile down to the White River.

The wet brush had me whishing I’d worn boots.

The Yellowjacket Trail passing a small meadow.

Makeshift footbridge along the trail.

The trail came to a muddy track used to access a set of powerlines where we turned right. We followed the muddy track downhill and crossed the South Fork Mineral Creek on a metal bridge.

We stayed on this roadbed until we reached a road junction at the river where we turned left. Here we had a pretty good view of the mountain.

New snow on Mt. Hood.

The roadbed followed a levee along the river’s debris plain providing spectacular views.

The valley is the result of an eruption around 250 years ago.

Pacific lupine

At the end of the levee the route climbed a moraine then continued its gradual ascent to the Timberline Trail.

Dark-eyed junco. There was a good variety of birds along the moraine, but this was the only one that sat still long enough to have its picture taken.

Frost on a log. It was really nice to be hiking in the crisp cool air.

Boy Scout Ridge from the moraine.

The unsigned junction with the Timberline Trail.

We turned left on the Timberline Trail and made a fairly steep 0.4-mile climb to Pacific Crest Trail at a junction in a meadow.
Mt. Hood from the junction.

Sign for the PCT nearly absorbed by the tree.

Lupine (broadleaf?)

A few remaining blooms on the goldenrod.

Signpost at the PCT junction ahead.

We turned right on the PCT heading for a viewpoint described on Oregonhikers.org. It was a scenic three quarters of a mile to the viewpoint. Along the way we spotted a coyote hunting in the meadows below the trail.

The coyote with Mt. Hood looming behind.

Mt. Jefferson to the south with the Three Sisters behind to the left.

The Three Sisters and Mt. Jefferson

The round peak along the far ridge is Gunsight Butte (post) and Bonney Butte (post) is along the broad rise to its right.

We’d lost sight of the coyote until it ran across the trail not too far in front of us.

More lupine

A few remaining aster blossoms in the foreground.

Timberline Lodge across the Salmon River Canyon.

Looking back down the White River Valley. Barlow Ridge is the near hump on the right.

Another look at Timberline Lodge.

Despite all the cars at the lodge we would only encounter a half dozen other trail users until we were back at the Barlow Pass Trailhead.

Small waterfall below the ridge.

Heather stopped at the viewpoint, which was at a high point above the waterfall. I continued on a short distance just to make sure that was indeed the viewpoint described in the Oregonhikers Field Guide.
I turned around here where the Timberline Trail headed across the Salmon River drainage. The Silcox Hut is straight ahead on the side of the mountain.

Looking back at the high point where Heather had stopped.

I headed back to Heather and after a short break we started back down the PCT.
Mt. Hood’s summit.

The waterfall looking pretty small far below the mountain.

It took us a moment to decide what the dark rounded peak straight ahead in the distance was. We eventually correctly identified it as Black Butte (post).

Olallie Butte (post) in front of Mt. Jefferson.

Birds on mountain ash.

The Timberline Trail junction.

We stayed straight on the PCT leaving the Timberline Trail and descending through the mountain forest past the Yellowjacket Ski Trail and back to Highway 35.
Beargrass meadow, there hadn’t been any blooms this year.

Lousewort

It was nearly 2-miles between the Timberline and Yellowjacket trail junctions.

We were shocked to see a bunchberry that still had some petals, even if they were in sad shape.

Mushrooms and fungi are not surprising this time of year.

Highway 35

We had no problem dashing across the highway and then made our way back to the now nearly full Barlow Pass Trailhead.
Arriving at the Barlow Road.

The hike came in just over 11-miles for me with close to 2000′ of elevation gain. Stopping at the viewpoint would have put the hike around 10.7-miles.

This was a great Fall hike. The views were amazing, and the cool temperatures helped it from getting too hot during the exposed climb. It was also really nice to get a track on the map to fill in the blank area around Mt. Hood.
Our various hikes around the mountain. There are still a few areas where we could add a track or two. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Boy Scout Ridge

Tags Barlow Road, coyote, hiking, Mt. Hood, Mt. Hood National Forest, Mt. Hood Wilderness, Oregon, Pacific Crest Trail. Barlow Pass Trailhead, PCT, Timberline Lodge, timberline trail, Upper White River Trail, White River

Hiking Middle Santiam Old Cascades Oregon Trip report

Chimney Peak – 09/28/2024

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date September 30, 2024
No Comments on Chimney Peak – 09/28/2024

A project at work had Heather occupied so I headed out on a rare solo hike to visit Chimney Peak in the Middle Santiam Wilderness. This would be just my second visit to this wilderness with the first being an overnight trip to Donaca Lake (post) in 2014.

