Tag: Oregon

Obsidian Loop – 07/15/2025

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date July 18, 2025
2 Comments on Obsidian Loop – 07/15/2025

Following a great visit to Jefferson Park on Monday (post) I continued my solo vacation by revisiting a hike that we refer to as “The hike that shall not be named.” On October 14th, 2012, we (including our Son) had set off from the Obsidian Trail for what I thought was going to be 15-mile loop with epic views. A combination of me misunderstanding the route described in the guidebook and cloudy conditions it wound up being a largely viewless 18.6-mile trudge (post). Heather and I revisited a portion of that hike by visiting Four-in-One Cone in 2019 (post), but we had not been back to the Obsidian Trail.

I had my Central Cascades Wilderness Permit for the Obsidian Trailhead and set off ridiculously early (3am) to make the 2:30 hour drive.

The trailhead at 5:30am.

In addition to the Central Cascades Wilderness Permit a NW Forest Pass is required to park at the trailhead.

I set off on the trail which began in the trees before briefly passing through the 2017 Separation Fire scar.

A connector trail joins from the left shortly after leaving the hiker trailhead. This trail connects to the equestrian trailhead, and it theoretically connects to the Scott Trail. We had used this connecter for the hike that shall not be named, and I was planning on using it again today but more on that later.

Most of the beargrass was past but there were a few still in bloom.

Entering the Three Sisters Wilderness.

The initial section of the trail climbs gradually.

Entering the fire scar.

Sims Butte

The Middle Sister on the left and South Sister (post) to the right.

There had been some recent trail work done on the Obsidian Trail.

Just under 3.5-miles from the trailhead I arrived at a lava flow which the Obsidian Trail climbs over providing the loop’s first set of great views.

Partridgefoot

North and Middle Sister

Scott Mountain (post) on the left.

Belknap Crater (post), Mt. Washington, and Mt. Jefferson

Belknap Crater, Mt. Washington, Mt. Jefferson, and Little Belknap Crater

Buckwheat

North and Middle Sister as the trail began to descend to the White Branch.

White Branch crossing. I was able to rock hop and keep my feet dry.

On the far side of the White Branch is a junction with the Glacier Way Trail.

Lupine and a patch of snow on the far side of the White Branch.

Both of the trails lead to the Pacific Crest Trail 1.4-miles apart The Glacier Way meets the PCT near Sunshine, a large meadow, in 0.7-miles and the Obsidian Trail meets the PCT near Obsidian Falls in 1.7-miles. This allows for a nearly 12-mile lollipop loop. It is also where the hike that shall not be named went awry. Sullivan described a 15-mile loop using the PCT and Scott Trails, but I failed to pick up on needing to use the Glacier Way Trail in order to keep the milage to fifteen. Just as we’d done in 2012, I stuck to the Obsidian Trail only this time I knew what I was signing up for. The only thing I wasn’t sure of was how much snow might still be lingering in the area. I was carrying micro spikes and prepared to either turn back or bail on the Glacier Way Trail if need be.

Beyond the junction the Obsidian Trail climbed more steeply before reaching a series of meadows along the South Fork White Branch.

There was a lot of lupine in bloom along the trail.

There were quite a few patches of snow starting at 5800′ but most were easy to cross without needing the spikes.

More trail work.

I did put the spikes on to cross this patch since it was on a fairly steep hillside.

When the trail leveled out near the meadows start looking for obsidian in and along the trail.

Middle Sister from one of the meadows.

The same meadow in 2012.

Alpine false dandelion

Sub-alpine mariposa lily

Alpine wild buckwheat

Cobwebby paintbrush

South Fork White Branch

More patchy snow.

Second crossing of the South Fork White Branch in the meadows.

Western pasque flowers going to seed.

Western pasque flower still in bloom.

Heading back to the trees near Obsidian Creek.

The trail descended to a crossing of Obsidian Creek below Obsidian Falls then climbed to a junction with the Pacific Crest Trail.

Obsidian Creek

The top of The Husband sticking up above the trees.

Jacob’s ladder

Junction with the PCT.

I turned left onto the PCT which switchbacked up above Obsidian Falls. I made the short detour down to the viewpoint below the waterfall.

Spur to the base of the falls on the left.

Obsidian Falls

Obsidian Falls from the PCT.

Above the waterfall the PCT levels out on a wide plateau with a view of the Middle Sister.

Looking back down Obsidian Creek.

The headwaters of Obsidian Creek.

Spring feeding the creek.

There were two large snowfields still covering the PCT along this section but given the terrain was flat and there were well established footprints they were fairly easy to cross.

The first snowfield passed one of several ponds on the plateau, this one being frozen.

Frozen Pond.

The same pond in October 2012.

The second snowfield crossing.

Roughly the same spot in 2012, note the small pond ahead.

The small pond today.

Obsidian

Little Brother ahead.

North Sister

At the northern end of the plateau the trail begins a descent into Sunshine, a large meadow along Glacier Creek.

User trail leading down to Glacier Creek. I did see one person down at the creek gathering water.

View from the junction with the user trail. If you look closely, you can see the person who was getting water near the trail crossing of the creek below.

There were more patches of snow to navigate as I made my way down to Sunshine on the PCT but nothing had been too bad, so I decided not to bail when I passed the Glacier Way Trail junction and continued down to Glacier Creek.

Belknap Crater and Mt. Washington were once again visible.

I ended up going around this one.

Sign at the junction.

A closed user trail that has been replaced by the one up above.

The PCT crossing Glacier Creek.

Paintbrush

Beyond Glacier Creek the Pacific Crest Trail did some ups and downs before arriving at Sawyer Bar, a crossing of the White Branch at a lava flow.

Leaving the Obsidian area.

I’d also left the maintained trail area. This was probably the worst obstacle of the day but there were a number of downed trees along this section of the PCT and later on the Scott Trail.

Lots of lupine again.

The PCT made a hard right turn to the east at the lava flow.

