We have been fortunate in years past to both have the ability to take 4 weeks of vacation each year which helped immensely in our completing our “500 featured hikes” goal last year (post). Heather’s job had changed in late 2023 resulting in her losing a couple weeks of vacation time each year so after taking a couple of weeks of unpaid time-off in 2024 to complete our hiking goal I have a few solo weeks in 2025. For the first solo week I went with a theme, wildlife week, and planned a series of hikes at various federal and state designated wildlife refuges/areas in the Willamette Valley.
I kicked wildlife week off with a visit to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area located just north of Corvallis (about 30 minutes from Salem). We’d hiked here in July 2022 (post) but had yet to check out the short Coffin Butte Trail located along Highway 99. Today’s plan was to hike that trail then revisit the Angling Pond from our first trip. There is a $10.00 daily parking fee at the 20 ODFW wildlife areas or you can get an annual fee for $30.00
I pulled into the Coffin Butte Trailhead just before Sunrise (6:07am) in hopes that it might be a colorful morning, but alas the cloud cover was solid.
This is a fairly straight forward trail that initially follows a wide grassy track as it climbs to a viewpoint overlooking the wildlife area. The trail then continues, steeply at times, up Coffin Butte to the boundary of the refuge. This upper section is rougher, more overgrown, and full of poison oak and there are no real views. The trail is also next to the Coffin Butte Landfill which means that it can be a bit smelly if the air is moving in the right (wrong) direction. That being said I did the full 1.6-mile out-and-back (455′ of elevation gain) just to say I had and hope that I effectively avoid the leaves of three.
The landfill to the left.
One of two pointers to keep hikers on track.
Sign at the viewpoint.
The remains of a bench at the viewpoint.
Buttercups and iris
The sign announces the “Summit 604′”, but the actual summit is further along the ridge on private property meaning the trail ends here.
A mariposa lily surrounded by poison oak.
After reaching the “summit” I returned to the car and made the one-mile drive to the Angling Pond Parking Area
The busy parking area.
I wandered a bit to the NE of the parking area on trails before returning to the parking area and re-hiking the lollipop loop we’d done in 2022. I changed it up a bit by doing the loop counterclockwise this time. Before returning to the car, I also detoured west along one of the refuge roads to see a little more of the area. There are ample opportunities to explore here, a sort of choose your own adventure. My hike today still only came to 2.7-miles with virtually no elevation gain, but I opted not to explore more in an attempt to pace myself over the next several days.
My route and the Coffin Butte Trail.
There were a lot of birds out, but the majority did their best to be heard and not seen. That being said I did manage to get photos of a few species making it a successful start to wildlife week.
Wandering on trails to the NE of the parking lot.
Apple blossoms?
Concrete structure left over from Camp Adair.
Turkey vultures
Turkey vulture
Heading for the pond.
There were all kinds of birds singing in the trees but nary a feather to be seen.
Iris
I believe this walkway is new since or previous visit.
There were quite a few folks fishing around the pond, and one great blue heron.
Wetlands across the trail from the pond.
Buffleheads
Pied billed grebe
Camas
Hooded merganser drake
Mallards
Killdeer and hooded mergansers
Sandpiper
Heading west through the wildlife area.
Hummingbird
Family of geese
Robin
Black capped chickadee
Northern flicker
Wetlands
Blackbird
Groundsquirrel
It was a good start to wildlife week and I’m looking forward to hopefully seeing quite a few more critters as the week progresses. Happy Trails!
Flickr: E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area
Hummingbird at Memaloose Hills in May.
Hummingbird at Upper Table Rock in May.
Black capped chickadee at Ankeny Wildlife Refuge in April.
Yellow-rumped warbler (Audubon’s) at Ankeny Wildlife Refuge in April.
Wren (marsh?) at Ankeny Wildlife Refuge in April.
White-crowned sparrow at Ankeny Wildlife Refuge in April.
Sparrow? at Ankeny Wildlife Refuge in April.
Common yellow throat at Ankeny Wildlife Refuge in April.
Yellow-rumped warbler (Myrtle) at Ankeny Wildlife Refuge in April.
Tree swallows at Ankeny Wildlife Refuge in April.
White-crowned sparrow and a wren at Miller Woods in May.
American goldfinch pair at Miller Woods in May.
Another sparrow at Miller Woods in May.
Hermit warbler? near Kings Mountain in May.
House finch? at Upper Table Rock in May.
Rock wren? at Upper Table Rock in May.
Ash-throated flycatcher at Denman Wildlife Area in May.
Unknown at Denman Wildlife Area in May.
Swallow at Julia Hansen Butler Wildlife Refuge in June.
Some sort of warbler? at Julia Hansen Butler Wildlife Refuge in June.
Purple martins at Julia Hansen Butler Wildlife Refuge in June.
Another wren at Julia Hansen Butler Wildlife Refuge in June.
Unknown at Julia Hansen Butler Wildlife Refuge in June.
Sparrow? at Julia Hansen Butler Wildlife Refuge in June.
Warbler? at Julia Hansen Butler Wildlife Refuge in June.
Black phoebe? at Julia Hansen Butler Wildlife Refuge in June.
Mountain bluebird near Union Peak in September.
Red-breasted nuthatch (best I could get) at Crater Lake in September.
Red crossbilss at Crater Lake in September.
Wren on the Eagle Creek Trail in November.