For this outing I started at the McQuade Creek Trailhead. This is the shortest route to Chimney Peak.
I actually parked on the shoulder of Forest Road 1142 and walked a tenth of a mile down a spur road to the start of the trail.

A note stating that access from the eastern side of the wilderness was still closed due to the Pyramid Fire.

The 5-mile long McQuade Creek Trail gains approximately 1600′ before ending at the Chimney Peak Trail. The trail is well graded, and as of my trip, free of any significant downed trees. The trail however is narrow, rough, and was overgrown in numerous places. Views are limited along the trail, but the forest is lovely. This combination is likely why I didn’t see another person all morning despite it being a warm, sunny day.
It was early when I started so there wasn’t a lot of light and even on the way back there was a lot of shade.

A short distance from the trailhead is a crossing of West Fork McQuade Creek.

A third of a mile from the West Fork the trail crosses McQuade Creek.

Reportedly this crossing can be quite tricky early in the year, but there wasn’t much water this time of the year.

Based on trip reports from 2023 and recent cuts seen along the trail it appears that a trail crew passed through this year.

There are just 3 or 4 trees about this size left across the trail.

Big trees near a rock outcrop.

A good representation of the rough tread along parts of the trail.

A reminder that Fall is here.

The McQuade Creek Trail hidden by the underbrush.

Lousewort

Huckleberries

Views were limited to the nearby ridges and hillsides.

Chimney Peak straight ahead.

Vine maple along a rocky slope.

Pika watching me from behind some cover.

Flagging along a bit of a washout.

The damaged section of trail pictured above started a 0.4-mile stretch of overgrown trail which included devil’s club, currant, and other thorny bushes. It was by far the least enjoyable part of the hike.

Looking back at the final section of the overgrown trail.

The trail beyond the really overgrown section.

A little under half a mile later I entered the Middle Santiam Wilderness at the junction with the Chimney Peak Trail.

The McQuade Creek Shelter used to be located near here, but it had collapsed years ago, and I didn’t see any signs of the remains.

From the junction Donaca Lake is a little over 6-miles (left) while Chimney Peak is three-quarters of a mile in the other direction (right).
Pointer for Chimney Peak.

I turned right on the Chimney Peak Trail which climbed gradually along a ridge for the first 0.2-miles before steeping significantly in the next half mile culminating in a brief class 3 scramble to reach the former lookout site atop Chimney Peak.

Looking up from the trail.

Mt. Jefferson

The trail heading steeply uphill towards the Sun.

The trail passing beneath the cliffs.

Initially I forked right here because the left hand fork didn’t appear to go anywhere.

I assume these are remains from the former lookout.

I followed a use trail to the end of the cliffs thinking that the scramble route up might be at the far end but it was not.

I headed back to the area where the fork I’d ignored earlier was and headed uphill toward the rocks.
The start of the scramble route. The crack was too narrow to use but once I got to the top of this rock the route became much clearer.

Looking down at the first part of the route from above.

The top is in sight.

Clouds over Green Peter Lake.

Mt. Hood in the distance.

Zoomed in on Mt. Hood and some haze.

Mt. Jefferson

There was no sign of the 1934 lookout on the rocks where I’d come up, but there appeared to be another set of rocks to the east hidden by a tree and some brush.

After fighting my way through I popped out at the lookout site.

The Three Sisters

Three Fingered Jack to the left behind the Three Pyramids (post) and Mt. Washington (post) on the right.

Mt. Jefferson zoomed.

The view of the mountains would be better later in the day when the Sun would be more overhead or behind Chimney Peak, but that’s the price of getting an early start. I took a break at the summit and spent some time dealing with hot spots on my feet. I had worn a newer pair of boots, and the rough, uneven trail tread had created some issues. After putting on some blister aids, reapplying glide, and changing socks I headed back.