Belknap Crater, Mt. Washington, Three Fingered Jack and Mt. Jefferson

It had been a little hazy to the north all morning, and I had started getting a faint whiff of smoke every once in a while, after crossing Glacier Creek. Looking at the sky as I neared Sawyer Bar it was obvious that smoke from the Cram Fire over 60 miles away just NE of Madras was being blown into the area by the NE winds.

North Sister and Little Brother

Dropping down to Sawyer Bar. There was still a snowfield over the White Branch.

My arrival at Sawyer Bar was loudly announced by a resident yellow-bellied marmot.

After a brief stint in some sparse trees the trail entered the lava flow and headed for a narrow chute where it switched back relentlessly in the loose volcanic rock.

Collier Cone poking up ahead.

Paintbrush

Heading into the chute with the Sun above.

Penstemon

Sorrel

Looking back down from near the top.

Goldenrod

I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to climb up onto the rim of Collier Cone as we had in 2012 due to the presence of snow, but after reaching the top of the chute and seeing the use trail into the cone I could tell that it would be possible.

The high point of Collier Cone from the PCT.

Catchfly

North and Middle Sister from inside the cone. I was following use trails toward the low point along the rim to save myself some effort.

Looking back at the smoke from the Cram Fire flowing through Santiam Pass.

The opposite side of the cone.

North and Middle Sister from the rim. The glacial lake at the bottom is from melting snow and the shrinking Collier Glacier.

Middle Sister and Little Brother

The view was a little different in 2012.

The wind was whipping pretty strongly but I took advantage of a couple of large cinder rocks to take a seat, have some food, and change my socks before continuing.

Silvery raillardella

Dwarf alpinegold

Heading down to the PCT.

On last look back from the PCT.

I continued north on the PCT rounding Collier Cone’s ridge and then descending for almost a mile and a half to Scott Meadow.

I passed a hiker and her dog just before rounding the ridge here, the first I’d seen other than the person getting water from Glacier Creek.

After rounding the ridge I spotted the sketchiest snowfield of the entire hike, but having just seen the hiker and dog coming from that direction helped boost my confidence.

I put my micro spikes on for the second time today and carefully made my way across the soft melting snowfield. That was the last time the spikes felt necessary, but not the end of the snow patches.

Collier Cone, North Sister and Little Brother from the far side of another snow patch.

There was evidence of some glissading down this patch to the PCT below. I was able to avoid most of the snow by looping around it.

I just had to cross this short section in order to loop around the rest.

The creek along the trail here is not named on maps and is shown as seasonal.

The final snow patch along the PCT before Scott Meadow.

Almost to the meadow.

This would mark my fourth visit to this meadow. The first was of course in October 2012 and the third was in August 2019 on our Four-in-One Cone hike. In between those two hikes was a July 29th visit during our Matthieu Lakes hike (post). The 2013 hike had been the only one where there were any flowers to speak of blooming in the meadow. At that time it was primarily lupine with some scattered paintbrush, and a host of mosquitos. I had been expecting mosquitos all day, but whether it was timing, the breeze, or the DEET I had applied before setting off there had been almost no sign of them all morning and it was the same at the meadow.

I’m not sure my timing could have been much better for the flowers this year. It took me a bit to cover the 0.2-miles between the start of the meadow and the Scott Trail junction.

Paintbrush and cinquefoil

Western pasque flowers

Alpine speedwell

Lupine

Alpine false dandelions, speedwell, cinquefoil and possibly some pussytoes.

California tortoiseshell

Bog laurel

The meadow through the years.

October 14,2012

July 29, 2013

August 14, 2019

Today

The junction with the Scott Trail.

I turned left onto the Scott Trail and followed it up an open hillside.

Yapoah Crater to the left.

After making the climb the trail gradually descended to a cinder field near Four-in-One Cone.

Pussy paws

Four-in-One Cone

A user trail leads up the cone and despite the lack of views we had made the 0.4-mile detour along the top. That detour had been the last straw for our son who didn’t realize that it wasn’t part of the loop needed to get back to the car. When he got to the top and found out it was just an out-and-back side trail he was not at all happy with me. I didn’t make the side trip this time given the increasing smoke on the horizon and the fact that Heather and I had gotten to enjoy the view in 2019.

Looking back at the side trail after passing it.

The view from the trail below Four-in-One Cone isn’t too bad.

Beyond Four-in-One Cone the Scott Trail briefly continues through the cinder field before skirting the tree line next to a lava flow.

North Sister and an increasingly hazy sky.

The Scott Trail eventually crosses over the lava flow then enters the forest as it descends toward the McKenzie Highway.

Sign reminding visitors there are no campfires allowed above 5700′.

There were more snow patches in the forest but nothing much on the trail itself. A bigger issue was the amount of blowdown along the trail; however, I did pass a trail crew working their way up the trail.

Fritillary on valerian

Queen’s cup

Lousewort

Rosy spirea

Fading Washington lilies.

Strawberry blossoms

Larkspur

I had been watching for the connector trail and keeping my eye on the GPS, but somehow I completely missed it. I did pass a decommissioned trail with a closed for rehabilitation sign. In 2012 there had been a sign at the junction but by 2019 the sign was missing but the trail was obvious.

The connector trail on the right coming from the opposite direction that I was headed.

The Forest Service page for the Obsidian Trailhead still lists the Obsidian Tie Trail and as providing access to the Scott Trail which leads me to believe I just didn’t notice it, but it’s also possible that it has been decommissioned and the trail that I had passed after just setting off is now just a connector to the Obsidian Equestrian Trailhead.

Missing the connector wasn’t the end of the world as the Scott Trail crosses the McKenzie Highway a little over a quarter mile from the tie trail (or former tie trail).

It was when I reached this meadow that I knew I’d missed the turn.

Looking across the meadow.

Shooting stars

The highway from the wilderness sign.

I popped out onto the highway and turned left for a 0.6-mile road walk to the Obsidian Trailhead.

Historical marker for the 1862 Scott Road.

It was another third of a mile to my car along the gravel road to the trailhead.

I saved myself a little over a mile by not retracing our side trip across Four-in-One Cone, but missing the connector trail added almost a third of a mile so instead of an 18.6-mile loop like 2012 my GPS came in at 17.8-miles. Skipping Four-in-One-Cone also shaved off a little over 100′ of elevation gain leaving today just under 3400′ of cumulative gain.