Dark eyed junco at Waverly Lake in December.
Canada jay (grey jay) along the Crown Zellerbach Trail in March.
California scrub jay along the Balfour-Klickitat Trail in April.
Stellar’s jay along the Hood River Pipeline Trail in May.
Female red-winged blackbird at Ankeny Wildlife Refuge in April.
Red-winged blackbird at Ankeny Wildlife Refuge in April.
Spotted towhee at Ankeny Wildlife Refuge in April.
Starlings along the Hood River Pipeline Trail in May.
Brownheaded cowbird at Upper Table Rock in May.
American robin at Ankeny Wildlife Refuge in April.
Tropical kingbird? at Denman Wildlife Area in May.
Black-headed grosbeak (also all I could get) at Applegate Lake in May.
Lazuli bunting at Roxy Ann Peak in May.
Cedar waxwing at Julia Hansen Butler Wildlife Refuge in June.
Western tanagers, Siskiyou Wilderness in July.
American dipper (Ouzel) near South Umpqua Falls in September.
Townsends solitaire at Crater Lake National Park in September.
Clark’s nutcracker at Crater Lake National Park in September.
Varied thrush along the Eagle Creek Trail in November.
Unknown at Cascade Head in October.
Forest Park in January.
Northern flicker at Ankeny Wildlife Refuge in April. We seem to see flickers on nearly every hike, but they don’t often sit still long enough for us to get a decent picture.
Pileated woodpecker at Chehalem Ridge Nature Park in May. We rarely see these but like the flickers, when we do they are very difficult to get a photo of.
Acorn woodpecker at Denman Wildlife Area in May.
Hairy? woodpecker near Twin Lakes in the Umpqua National Forst in June.
Red breasted sapsucker at E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area in July.
Either a hairy or downy woodpecker along the Eagle Creek Trail in November.
Unknown, Sky Lakes Wilderness in late September.
Crow along the Crown Zellerbach Trail in March.
Raven at Upper Table Rock in May.
Turkey Vulture at Julia Hansen Butler Wildlife Refuge in June.
American kestral along the Crown Zellerbach Trail in March.
Osprey along the Hood River Pipeline Trail in May.
Another osprey at Julia Hansen Butler Wildlife Refuge in June.
Bald eagle at Julia Hansen Butler Wildlife Refuge in June.
Eagle in the Sky Lakes Wilderness in September. Not sure if it is a bald or golden.
A bald eagle and hawk at Ankeny Wildlife Refuge in April.
Pair of hawks at Denman Wildlife Area in May.
Hawk at Denman Wildlife Area in May.
Hawk at Julia Hansen Butler Wildlife Refuge in June.
Hawk along the Pacific Crest Trail near Carter Meadows Summit in August.
Hawk at Crater Lake National Park in September.
Barred owl at Noble Woods in May.
Great horned owl at Denman Wildlife Area in May.
Young great horned owl at Roxy Ann Peak in May.
Ring-necked pheasant
Silver pheasant
Near the breeding facility at E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area.
Mourning dove at Roxy Ann Peak a in May.
Grouse? in the Siskiyou Wilderness in July.
Grouse in the Mt. Adams Wilderness in August.
Grouse in the Sky Lakes Wilderness in September.
Long billed dowitchers? at Ankeny Wildlife Refuge in April.
Killdeer at Ankeny Wildlife Refuge in April.
Sandpiper? at Ankeny Wildlife Refuge in April.
Great blue heron at Ankeny Wildlife Refuge in April.
Kingfisher at Julia Butler Hansen Wildlife Refuge in June.
American bittern at Julia Butler Hansen Wildlife Refuge in June.
White pelicans at Julia Butler Hansen Wildlife Refuge in June.
Hooded mergansers at Yakona Nature Preserve in February.
Common mergansers along the Klickitat Trail in April.
American coot at Ankeny Wildlife Refuge in April.
Cinnamon teal at Ankeny Wildlife Refuge in April.
Ring-necked ducks (and an American coot) at Ankeny Wildlife Refuge in April.
Northern shoveler at Ankeny Wildlife Refuge in April.
White-fronted geese at Ankeny Wildlife Refuge in April.
Mallard along the Hood River Pipeline Trail in May.
Wood duck at Denman Wildlife Area in May.
Not sure if this is a ruddy duck at Waverly Lake in December.
Mostly American widgeons with a green winged teal and a female bufflehead or two mixed in at Talking Water Gardens in December.
Bufflehead at Talking Water Gardens in December.
Canada geese at Applegate Lake in May.
Domestic geese near the Klickitat Trail in April.
Domestic or hybrid? ducks at Waverly Lake in December.
We stayed left here following the pointer. We later crossed the bridge on the way to Green Peak Falls.
Heather in front of the falls.
December 2012
Looking down river from the bridge.
Fireweed
Green Peak Falls
Green Peak falls in December 2012.
Covered picnic table.
The table is one solid plank.
Sign for McBee Park along South Fork Road.
Trail down to the picnic area along South Fork Road.
Silver pheasant
Red-breasted sapsucker
Bunnies in the grass near one of the benches.
Coffin Butte on the other side of Highway 99.
Turkey vulture
Wetlands on the other side of the pond.
Great blue heron
The loop trail to the right.
Skipper
Tadpole
We stayed left at any junction like this.
Dragon fly
Bindweed
Arriving back at the road.
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