It was a pretty uneventful hike out, although the views were a little better along the McQuade Creek Trail now that there was more sunlight.

West Fork McQuade Creek

Back at the trailhead.

This hike came in at 11.8-miles with around 2500′ of elevation gain.

It was an enjoyable hike, but it felt harder than the stats would indicate. I believe the trail tread had a lot to do with that combined with it being a fairly warm and humid (by Oregon standards) day. It was encouraging to see that the trail had seen recent maintenance. Maybe that will encourage a little more use. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Chimney Peak

Tags Chimney Peak, Chimney Peak Trail, hiking, McQuade Creek, McQuade Creek Trail, McQuade Creek Trailhead, Middle Santiam Wilderness, Oregon, West Fork McQuade Creek, Willamette National Forest

Clackamas Hiking Mt. Hood Area Oregon Trip report

Pyramid Lake, Anvil Lake, and High Rock – 09/21/2024

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date September 23, 2024
No Comments on Pyramid Lake, Anvil Lake, and High Rock – 09/21/2024

Despite hiking regularly for a dozen years there are still plenty of places and trails close enough for a day trip that we’ve yet to make it to. We’ve made it a priority for our outings to involve such places when possible and was the purpose of our most recent outing. Matt Reeder’s “Off the Beaten Trail” (2nd edition) includes an entry for Black Wolf Meadows and High Rock (hike #39), a pair of short hikes in the Clackamas Foothills off of Forest Road 58. Combined, these hikes total right around 4-miles which prompted us to look for another stop we could add and landed on Pyramid Lake which I found using the Oregonhikers.org Field Guide.

We decided to start with the hike to Pyramid Lake and parked along FR 140 whish was the suggested trailhead in the Field Guide entry. This road is narrow and overgrown so expect to pick up some scratches from brush if you decide to drive it.
We parked on the shoulder here and road walked three quarters of a mile to the official trailhead.
This is a good example of why we parked where we did.

The official trailhead.

It’s just 0.2-miles to the lake from this trailhead, but the initial climb is pretty steep. The lake is located within the Roaring River Wilderness. This would be just our second time hiking in that wilderness area joining our 2013 Shellrock & Rock Lakes hike (post).

A pair of Barrow’s goldeneye ducks enjoying a morning swim on the far side of the lake.

We attempted to follow a use trail around the lake, but it quickly petered out in the brush so we called it good and headed back to our car.
The use trail

Mushroom along the road walk back to the car.

This stop came in at 2.6-miles with a little over 300′ of elevation gain, primarily in the initial steep climb from the official trailhead. After returning to FR 58, where we turned left, we continued 1.2-miles to a sign for Anvil Lake. We turned right onto spur road 5800-160 and followed this narrow gravel road 0.4-miles to a pullout on the left at a closed road just beyond the signed Anvil Lake Trail.
The somewhat obscured sign for the Anvil Lake Trail along spur road 5800-160.

The pullout where we parked.

The Anvil Lake Trail was historically part of a Native American route from the Cascade crest to the Estacada area. The trail is fairly level to start and reaches Black Wolf Meadows near the half mile mark.

Old growth cedar along the trail.

There was a variety of large mushrooms on the forest floor along the trail.

There was also a bit of blowdown to climb over.

The edge of Black Wolf Meadows.

Earlier in the year the meadows are rather wet, but today the only moisture was from the morning dew.

Explorers gentian. There were many of these gentians in the meadows, but they all appeared to have finished blooming weeks before.

The trail leaving the meadows.

Soon after leaving the meadows the trail began a gradual descent before reaching a signed junction with a short spur trail to Anvil Lake.

More mushrooms

Rough-skinned newt

Old sign near Anvil Creek.

The dry bed of Anvil Creek.

Coral fungus

The sign for the spur trail ahead on the left.

Pointer for Anvil Lake. According to the Oregon Hikers Field Guide this sign is likely over 50 years old based on the reference to S-502 which is currently known as FR 5820 which is another potential trailhead for this hike.

We turned down the spur trail which dropped somewhat steeply before arriving at the lake in just over 100 yards.

Anvil Lake

Wood duck house reflecting in the lake.