Not sure why the Garmin map shows the PCT going along the rim of Collier Cone. It looks as though there is a use trail around the rim, but it certainly is not the PCT.

This was an excellent hike with spectacular views and some nice wildflowers. I was pushing the timing as far as snow goes, but this year has been warm and dry enough that it was passable (with micro spikes) this early. The lack of mosquitos was a huge blessing.

The only bummer was the arrival of the smoke from what has become a very serious fire. As of my writing this on July 16, 2025, the fire is over 64,000 acres with zero containment. Many people have had to evacuate, and many others are on standby to do so. Our prayers go out to them and to the responders doing everything they can to get the blaze under control.

Flickr: Obsidian Loop

Tags Collier Cone, Glacier Creek, Glacier Way, hiking, Little Brother, Obsidian Falls, Obsidian Trailhead, Opie Dilldock Pass, Oregon, Pacific Crest Trail, Sawyer Bar, Scott Meadow, Scott Trail, Sunshine, three sister, Three Sisters Wilderness, White Branch, wildflowers

High Cascades Hiking Mt. Jefferson Area Oregon Trip report

Whitewater Trail to Jefferson Park – 07/14/2025

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date July 17, 2025
3 Comments on Whitewater Trail to Jefferson Park – 07/14/2025

I had another solo week of vacation while Heather had to work (boo), and I kicked it off with a visit to the recently reopened Whitewater Trailhead. The trailhead had been closed after the Labor Day fires in 2020 and remained so until late Autumn 2024. The Whitewater Trail was the trail we used the time we visited Jefferson Park in 2011 as well as 2014 and 2015.

In all this would be my 9th visit to Jefferson Park which is the arguably my favorite spot in the Oregon Cascades outside of Crater Lake. Our most recent visit was last September via the Woodpecker Ridge Trail (post). The earliest date of any of the previous visits had been the 2015 visit on August 8th. That was a dry year leaving the flowers and other vegetation looking more like September than early August. We had always avoided July to avoid the mosquitos that follow the snow melt. They tend to be very attracted to Heather and will harass her unforgivingly. With her having to sit this one out I thought it would be a good time to finally try a July visit. I secured my Central Cascades Wilderness Permit and got an extra early start to avoid the heat of the day.

There were about a half dozen cars parked at the trailhead when I arrived at 5:30am.

The trail is in good shape and did not need to be rerouted due to the fire. Regardless it was a different experience due to the lack of trees along the route which created new views nearly the entire 4.2-miles to its end at the Pacific Crest Trail.

Northwestern rabbit-tobacco

Entering the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness

Pearly everlasting

Mt. Jefferson

White-veined and one-sided wintergreen

The Three Pyramids (post) on the left and Bachelor & Coffin Mountain (post) on the right.

Penstemon along the trail with Mt. Jefferson in the distance.

Lousewort

Fading Washington lily.

Thimbleberry

Mt. Jefferson, the Three Sisters, and Three Fingered Jack

The Three Sisters and Three Fingered Jack

Boca Cave (post) below Triangulation Peak.

Boca Cave

Pika! It was great to see several of these “rock rabbits” scurrying about the rock fields along the trails today.

Lewis’ monkeyflower

Woodpecker

Aster

Yarrow and penstemon

Whitewater Falls

Scarlet gilia

Stonecrop

Scouler’s bluebells

Oregon sunshine

Bleeding heart

Phacelia and rosy spirea

Aster?

Looking for pikas….

Found one!

Valerian, ragwort and bleeding heart

Whitewater Creek crossing.

Yellow monkeyflower

Marsh marigolds

Junction with the Pacific Crest Trail.

The mosquito activity had picked up near the Whitewater Creek crossing and they remained a bit of a nuisance throughout Jefferson Park, but they weren’t too bad unless I stopped for an extended period of time.

Arnica

Lupine with Mt. Jeferson in the background.

Junco

Sign announcing Jefferson Park.

Wildflowers at the entrance to Jefferson Park.

More wildflowers near the entrance.

Lupine along Whitewater Creek

We almost always see a pika in the rocks along this stretch.

Cinquefoil

Park Butte

I stuck to the PCT through Jefferson Park with the plan being to start visiting the lakes from the northern end with Russell Lake. There were many pauses to look back over my shoulder at Mt. Jefferson.

Snowmelt pond along the PCT.

Shooting stars and pink mountain heather.

Field of paintbrush and mountain heather on the far side of Jefferson Park.

Paintbrush lining the PCT heading toward Park Butte.

The only patch of snow still covering the PCT along this section was on a north facing hill prior to descending to the South Breitenbush River.

South Breitenbush River

Mt. Jefferson from Russell Lake.

Marsh marigolds

Park Butte from Russell Lake.

Bog laurel

I took a short break at Russell Lake before being prompted to continue by the host of mosquitos that were beginning to congregate around me.
I followed one of the trails around the lake through an unoccupied campsite and back to the PCT above the snow covered portion.

Campsite with a “No Fires” reminder post.

Moth

Heading south on the PCT near its junction with the South Breitenbush Trail.

I turned right on the South Breitenbush Trail which would lead me down to a junction with a side trail to Park Lake.

South Breitenbush Trail

Another snowmelt pond.

There was a little more snow remaining along this stretch of trail.

Heading down toward the junction.

Lewis’ monkeyflower

South Breitenbush River from the trail.

I turned uphill on the obvious trail and climb over a hill then dropped down to Park Lake.

Going up!

Park Lake

Sandwort

After tagging Park Lake I headed toward Rock Lake with a quick detour to Scout Lake first.

Alpine false dandelion

Looking back at Park Lake and Park Butte.

Either an aster or fleabane.

Mt. Jefferson from Scout Lake. One of the advantages of visiting earlier in the year was the location of the Sun overhead. Later in the Summer it has moved far enough south to make getting a good photo from this angle hard. The disadvantage of course was not being able to sit longer and enjoy the view sans mosquitos.

After getting a couple of shots of Scout Lake I made my way over to Rock Lake.

