Beaver Creek – wanderingyuncks

Beaver Falls and Gnat Creek – 05/11/2025

Having finished the last of our long-term hiking goals in 2024 (post) we headed for Olympic National Park for our first goal free vacation since 2015. This would be our first visit to this park, and we chose a few hikes in the area of Forks, WA. Forks is a little over 5 hours from Salem which is similar to several areas we’ve traveled to in Eastern Oregon. For these types of long drives we try to find a hike along the way to stretch our legs. Beaver Falls and the Gnat Creek Trail had been on our radar since picking up Matt Reeder’s “Off the Beaten Trail” (2nd edition) and were located along a slightly longer but more scenic route to Olympic National Park. Detouring to these two stops would add about an hour to our drive by taking us through Astoria, OR (post) versus more time on Interstate 5.

We drove north on I-5 into Washington then turned off in Kelso to renter Oregon on the Lewis and Clark Bridge. We then headed west on Highway 30 to Beaver Falls Road then proceeded to the Beaver Falls Trailhead. When we neared the pullout that acts as a trailhead there was a camper van at the west end and a large white “Trail Closed” sign on a tree in the center of the pullout. The camper van appeared to have been there for an extended period, and we hadn’t anticipated the sign, so we drove past a short distance and pulled over to consider our options. We decided to drive back up past the trailhead pullout to a different pullout just a little further up the road to see if we could at least see the falls from above. Coming from the east we spotted another sign at the eastern end of the pullout where the actual trail is located that did not say this trail was closed, just that it is not maintained and you use at your own risk.

It appeared that the “Trail Closed” sign was above a second scramble path located near the center of the pullout and not referring to the unmaintained user trail to the falls. That was our interpretation of the situation anyway, so we headed down the short trail to visit the waterfall.
There were a couple of downed trees and at least one spot where part of the tread had given way on the hillside. A bigger issue was the broken glass and other garbage left by mouth breathers that was littered about.

It was just over a third of a mile to the falls.

Beaver Creek below the falls.

Trail snail

Fringecup

Starflower

This was a nice waterfall, and unfortunately also clearly a popular part spot. At 7am in May we had it all to ourselves, save for an ouzel that was flying back and forth across the splash pool.

After climbing back up to the car we continued west, rejoining Highway 30, and then parking at the Gnat Creek Trailhead just a tenth of a mile off the highway.

Located in the Clatsop State Forest the Gnat Creek Trail is broken up into two sections. The lower, where we were starting, begins near the Gnat Creek Campground and follows Gnat Creek to a crossing of Highway 30 then continues a short distance to the Gnat Creek Fish Hatchery, another possible trailhead. The trail continues from the fish hatchery for approximately 2-miles to a short loop with a couple of benches near Bigfoot Creek.

The lower section makes an initial climb then gradually rises on the way to the highway crossing. The forest was pretty but there was some noise from the nearby highway.

Fairy lanterns

Scouler’s corydalis

Bleeding heart

False lily of the valley

Highway 30 crossing.

Sign along the section of trail between the highway and the fish hatchery.

Trail pointer on the shelter at the fish hatchery.

The upper section of trail climbed more significantly and there were several confusing intersections just beyond the hatchery that were part of interpretive trails separate from the Gnat Creek Trail.

Youth-on-age

Numbering on a tree for the interpretive trails.

We were able to locate a sign for the Upper Gnat Creek Trail along the closed road coming up from the hatchery.

Bigfoot off the Gnat Creek Trail.

Trillium

Huckleberry blossoms and a downed tree along the Gnat Creek Trail.

Scouler’s corydalis along the trail.

The start of the short loop.

One of two benches along the loop.

Gnat Creek from the bench.

We took a short break on the first bench then finished the loop and headed back to the fish hatchery.
The backside of the loop was a little overgrown.

Star-flowered Solomonseal

When we arrived back at the paved road we crossed it and followed the interpretive trails along Gnat Creek to the trailhead at the hatchery.

We mostly stayed right at junctions to keep along the creek.

Barrier Falls

Unnamed waterfall near the hatchery trailhead.

We passed through the hatchery to pick up the Gnat Creek Trail again and followed it back to our car.

Our hike here came in just under 8-miles while our stop at Beaver Falls was just 0.7-miles.

Our track for the Gnat Creek Trail.

These were a couple of enjoyable stops that were perfect for breaking up a long drive. They were also the perfect duration to keep us from arriving at our cabin near Forks before check-in at 4pm. We arrived just after 4pm got unpacked then went out for some food and got to experience some Forks rain (the average rainfall in Forks is 120 inches). Fortunately for us the forecast was for drier conditions over the next few days before turning wet again for our final day on Friday. Rain or shine we were looking forward to exploring another National Park. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Beaver Falls and Gnat Creek

Heceta Head and Brain Booth State Park

For our final outing of 2017 we returned to the Oregon Coast for three short hikes between Newport and Florence. We began our day by driving Highway 101 35 miles south of Newport (14 miles north of Florence) to the Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park Day Use parking lot.