There is just one small campsite at the lake. We’d seen a gentleman heading toward FR 5820 just as the junction with the spur trail had come into view, but there was no one at the lake now. After a brief break we headed back. It was interesting to find that in the short amount of time that had passed since our first trip through Black Wolf Meadows nearly all of the dew was now gone.

This stop was just slightly longer than the hike at Pyramid Lake, coming in at 2.7-miles. The elevation gain was just 190′ and a lot more gradual than it had been at Pyramid Lake.

We hopped back in our car, returned to FR 58, and turned right to continue another 0.6-miles to a signed junction where we veered right following a pointer for High Rock. After another paved mile we turned into a large unsigned pullout for our final hike of the day to High Rock.

Mt. Hood from the pullout.

We started up a rough road on the eastern side of the pullout.

While open the road is rough and 4wd is almost certainly a must (there was one pickup up at the end of the road and Heather saw a Subaru turn around and head down while I was exploring the rock outcrops.)

At the 0.4-mile mark the road turns sharply left while a jeep track launches steeply up a hill (where it really shouldn’t).

The road continuing to the left.

Mt. Jefferson, the tops of the Three Sisters, and Three Fingered Jack from the road.

Olallie Butte (post), Mt. Jefferson, the Three Sisters, and Three Fingered Jack.

I decided to head straight uphill on the jeep track to see what the view was like from the rocks here while Heather continued on the road to the former lookout site.
Mt. Hood with Mt. Adams behind to the left.

The view south toward Mt. Jefferson.

View along the rocky ridge.

I followed use trails along the ridge eventually gaining a view of the outcrop where the lookout site had been.
Heather is the orange dot climbing up the side of the outcrop.

I had to drop down to a saddle where the road had ended. The pickup was parked here near a camp a couple of gentlemen had set up.
Mt. Hood from the saddle.

I climbed up a fairly steep and rocky slope to join Heather at the former lookout site where we took a break and enjoyed the 360-degree view.
Signal Buttes is the pointy peak on the left and Salmon Butte (post) is the rounded peak hump on the right.

Salmon Butte now in the middle with Linney Butte the hump on the right of the double humps in the foreground and Devil’s Peak (post) the high point to the right of Linney Butte.

Linney Butte, Devil’s Peak, Mt. Adams in the distance, and Mt. Hood.

Wolf Peak in the foreground which is above Black Wolf Meadows.

Mt. Jefferson from the former lookout site.

Peaks in the Bull-of-the-Woods and Opal Creek Wilderness areas in the distance to the left and Fish Creek Mountain (post) in the distance to the right behind a ridge.

The remains of the lookout on High Rock.

A zoomed in shot of Mt. Adams.

Mt. Rainier rising behind Devil’s Peak.

When it was time to head back we located a more gradual trail down to the saddle.

I stopped to take a picture of the golden-mantled ground squirrel posing on the large boulder. As I was taking the photo I noticed a pika dashing across the rocks. The pika is just barely visible below the lark dark rock to the left of the tree when zoomed in far enough.

The ground squirrel watching us as we passed below.

Skipper along the road on the way down.

Aster

Red huckleberry leaves with Mt. Jefferson beyond.

The GPS read 1.3-miles for my hike here with a little under 350′ of elevation gain. This made the total for the day 6.6-miles with right around 850′ of elevation gain.

These hikes offered a nice variety of scenery free of crowds. Combining them provided a moderate day with enough hiking to warrant the 90+ mile drive from Salem, and now we can add three more places to the list of where we’ve been. We were treated to an unexpected post hike scene when a young black bear crossed Highway 224 near Promontory Park. At 11:30am we weren’t even considering that a bear might be crossing the road, but that made the third bear I’ve seen in the last 30 days and Heather’s 2nd. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Pyramid Lake, Anvil Lake, and High Rock

Tags Anvil Lake, Anvil Lake Trail, Black Wolf Meadows, High Rock, hiking, Mt. Hood National Forest, Oregon, Pyramid Lake, Pyramid Lake Trail, Roaring River Wilderness

High Cascades Hiking Mt. Jefferson Area Oregon Trip report

Woodpecker Trail to Jefferson Park – 09/13/2024

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date September 16, 2024
1 Comment on Woodpecker Trail to Jefferson Park – 09/13/2024

Our first visit to Jefferson Park was way back in 2011 and it made such an impact on us that we revisited yearly up to 2017 when the lightning sparked Whitewater Fire forced us to skip a year. We returned in 2018 (post) and then decided to take a break from our yearly visits. Then in 2020 the Lionshead Fire, driven by strong easterly winds, raced through the area before combining with the Beachie Fire on 9/7/20. There are still closures in effect due to that fire, but the Woodpecker Trailhead has since been reopened and we thought it was time to revisit an old friend.