I wanted to get a view of Mt. Jefferson from this lake as well so I made my way around the lake counterclockwise.

At the SE side of the lake I followed a trail up a small hill and made my way to Bays Lake.

Rock Lake and Park Butte from the hill.

Bays Lake

I again headed counterclockwise around this lake on what began as a good trail.

Clodius parnassian

Mt. Jefferson from the outlet of Bays Lake.

Frog hanging out at the outlet.

Park Butte from Bays Lake.

The trail I was following led to an occupied camp site (the only one that I encountered this day) so I followed a fainter path to swing around them. I rejoined the original path I’d been following but I wound up losing it along the rocky shore of Bays Lake. Looking at my 2015 track the “good” trail was above the rocks, but I didn’t have that track handy, so I picked my way along the rocks until things got really rough and I bailed straight uphill.

Small pond above Bays Lake.

Climbing above the rocks.

Park Butte and Bays Lake

Pond above Bays Lake.

I found clear trails above the rocks and followed them for 0.2-miles. At that point I was back on my 2015 route, but I knew that trail curved back ENE to pass near Scout Lake before intersecting the PCT. The PCT wasn’t too far below where I was and when I saw a fairly clear path heading in that direction I decided to follow it. Long story short this path got very faint as it passed through an area that had been impacted by one of the fires. I was debating whether to turn back or try and continue downhill when I spotted a couple of hikers heading into the park. The PCT was close enough that I decided to pick my way down to the trail. I wouldn’t recommend this route, but it worked out.

Looking up at where I came down.

Back on the PCT I headed for the Whitewater Trail and my car.

No pika sightings on the way back but I did hear a few “meeps”.

Beetles on beargrass

The meadow at the entrance of Jefferson Park was now in full sunlight.

Lupine

I believe this is an arnica.

It was heating up fast on the exposed Whitewater Trail. The lack of tree cover does allow for some epic views, but it also means there is no escaping the sun.

Penstemon

Bee visiting stonecrop.

I don’t recall this rock formation from our previous hikes, another thing revealed by the fires.

There were at least five checkerspot butterflies on this clump of aster.

Nowhere to hide from the heat.

Mt. Jefferson, the Three Sisters and Three Fingered Jack

Fireweed

Black-backed woodpecker

There were copious amounts of trailing blackberries along the lower portion of the Whitewater Trail, some of which were ripe (and eaten).

This patch of spreading dogbane was being visited by over a half dozen butterflies of different varieties as well as some other pollinators.

Arriving back at the trailhead.

Today’s route around Jefferson Park came in at 13.3 miles with just under 2350′ of elevation gain.

It was bittersweet to revisit the Whitewater Trail. It was tough to see how intensely the fires had burned the area, but the trail was in good shape and the hike was very enjoyable. I had passed a number of people heading up on my way out including a Forest Service Ranger. We talked for a bit, and he asked if I’d seen any fire rings or trash, which I hadn’t. He eventually got around to asking to see my Cascade Wilderness Permit which I had ready on my phone (and a paper copy in my pack). It was actually exciting to be asked to show the permit since we always make sure we have the required permits whether it be California Campfire, National Park Entry, Central Cascades, or a county park, but we almost never are asked for proof that we have them. I know that there are some out there that remain vehemently opposed to the permit system, but there are no easy answers to overcrowding and overuse. It’s the system in place and we’ll continue to respect that. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Jefferson Park 2025

Tags bays lake, Central Cascade Wilderness Permit, hiking, Jefferson Park, Mount Jefferson Wilderness, Oregon, Pacific Crest Trail, Park lake, PCT, rock lake, Russell Lake, scout lake, whitewater trail, Whitewater Trailhead, wildflowers

High Cascades Hiking Mt. Hood Area Oregon Trip report

Wizard Way (Mt. Hood Meadows) – 07/12/2025

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date July 14, 2025
1 Comment on Wizard Way (Mt. Hood Meadows) – 07/12/2025

In 2021 the Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Area opened a new collection of summer trails to the public. We had passed through the area clear back in 2013 (post) so it was past time for us to revisit and check out some of those new trails.

We used an entry in the OregonHikers Field Guide as inspiration for our planned route which included the Bear Grass, Bear Grass Cutoff, Stadium Loop, Lower Wizard Way, Middle Wizard Way, and Picnic Rock Spur trails. Our planned route got extended immediately upon our arrival at the entrance to the main parking lot at Mt. Hood Meadows. The lot is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and the amenities at the lodge (restaurant and restrooms) don’t open until 10am however it was our understanding that the lot was available to park in prior to 10am. This was true; however we failed to notice that the left side of the entrance gate was open.

Something about the ribbon, cones, and equipment in the background tricked my eyes into seeing a gate across both sides, green on the right and pink on the left so we parked in a small pullout on the side of the road.

You’d think I would have noticed that there wasn’t actually a gate on the left when I took this photo.

Parking here meant walking through the parking lot which took us right past the Umbrella Falls Trail.

It was just under a quarter of a mile down to Umbrella Falls from the parking lot and given we had not been to the falls in almost 12 years we detoured down the trail.

Valerian and false hellebore

Mountain bluebells

Aster

Mt. Hood from the Umbrella Falls Trail.

Umbrella Falls

After visiting the waterfall we climbed back up to the parking lot and continued on to the Mt. Hood Meadows Lodge.

Trail map at the lodge.

From the lodge we angled left on a roped gravel path passing several interpretive signs to a large “Blue Chair Lift” sign. The signed Bear Grass Trail began to the right of that sign.

Spirea

We followed this trail for a half mile through wildflower meadows to a junction with the Bear Grass Cutoff Trail.

An aster or fleabane

Elephants head

Penstemon, cat’s ear lilies, and spirea.

Beargrass on the hillside.

Beargrass and clumps of lupine on a hillside.

Arnica and valerian

The Bear Grass Trail crossing a service road.

Coiled lousewort

Jacob’s ladder

A short section of trees between meadows/ski runs.

Bear Grass Cutoff Trail on the left.