Our plan was to hike to the Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint and then return on a different route. In order to complete the loop portion of the hike we needed to cross Highway 101 twice. We decided to get the crossing done as soon as possible thinking that traffic would be less problematic earlier in the day. From the parking area we took a paved path east following a pointer for the Campground Trail.

After a tenth of a mile we crossed the empty highway and continued on the campground entrance road for just over an additional tenth of a mile where we turned right at a signpost onto the Valley Trail.

We followed this trail for three tenths of mile to a junction in a meadow with the China Creek Loop Trail.

The loop added a little distance to the hike but not enough to keep us from turning left and crossing China Creek on a footbridge.

The China Creek Loop passed through a green coastal forest crossing China Creek again after .3 miles.

A half mile from the second crossing we found ourselves back at the Valley Trail where we turned left toward the lighthouse.

Over the next mile the trail passed two small ponds, crossed Blowout Creek on what appeared to be a recently installed footbridge, and skirted a beaver lake.

We were now at the second crossing of Highway 101 at the Hobbit Trailhead, another possible starting point.

On the other side of the highway the trail split, right was our return route via Hobbit Beach but first we turned left to visit the lighthouse. We were now following the route of the Oregon Coast Trail.

At first the trail remained near the highway but soon veered away toward the ocean as it began to climb up Heceta Head.

The trail climbed gradually and offered a few views north to Cape Perpetua.

After reaching a saddle on the head, the trail descended to the south in a series of switchbacks before following a ridge and finally arriving above the lighthouse at the Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint.

Seal Lion Point jutted out to the south where the occasional bark of a sea lion drifted our way.

We made our way down to the lighthouse to get a closer look.

After a short break we returned the way we’d come to the fork and turned toward Hobbit Beach. We arrived at the beach in a little under half a mile.

A quiet 1.2 mile walk along the beach (and across Blowout Creek) brought us back to our car at the day use area.

From there we drove north on Highway 101 for 28 miles to Ona Beach State Park, one of two units of Brian Booth State Park.

For this hike we planned on hiking along Ona Beach to Seal Rock and back. We passed through a large picnic area avoiding some flooded trails and arriving at a footbridge over Beaver Creek.

After crossing the creek we turned south along Ona Beach.

Portions of the beach can be impassible at high tide but we had arrived an hour and a half below low tide. Exposed rocks made the first stretch of beach very interesting.

The rock along the beach eventually petered out but a number of ocean rocks just offshore held our interest.

Further to the south lay the Seal Rock Recreation Site.

Approximately 1.75 miles from the footbridge we turned inland along a small creek on an unmarked but obvious trail. We followed this path up to Highway 101 where a short road walk brought us to the entrance of the park.

We followed a paved path out to a viewpoint where much of the area was roped off for erosion control.

After admiring the views we returned the way we’d come and headed for our final stop at the Beaver Creek Natural Area, the second unit of Brian Booth State Park. To reach the winter trailhead for the Beaver Creek Loop from Ona Beach State Park we crossed Highway 101 onto N. Beaver Creek Road. After a mile we turned right onto S. Beaver Creek Road for another 1.1 miles and parked on the shoulder across from a gate.

We picked up a trail map and set off on the gated service road.

After .4 miles we turned uphill on a mowed path following posts for the Beaver Creek Loop.

Being the coast we’d seen a few flowers still blooming despite it being mid-December and even eaten a few huckleberries along the China Creek Loop earlier in the day. Here we found a few blackberry? blossoms.

After climbing for .3 miles we arrived at a saddle where we could have turned right on the Elk Meadow Trail for a half mile loop.

We already had enough mileage planned for the day so we saved that for another time and continued on the Beaver Creek Loop. After passing another trail to Snaggy Point we began to descend toward the marshes surrounding Beaver Creek.

We stopped to watch a couple of woodpeckers circle a tree. They didn’t seem too bothered by us but they wouldn’t hold still long enough for a decent photo.

We briefly followed a pointer for the Marsh Trail which brought us to a footbridge over Beaver Creek. For about two months during Summer the marsh is apparently dry enough to cross without too much trouble.

We heard some ducks and startled a great blue heron (a couple of times) as we continued along the loop. We also spotted a hawk, more woodpeckers, and some small birds before arriving at a pole barn at the end of the service road we’d started on that seemed to be undergoing some construction.
Hawk flying off

From the barn it was only .2 miles back to the start of the loop. The hike here came in at an even three miles. Ona Beach to Seal Rock had been 4.6 miles round trip and our hike to Heceta Head was 6.6 miles giving us a total of 14.2 miles for the day. Each of the hikes would be worthy destinations on their own and there were several more trails to explore in the Beaver Creek Natural Area making a return visit tempting someday.

With our 2017 hikes completed it’s time to get to work on 2018. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Heceta Head and Brian Booth State Park