We had used the Woodpecker Trailhead for our 2016 visit (post) prior to either of the fires impacting the area. This was also before the Central Cascade Wilderness Permits were enacted. Currently the Woodpecker Trailhead only requires a free self-issued permit for day-use which can be obtained at the trailhead. Overnight permits are required for the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness regardless of which trailhead is used from 6/15 to 10/15.

Heather and I had set different goals for the day. I had my sights set on finally visiting Sprague Lake which is located just below Park Ridge (post) and requires off-trail navigation. Heather had set a more sensible goal of stopping at Scout Lake which is the first lake that you reach when entering Jefferson Park from the SW. Given our different goals we established a meeting spot on the west side of Scout Lake and set off at our own paces.
Another reminder that overnight permits are required in the wilderness.

Due to the two recent fires having burned over the entire route of our planned hikes the vast majority of the trails up to Jefferson Park are devoid of any tree cover. Luckily for us it was in the upper 30’s when we set off and the highs were set to be in the upper 50’s in Jefferson Park and low 70’s at the trailhead. It was also forecast to be mostly clear skies as recently cooler temperatures combined with rain and even some snow at higher elevations had helped to suppress the numerous fires currently burning in other parts of the Cascades and eastern Oregon.
Low clouds in the valley.

Mt. Jefferson through some of the snags with a few surviving trees on the right.

After an initial steep climb the trail levels out then descends slightly into a patch of trees that survived the fires. At the 1.2-mile mark it enters the Mount Jefferson Wilderness.

Just under a half mile later the trail climbed to an unsigned junction with the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT).
Mt. Jefferson from the junction, note the rock cairn on the left marking the PCT.

The cairn at the junction.

We turned left on the PCT and followed it through the fire scars for 2.6-miles to a crossing of Russell Creek.
Triangulation Peak (post) getting hit with sunlight with Whitewater Lake (lower right) in Mt. Jefferson’s shadow.

Whitewater Lake

Triangulation Point and Bocca Cave (Trailheads still closed.)

Tarn 0.3-miles from the junction.

Mt. Jefferson reflecting in the tarn.

Ducks on the tarn.

The Sentinel Hills with Park Butte behind to the right. The Whitewater Trail (post) traverses the hillside below the Sentinel Hills, but that trailhead is also still closed.

The fires did open up fairly consistent views of the mountain.

A few remaining penstemon blossoms.

Heading down to the Russell Creek crossing.

This can be a tricky crossing at times, but there was a makeshift bridge which made it fairly easy this time.

Aster and pearly everlasting near the creek.

Beyond Russell Creek the PCT climbed for half a mile to a junction with the Whitewater Trail where we turned right sticking to the PCT.

We started seeing more trees that had survived the fire as we got closer to Jefferson Park.

Gentians and aster

Grass-of-parnassus

From this junction it was just under a mile to the first of several signed trails leading to Scout Lake off the PCT.
There were patches of burned forest along this stretch.

Approximately 0.4-miles from the junction the trail crosses Whitewater Creek.

From the other side of Whitewater Creek the views of Mt. Jefferson are amazing.

Based on the barred sides I believe this is a black-backed woodpecker.

Unofficial use trails are an issue in Jefferson Park which has prompted the Forest Service to install a number of “Closed for Rehabilitation” sign such as the one on the left side of the trail.

They’ve also added quite a few signs to indicated sanctioned trails. Typically in wilderness areas the Forest Service tries to keep signage to a minimum, but overuse has led them to add additional signs.

Another sign with Park Butte in background.

Since I was headed for Park Ridge I ignored the trails to Scout Lake for now and continued on the PCT for three quarters of a mile beyond the first sign for Scout Lake to a sign for Russell Lake on the right side of the trail.