We turned left onto the cutoff trail which climbed roughly 350′ in 0.8-miles before rejoining the Bear Grass Trail. The climb was well graded and crossed several ski runs which provided views and more flowers.

Pink monkeyflower

One-sided wintergreen and dwarf bramble

Pacific coralroot

Sub-alpine mariposa lily (cat’s ear lily)

Coming up on another ski run covered in beargrass.

Partridgefoot

Bonney Butte (post) on the far right.

Hood River Express chairlift.

Back at the Bear Grass Trail we turned left to continue up the mountain.

Another half mile of views and wildflowers brought us to a fork where the Stadium Loop Trail split off to the left.

Mt. Jefferson to the south.

Broken Top, the Three Sisters, and Mt. Jefferson.

Cinquefoil

Mountain heather

Stadium Loop left and Bear Grass Trail to the right.

Mt. Hood Meadows Lodge from the junction.

We took the Stadium Loop Trail uphill and rejoined the Bear Grass Trail in less than a quarter mile.

The Stadium Express lift in front of Mt. Hood.

Goldenrod

Buckwheat

Yarrow

Penstemon

Subalpine fleabane

Trail signs below the Stadium Express at the upper junction with the Bear Grass Trail.

From the upper junction the Bear Grass Trail briefly followed a service road uphill to the top of the Stadium Express chairlift and a couple more interpretive signs.

The trail signage had been very good up to this point but there weren’t any signs at the top of the lift. The Bear Grass Trail was obvious though as it headed into a stand of trees.

In less than a tenth of a mile we arrived a the Timberline Trail where the Bear Grass Trail ended. The Lower Wizard Way Trail continued on the opposite side of Timberline Trail.

We crossed the Timberline Trail and began a mile long, 600′ climb, to the top of the Mt. Hood Express chairlift. This trail was a bit steeper than any of the lower trails, but it was still reasonably graded.

Sub-alpine mariposa lily and an orange agoseris

Paintbrush and cinquefoil

The trail crossing another service road.

Broken Top and the Three Sisters in the distance.

Jacob’s ladder

Townsend’s solitare

Pussypaws

Ragwort

Checkerspot on cinquefoil

Mountain heather and Jacob’s ladder

The trail got lost in the rocks here, but we simply walked under the lift to a service road and a ski patrol hut.

Penstemon

Mt. Hood from the top of the Mt. Hood Express lift.

That’s the blue lift to the right.

The ski patrol hut.

We followed the road past the ski patrol hut to the signed Middle Wizard Way Trail.

The Middle Wizard Way Trail is much rougher and steeper than any of the other trails. The route was flagged which helped us stay on course as we climbed over rocks and snowfields. Heather and I had split up on this portion and I made it a little over three quarters of a mile up to an old structure where I declared victory.

Stripped flagging marking the trail.

Paintbrush

Mt. Jefferson and the Three Sister from the trail.

The trail heading into a snowfield.

Penstemon, yarrow, buckwheat and pussypaws.

The lupine bloom was going strong.

Clark’s nutcracker

Mt. Jefferson from my turnaround point.

Broken Top, the Three Sisters and Mt. Jefferson

Looking down the Clark Creek Canyon. The Timberline Trail is visible near the bottom of the grey hillside on opposite canyon wall.

The Clark and Newton Glaciers.

The trail had gained 600′ from the service road and the remaining length of the trail gained at least 600′ more. On a cooler day I might have been tempted, but it was warm enough today to make me think twice.

The trail heads up the left side of this rock formation. It is reportedly possible to continue to the moraine behind and climb to 9000′ in elevation (which would be an additional 1300’+ climb from the top of the rock formation).

After a brief rest I started back down to find Heather was waiting for me part way up the trail near one of the snow fields.

Crossing one of the snow fields on the way down.

Jacob’s ladder and lupine

Aster

The view from Heather’s turnaround point.

We headed back down together retracing our steps back to the upper junction with the Stadium Loop where this time we stuck to the Bear Grass Trail.

Western white?

Mt. Jefferson and the ski patrol hut.

Checkerspot and aster

Cinquefoil

Stadium Loop Trail on the right.

It was just a tenth of mile before we arrived at the lower junction with Stadium Loop Trail and we were back on our earlier route.

Cat’s ear lilies along the trail.

The lower junction.

We followed the Bear Grass Trail downhill to the junction with the Bear Grass Cutoff Trail where we again left our earlier route and stayed on the Bear Grass Trail.

We followed the Bear Grass Trail down through the forest. This section of trail did not cross any ski runs and there were several patches of snow remaining in the trees.

Snow patch covering the Bear Grass Trail.

Shooting stars and cinquefoil

Violets

Four tenths of a mile from the Bear Grass Cutoff Trail we ignored the Jack Woods Trail joining from the left. This trail connects with the Timberline Trail along the ridge above the Clark Creek Canyon.

View across the Clark Creek Canyon.

Avalanche lilies

A little over 1.25-miles from the Bear Grass Cutoff Trail we came to a junction with the Picnic Rock Spur. This 0.3-mile spur led out to a rocky viewpoint above the Clark Creek Canyon.

Elk Mountain in the foreground with Lookout Mountain (post) behind to the right.

Arrowleaf buckwheat

Heather skipped the spur so after checking out the view I returned to the Bear Grass trail and followed it another 1.2-miles back to Mt. Hood Meadows Lodge.

The Umbrella Falls Cutoff Trail split off from the Bear Grass Trail and would have taken us back to Umbrella Falls, but we had agreed to meet up back at the lodge so we stuck to the Bear Grass Trail.

Trail sign at the junction with the Bear Grass Cutoff.

Pink monkeyflower

California tortoiseshell

Speedwell

It took a minute to locate Heather but once we’d reunited we headed back through the parking lot and returned to our car.

My mileage was 11.1 with a full mile of that attributed to parking at the gate and visiting Umbrella Falls. Total elevation gain was close to 2300′.

The green track is from our 2013 hike.

We were impressed with the trail system that Mt. Hood Meadows has developed and really enjoyed our hike here. There are a number of potential loops using the various trails and we look forward to returning and checking out more of them. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Wizard Way

Tags Bear Grass Cutoff, Bear Grass Trail, hiking, Lower Wizard Way, Middle Wizard Way, Mt. Hood, Mt. Hood Meadows, Mt. Hood Meadows Lodge, Oregon, Picnic Rocks Spur, Stadium Loop Trail, timberline trail, Umbrella Falls, Umbrella Falls Trail, wildflowers

Corvallis Hiking Oregon Trip report Willamette Valley

Dimple Hill from Lewisburg Saddle – 07/05/2025

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

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

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

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

Fireweed

Daisies and trefoil

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

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

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

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

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

Rubbing on the tree trunk.

St. John’s wort on the hillside.

Hedgenettle

Road 650 to the left.

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

Spotted towhee

Upper Dan’s Trail on the left.

Viewpoint bench on Dimple Hill.

Mary’s Peak (post) from Dimple Hill.

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

The group gathering at the viewpoint bench.

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

Chipmunk

Snake

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

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

Orange is the out-and-back from today.

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

Flickr: Dimple Hill from Lewisburg Saddle

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

Clackamas Hiking Old Cascades Oregon Trip report

Mount Lowe – 07/04/2025

Whenever possible we try and take a hike in the Old Cascades in the morning on the 4th of July. This year we chose one of the few remaining hikes from Matt Reeder’s “101 Hikes in the Majestic Mount Jefferson Region” (2nd edition) that we had yet to do. Many hikes featured in that book have been affected by fires over the last 5 years, primarily in 2020, but Mount Lowe has thus far been spared. Located along the Rho Ridge Trail, Mount Lowe rises to 5338′ and was home to a Forest Service lookout from 1916 into the 1960’s. We had hiked a portion of the Rho Ridge Trail in 2017 when we visited the Hawk Mountain Lookout (post). Much of that section of the trail was burned in the 2021 Bull Complex Fire.

While there are several potential starting points to reach Mount Lowe, we chose to start at Graham Pass where we had also parked for our 2017 hike.

Forest Road 6350 from the large parking area at Graham Pass.

This starting point creates a moderate 6.8-mile out-and-back with approximately 1400′ of elevation gain with options to extend it. From the parking area we walked down the gravel road, crossed FR 6350, and followed FR 4670 for 200′ to a sign for the Rho Ridge Trail.

Penstemon

Oregon sunshine and maybe a vetch?

The Rho Ridge Trail paralleled FR 4670 for just under half a mile before returning to the road.

Queen’s cup

Rhododendron

Flagging was present along most of the route. Here the trail is crossing a decommissioned logging road.

Bunchberry

Flagging at the point where the trail rejoined FR 4670.

For the next two tenths of a mile we walked along FR 4670 before spotting the resumption of the Rho Ridge Trail on the left side of the road across from a dirt spur road.

Paintbrush and penstemon

Continuation of the Rho Ridge Trail.

The dirt spur. This road leads to a few campsites and the Rho Creek Trail which is not shown on maps but is sometimes maintained by the Trail Advocates and is on our bucket list to check out some day.

The Rho Ridge Trail was in relatively good shape albeit a little overgrown in places. There was also some occasional blowdown, but it was all easy to either climb over or go around.

Pacific coralroot

Arnica

Beargrass

After a short climb the trail lost a little elevation as it dropped into a lovely forest before nearing FR 4670 again.

This was one we had to go around.

Beardtongue

We came to an open rocky section of the ridge covered in wildflowers as the trail neared FR 4670.

Mount Lowe from the trail.

Columbine

Paintbrush, lupine, penstemon, and false sunflowers.

Larkspur hiding in the grass.

Yarrow and paintbrush

Bleeding heart

Catchfly

Arrowleaf buckwheat and sunflowers.

Penstemon

FR 4670 from the trail.

Wallflower, catchfly, and penstemon.

FR 4670 and the Rho Ridge Trail (to the right).

Sub-alpine mariposa lily

Sisi Butte (post)

Barestem buckwheat

Sisi Butte in the center with Olallie Butte to the right (post).

Olallie Butte

Trail sign facing FR 4670.

The trail began to climb again from here gaining a little over 400′ in just under a mile to the summit of Mount Lowe.

Washington lilies along the trail. These beautiful flowers are also by far the best smelling flowers that we encounter on hikes.

False sunflowers

Washington lily

Serviceberry

Snowberry

Thimbleberry

Larkspur

Rainiera, Lyall’s angelica, and columbine

Anemone’s and a queen’s cup

False sunflowers

Bastard toadflax

Blue-head gilia

Vetch

Red-flowering currant

Sisi Butte, Oallie Butte, and Mt. Jefferson

Mt. Jefferson

Sticky currant

Better view of Mt. Jefferson.

Scarlet gilia

Junco

First view of Three Fingered Jack, Mt. Washington, and the Three Sisters.

Three Fingered Jack, Mt. Washington, and the Three Sisters.

The trail passed below a talus slope where there may have been a view of Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams and Mt. Rainier had we scrambled up it, but we didn’t want to disturb the residents.

Pika near the top of the talus slope.

One-sided wintergreen

Mt. Hood

View to the west above another pika filled talus slope.

Schreiner Peak, Knob Peak, Big Slide Mountain (post), and Bull of the Woods (post) in the Bull of the Woods Wilderness.

Spur trail to the summit on the left.

Paintbrush and penstemon

Windbreaks near the former lookout stie.

View west towards the Bull of the Woods.

View South toward Mt. Jefferson and the Central Cascades.

Bachelor and Coffin Mountains (post).

Broken Top poking up on the far left with Three Fingered Jack, North Sister, South & Middle Sister, and Mt. Washington.

The view North included Mt. Adams (center between the tress) and the tops of Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens but those would not show up in photos.

Subalpine fir cones

Douglas fir cones.

Stonecrop

Penstemon

After a nice break at the summit we headed back down from the summit and followed the Rho Ridge Trail back to FR 4670.

The Rho Ridge Trail continues left at this fork below the summit another 1.5-miles to a northern trailhead.

Orange agoseris

Star-flowered solomonseal

Phacelia

Rainiera

Vanilla leaf

Rose

Oregon bedstraw

Arriving at FR 4670.