The last of the pointers for Scout Lake.

PCT heading for Park Butte and Park Ridge.

Russell Lake pointer.

Tags hiking, Jefferson Park, mountain goat, Mt. Hood National Forest, Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Jefferson Wilderness, Oregon, Pacific Crest Trail, Park butte, PCT, Russell Creek, Russell Lake, scout lake, Sprague Lake, whitewater creek, whitewater trail, Willamette National Forest, Woodpecker Ridge, Woodpecker Trailhead

Hiking Oregon Trip report Wallowas

Hidden Lake (Eagle Cap Wilderness) Backpack – 09/09 & 09/10/2024

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date September 13, 2024
4 Comments on Hidden Lake (Eagle Cap Wilderness) Backpack – 09/09 & 09/10/2024

After delaying the start of our planned backpack to Hidden Lake by a day (post) due to a Fire Weather Warning we had a two-day window of sunny, but smokey, weather before the next chance of thunderstorms was forecast to roll in. That was all the time we needed though to allow us to finish the 100th featured hike from William L. Sullivan’s “100 Hikes Eastern Oregon” (2022 1st edition).

It would also mark the culmination of our goal of hiking at least a portion of all 100 featured hikes from a single edition of each of the five areas Sullivan splits his guidebooks into: Eastern Oregon, Central Oregon Cascades, Oregon Coast & Coast Range, Northwest Oregon & Southwest Washington, and Southern Oregon & Northern California (post). We set our sights on that goal way back in 2016, but we started using Sullivan’s guidebooks six years earlier. We will be covering completing the Eastern Oregon book and completing our goal in separate posts later, but first we needed to hike the East Eagle Trail.

Our plan was to begin at the East Eagle Trailhead and follow the East Eagle Trail to the Hidden Lake Trail (approx. 7 miles) where we would look for a campsite not far after crossing East Fork Eagle Creek. We had been told that there was a spot or two there by a fellow hiker we’d run into during our Maxwell Lake hike in August (post). While camping at the lake sounded nice climbing 1000′ in 1.4 miles with full packs on didn’t.

We arrived at the trailhead to find a few cars parked along the turnaround loop. After filling out a free wilderness permit we followed a pointer for the East Eagle Trail.

The first 0.2-miles followed a rough spur road.

The trail starting at the 0.2-mile mark.

The trail quickly entered the Eagle Cap Wilderness as it gradually climbed, with a few short downhills, along East Fork Eagle Creek.

It was evident that Winter avalanches are common in this valley based on the amount of downed and damaged trees. Despite that the trail was in pretty good condition although there were a few obstacles to detour around.

There were still a few flowers blooming along the way.
An aster or fleabane

Nettle-leaf giant hyssop

Haze from wildfires burning in the Pacific Northwest.

A little over 2.5-miles from the trailhead we passed small corkscrew falls.
Corkscrew Falls

One of the few trees that proved a little tricky.

We also had to be wary of falling fir cones. The resident squirrels were busy dropping them to the ground to add to their Winter stores.

Smoke hanging over the East Fork Eagle Creek Valley.

Penstemon

The different shapes and colors of the peaks in the Wallowa Mountains never cease to impress.

This section of trail appeared to have fallen victim to an avalanche that came down from the far side of the creek then up this one.

Paintbrush

Unnamed waterfall along East Fork Eagle Creek.

The view improved a little as the day progressed.

Coneflower along the trail.

Fireweed

Last of the mountain coyote mint.

California tortoiseshell

Fritillary butterfly

Post marking the junction with the Hidden Lake Trail.

We turned down the Hidden Lake Trail and rock hopped across the creek. After navigating through some more downed trees we spotted an established campsite a little off the trail.

After setting up camp we switched to our day packs and started the climb up to Hidden Lake.

View back across the East Fork Eagle Creek Valley.

More obstacles were present along the Hidden Lake Trail.

More trail damage.

A mile and a quarter from our camp we arrived at Moon Lake.

Gentians

After a brief break at Moon Lake we followed the trail steeply uphill to a pass.

Looking back down at Moon Lake.

The trail leveled out for a bit at the pass and a short spur trail on the left led to an unnamed lake.