We decided to detour here and check out a little of the Rho Creek Trail so we crossed FR 4670 and turned onto the dirt spur road.

We weren’t entirely sure where the trail began and there were a few spurs to campsites. We simply picked one and then headed cross country from it looking of any sign of tread or flagging.

The cross country was fairly easy and we were able to use our GPS and the map we’d downloaded from the Orgon Hikers Field Guide to pick up the tread.

The trail was in surprisingly good shape and we followed it downhill a little over a quarter of a mile to an unsigned junction.

The unsigned, but flagged, junction. Here the Rho Creek Trail turned left while the right-hand fork was said to lead to the remains of the Rho Ridge Guard Station.

The remains had been our goal for this brief detour so we went right.

Valerian

Flagging marking the trail.

More flagging marking the route.

Spirea

Somehow we never spotted the guard station remains, but the flagged route continued and theoretically would lead us back to Graham Pass so we just kept following the flagging.

Rhododendron

The tread got pretty faint the closer we got to the Rho Ridge Trail but the flagging made the route obvious enough.

We eventually popped out onto the decommissioned logging road just 100′ from the Rho Ridge Trail.

We turned right here and then left onto the Rho Ridge Trai and 500′ later were back on FR 4670.

With the detour our hike wound up being 7.4-miles with approximately 1600′ of elevation gain.

The hike to Mount Lowe was a really great one. There were views, flowers, wildlife and solitude. The trail itself was in good enough condition to not make the hike challenging while adding a feeling of it being a little wild. While we missed the remains on our side-trip the experience with the Rho Creek Trail encouraged us to get back there and hike more of it. Maybe next time we’ll locate the old guard station. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Mount Lowe

Tags Graham Pass, hiking, Mount Lowe, Old Cascades, Oregon, Rho Creek Guard Station, Rho Creek Trail, Rho Ridge Trail, wildflowers

Hiking Oakridge Area Old Cascades Oregon Trip report

Sourgrass Mountain – 06/28/2025

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date June 30, 2025
No Comments on Sourgrass Mountain – 06/28/2025

A YouTube video posted last year by Hike Oregon brought our attention to a section of the Alpine Trail near Oakridge, OR. She described an out-and-back hike along this popular mountain bike trail over Sourgrass Mountain to visit the Elk Camp Shelter.

The Alpine Trail extends a total of 15.3-miles between Westfir, OR to Forest Road 1912 with a number of potential starting points. We hiked a different section of this trail in 2014 as part of our Tire Mountain hike (post). For this hike we parked at the junction of FR 1912 and FR 661 where the Alpine Trail crossed FR 1912.

We headed north on the Alpine Trail which climbed for almost 2 miles to a large meadow on Sourgrass Mountain. The climb was fairly gradual using switchbacks on the steeper parts of the ridge. Mountain bikers ride the trail south to Westfir so we were on the lookout for bikes coming downhill but we had started early enough in the morning to not run into any. (It was a different story on the way down.) The forest along the trail was very nice and there was a nice variety of wildflowers in bloom.

Little prince’s pine

Bunchberry

Rhododendron

Wild ginger

Queen’s cup

Beargrass

Stonecrop

Larkspur

There was a large patch of blue head gilia on this rock above the trail.

Vetch

Honeysuckle

Anemone

Pacific coralroot

Valerian

Starflower

Penstemon

Tiger lilies

Columbine

As we neared the meadow on Sourgrass Mountain we began to see an increasing amount of blooming beargrass.

A member of the lily family, beargrass only blooms when conditions are right, so their bloom cycle is a bit unpredictable. Due to the unpredictability it is always exciting when a visit aligns with a bloom cycle.

At the far end of the meadow we passed a newish looking bench.

Beyond the bench the trail descended along the north ridge of Sourgrass Mountain then followed a wide ridge with some small ups and downs on its way to Elk Camp Shelter.

Sub-alpine fleabane

Sub-alpine mariposa lily

Bleeding heart

That might be rainiera behind the beargrass.

Roses

Valerian along the trail.

Anemone, bunchberry, and foam flower

At 2.8-miles from the trailhead we passed a junction with Kate’s Cut In where it appears that most mountain bikers begin their rides.

We could hear a large group of bikers on FR 1912 below getting ready for their rides as we continued straight on the Alpine Trail.

Spotted coralroot

Northwestern twayblade and foam flower

Arnica

A little over 4-miles from our trailhead we came to a 4-way junction at FR 142 which is the location of Alpine Trailhead 4.

We turned right at the 4-way junction following arrows on the road to the continuation of the trail.

Approximately a half mile from the 4-way junction we arrived at the Elk Camp Shelter.

Violets

Rhododendron and beargrass

Arnica

A short spur trail from FR 142 came in from the left shortly before arriving at the shelter.

Meadow just before the shelter.

There was a decent amount of coiled lousewort but it was all past its bloom.

First view of the shelter behind the trees.

Looking up from the shelter.

Information about the shelter on the table inside.

Hike Oregon’s entry for the hike has you turn around at the shelter making this a moderate 9-mile, 1623′ elevation gain out-and-back. The trail actually continues another nearly 2-miles to the Alpine Trailhead 5.

Looking at Google Earth it appeared that the trail passed through two more small meadows between the shelter and a road crossing approximately 0.75-miles from the shelter. It also appeared that there was minimal elevation loss along that section of the trail, so we had decided to make the road crossing our turn around point. After spending a little time at the shelter we’d attracted enough mosquitos to prompt us to move on.

Small-flowered solomonseal

Coneflower

The first meadow.

Coneflower, valerian, and columbine.

Inside-out-flower

Ragwort

Western meadow-rue

This meadow was very damp making the trail slick with mud.

Meadow fritillary

Self-heal

The second meadow.

Spirea, tiger lilies, columbine, valerian, and cinquefoil.

Sticky cinquefoil

Columbine

Bog orchids

White bog orchids

Lupine

The forest road where we turned around.

We took a break on some stumps along the road where mosquitos were not an issue and then headed back the way we’d come. We kept our eyes open for flowers we’d missed on our first pass and for mountain bikers making sure to step aside when we heard/spotted them coming.