On the other side of the ridge is Eagle Lake which we visited in 2023 (post).

Beyond the pass the trail descended briefly to an unnamed creek.

Sullivan’s description said to follow the trail to its end at the creek then cross the creek and head right over a small ridge to find Hidden Lake. I had gone ahead of Heather from Moon Lake so I arrived at the creek first and was a little confused to find a clear trail heading across but an even clearer tread continuing on the near side of the creek.

Since the Hidden Lake Trail didn’t appear to end here I thought the trail to the right simply went to a campsite and continued along the creek.
The Hidden Lake Trail continuing along the unnamed creek.

The trail followed the creek through a meadow then curved away from Hidden Lake and petered out with a view of another unnamed lake.

There were still a few mountain heather blossoms.

The unnamed lake.

I took a quick look at the GPS and realized that I was almost past Hidden Lake now so I cut cross country and found myself on a ridge about 50′ above the lake.
Heading cross country looking for the path of least resistance.

My first view of Hidden Lake.

I made my way steeply down to the lake and picked up a use trail which led me to a meadow at its western end.

Eagle Cap (post) on the left, Galcier Peak at center, and Hawkins Point to the right.

The views were amazing, but I quickly realized that Heather might have the same issue with deciding which fork to take when she arrived at the creek. We had planned to meet at the lake, but it was good sized with a network of user trails which would have made it pretty easy to miss each other. I hiked along the lake shore for a bit then cut away from the lake and made my way to the fork and waited there for Heather to arrive.

Luckily Heather had taken an extended break at Moon Lake so I hadn’t missed her. When she arrived we headed down to the lake together then I led her to the meadow so she could enjoy that view as well.

Monkeyflower

We’d brought our dinner with us so we picked out a spot along the lake where we could relax and possibly prepare dinner when it was time. We had seen two people coming off the Hidden Lake Trail near the junction with the East Eagle Trail, but we appeared to be the only people at the lake so we had our pick of spots.

We set up for the afternoon.

The lake looked to get pretty deep quickly.

View from our dinner area.

I followed a use trail to the eastern end of the lake before settling down.

Gentians

We spent a little over 2:30 hours at Hidden Lake before starting back to camp.
Last look at the lake.

Grass of parnassus

Hawkins Point on the left and Jackson Peak on the right.

Moon Lake

Big cricket

Doe

We got back to camp at a quarter to six and relaxed there for a bit until we got too chilly and decided to turn in instead of adding more layers of clothing.
Unnamed creek near our campsite.

Before we turned in we’d set up a trail cam that we’d finally remember to bring on a backpacking trip. Unfortunately we didn’t refamiliarize ourselves with how to operate it and we accidently switched it to “Test” mode instead of “On”. This turned out to be a real bummer because when nature called around 1:30am and I left the tent my headlamp picked up a pair of eyes at the far side of the small meadow that the camera was facing. It would have been fun to have gotten to see what was prowling around our camp, but at least we remembered to bring it this time.

When we got up at 5am there was no sign of the visitor as we began packing up for the hike out. It was quite a bit smokier as we set off.
View from camp in the morning. The eyes were looking at me from near the tree in the foreground to the left.

Recrossing East Fork Eagle Creek.

Heading into the haze.

A healthy looking paintbrush.

We spend a lot of time fruitlessly scanning terrain for wildlife, but every once in a while, it pays off. About ten minutes to 8am I spotted something crossing a granite outcrop across the creek. It was pretty far away, but it was clearly a black bear. I couldn’t explain to Heather where it was before it disappeared, but I did get a few very grainy photos.
The bear had been walking up the outcrop in the shade in the middle of the picture.

The bear is the black blotch on the rock in front of the tree at center.

The bear just before it vanished behind the outcrop.

That was the last of the excitement for the morning. The views got a little better as the morning progressed.

Hawk in a snag.

Corkscrew Falls

Granite Cliff

“Papa’s Camp” was located at the end of the 0.2-mile spur road.

East Fork Eagle Creek from an old bridge near Papa’s Camp.

Granite Cliff rising above East Fork Eagle Creek from the spur road to the trailhead.

It was 10:30am when we finished the 7-mile hike back to our car. My first day had been just over 12-miles with approximately 2670′ of elevation gain giving us a little over 19-miles for the trip.

This was a good trip with nice scenery and Hidden Lake was beautiful despite the hazy conditions. We can always count on a nice variety of wildlife in the Wallowas, and this trip was no exception. It was a great way to cap off our 500 featured hike goal. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Hidden Lake Backpack

Tags backpacking, eagle cap, eagle cap wilderness, East Eagle Trail, East Fork Eagle Creek, glacier peak, Hawkins Point, hidden lake, hidden lake trail, hiking, Jackson Peak, Moon Lake, Oregon, Wallowa Mountains, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest

Blue Mountains - South Hiking Oregon Trip report

Panorama Point (Oregon Trail Interpretive Center) – 09/08/2024

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date September 12, 2024
No Comments on Panorama Point (Oregon Trail Interpretive Center) – 09/08/2024

For the third time this year we made the long drive to NE Oregon to visit the Eagle Cap Wilderness on our quest to finish the 100 featured hikes in William L. Sullivan’s “100 Hikes Easter Oregon” (2022 1st edition). We were down to one final hike, Hidden Lake. At over 16-miles and 2650′ of elevation gain we had decided to make the hike a backpack which we had intended to start on Sunday, but a “Fire Weather Warning” due to possible dry lightning storms prompted us to delay heading out for a day. We booked a second night in our motel room in Baker City and decided to spend Sunday at the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center.

We hiked a small portion of the trails located below the Center in 2023, but the Center itself had been closed for renovation. Our primary goal was to visit the exhibits inside the facilities and hoped to get in a little hiking as well if the weather cooperated. We arrived shortly after the Center opened at 10am.

It was already over 80 degrees Fahrenheit, but there were no signs of immanent thunderstorms so we decided to hike first then go inside. We began at the “Wagon Camp” near the upper parking lot.

From the camp we followed the paved Flagstaff Hill loop downhill until we reached a pointer for the Ascent Trail.

Aster

We turned left on the gravel Ascent Trail and descended for a little over three-quarters of a mile to a kiosk.
The kiosk is straight ahead in the small gully.

Cottontail

In 2023 we had reached the kiosk from the Oregon Trail Ruts Trailhead along Highway 86.

Since it was already uncomfortably warm out and we’d seen the ruts during our previous visit we made a hard right at a junction near the kiosk on a paved trail heading uphill.

We followed this path, stopping to read the various interpretive signs along the way, to the spur path to Panorama Point.

We followed the short (0.1 mile) path to a covered viewing platform at Panorama Point where we took advantage of the shade and took a short break.

After cooling off a little we continued uphill toward the Center.

Looking back toward Panorama Point.

At a point for the Blacksmith Shop I veered off the paved trail to visit that building as well as the Stamp Mill. Heather continued on the paved trail on a quest for the water that we’d left in our car.

A set of stairs led uphill from the Stamp Mill back to the paved path near the Load Mine.

After checking out the mine I continued on the Flagstaff Hill Loop passing behind the center and climbing to a set of covered picnic tables where Heather, and the water, was waiting.

After another short break we headed into the Center and spent a couple hours taking in the exhibits.

The exhibits were informative and very much worth a visit. Our minds were blown multiple times as we took in the information and tried to process what it would have been like to have taken the Oregon Trail.

The hike was nice too, but it took a back seat in this case. It was just under 3-miles with a little over 350′ of elevation gain.
Dotted is this trip, solid is 2023.

While we didn’t see or hear any thunderstorms there were a couple of rain drops on our way to dinner at The Cabyn, a new restaurant that had recently opened in downtown Baker City. Trying new restaurants can be a bit of a roll of the dice, but The Cabyn did not disappoint. We tried the venison and beef birra tacos, chorizo stuffed mushrooms, and Philly eggrolls which came with a fondue dip. The food was wonderful and we both agreed that the stuffed mushrooms were one of the best things we’d ever tried. Hopefully they will have a long and successful run. I know the next time we’re that way we’d make it a point to eat there again. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Panorama Point

Tags Baker City, Covered Wagon, Flagstaff Hill, hiking, Oregon, Oregon Trail, Oregon Trail Wagon Ruts, Panorama Point. Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, Stamp Mill, The Cabyn