Gold threads

Rhododendron blossoms

Clodius Parnassian

Fairy lanters

Baneberry

Arnica

There weren’t any unobstructed views at any point along this trail. We could occasionally see snow covered Cascade peaks through the trees, but the only peak we were able to identify was The Twins (post) near the junction with Kate’s Cut In.

The Twins are in the center with Waldo Mountain (post) closer and to the left.

One sided wintergreen.

Candy flower

Wallflower

Nearing the bench at the edge of the meadow on Sourgrass Mountain.

We took a break on the bench and were joined by a pair of mountain bikers who were making the ride from Kate’s Cut In to Westfir. The first gentleman explained that some cyclists head north on the trail from Kate’s Cut In and ride (mostly) downhill to the Alpine Trailhead 5 then loop back to Kate’s Cut In along FR 1912 before heading south to Westfir. That loop is known as the “Chrome Toilet” (no explanation given), but he had never ridden that loop. We had passed one group heading down the Alpine Trail as we were heading back by the shelter.

The cyclists continued on, and we followed shortly after. It was just after Noon and as we made our way through the meadow the first of several groups rode past us. They were all very polite about sharing the trail with hikers and we did our part by stepping off the trail as quickly as possible whenever we spotted them coming. This meant a lot of looking back over our shoulders and led to us hiking a little faster than we normally would have otherwise.

Looking up at the highpoint of Sourgrass Mountain.

Larkspur

Royal Jacob’s ladder

The trail dropping down to FR 1912 where we’d parked.

Our version of this hike clocked in at just over 10.5 miles with roughly 1700′ of cumulative elevation gain.

This was a really enjoyable hike made better by the beargrass bloom. Even if the beargrass had not been blooming this year there were enough other flowers to make it a good wildflower hike, and the forest along the trail was lovely. We could see why it is such a popular biking trail which is the only real drawback as a hike. Weekday mornings would probably be a good time to limit the number of bikers to watch for. If you do visit just stay aware and share the trail appropriately. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Sourgrass Mountain

Tags alpine trail, Beargrass, Elk Camp Shelter, hiking, Kate's Cut In, oakridge, Oregon, Sourgrass Mountain, tire mountain, Westfir, wildflowers

Hiking Oregon Roseburg Area Trip report

Cow Creek Trail and Gorge – 06/22/2025

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

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

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

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

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

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

Madia along the trail.

Madrone along the trail.

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

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

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

Another overgrown section of the trail.

The first tricky obstacle we had to get through.

There were some big trees along the trail.

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

The trail is straight ahead on the far side.

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

Wildflowers in the trail.

The trail became even more overgrown beyond the third crossing.

Columbine and blowdown along the trail.

Twinflower

The trail here was completely covered by salal.

Rhododendron above the trail.

Pond along the trail.

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

Wintergreen

Anemones

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

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

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

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

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

Pink pyrola

Northern phlox

Snail

Another look at the first major obstacle.

Pinesap

Tiger lily

Coral root dressed as vanilla leaf.

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

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

Devil’s Flat Guard Station

Cow Creek Falls Trail

Tiger lilies

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

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

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

Cow Creek Gorge

Stable from the trail.

Prince’s pine

Stonecrop

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

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

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

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

Flickr: Cow Creek Trail and Gorge

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

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

Highway 138 Waterfalls Part 2 – 06/21/2025

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

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

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

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

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

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

Salal

Oregon goldthreads

Geranium

Snail

Footbridge over Cavitt Creek.

Cavitt Creek

There were some nice rock formations along the creek.

Shadow Falls

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

Rhododendron

Looking down from above the falls.

The top of Shadow Falls.

Northern phlox

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

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

The wheelchair accessible path.

Picnic area near the viewpoint above the falls.

The swimming hole was empty except for this common merganser.

Cavitt Creek below the falls.

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

Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway Map at the picnic area.

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

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

The small parking area near the picnic grounds.

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

Clearwater River below Whitehorse Falls.

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

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

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

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

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

Crab spider on prince’s pine.

Twin flower

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

Hedge nettle

Tiger lily

Northern phlox

Arnica

One of several small cascades along the river.

Scouler’s bluebells

Rhododendron

Another Unmanaged Trail heading off to the right.

Candysticks

Yet another Unmanaged Trail.

Arriving at the west trailhead.

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

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

Foam flower

There were a pair of ouzels flying around this cascade.

Ouzel aka American dipper.

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

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

This image includes our 2022 visits as well.

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

Flickr: Highway 138 Waterfalls Part 2

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

Hiking Oregon Salem/Albany Trip report Willamette Valley

Champoeg State Heritage Area

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

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

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

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

The Pavillion Trail.

The trail in 2015.

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

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

Duck flying by an eagle’s nest.

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

Bittersweet nightshade

Coastal manroot and red elderberry.

Heading back toward the pavilion.

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

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

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

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

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

Robin

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

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

Scenery along the trail.

The Willamette River.

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

Young rabbit along the trail.

Moth mullein

Starling

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

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

Ground squirrel

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

Champoeg Creek

Champoeg Creek in 2015.

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

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

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

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

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

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

There was some poison oak along this trail.

Willamette River

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

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

Ground squirrel

Checker mallow

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

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

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

Swallow

Phacelia

Marker for Napoleon Street.

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

The bike path leaving the Townsite Day Use Area.

Just hanging out.

Heading for the Riverside Day Use Area parking lot.

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

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

Flickr: Champoeg State Heritage Area

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

Badger Creek Area Hiking Oregon Trip report

Underhill Trail & Eightmile Loop – 06/14/2025

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date June 16, 2025
2 Comments on Underhill Trail & Eightmile Loop – 06/14/2025

We’re continuing to whittle away at the hikes contained in Matt Redder’s various guidebooks (Off the Beaten Trail!) and were down to just two of the 55 hikes from the second edition of “Off the Beaten Trail”. One of those is a bit too far from Salem to be a day hike, but the Underhill Trail is just a 2:15 drive if traffic is cooperative. Leaving between 4:45 and 5am usually means that traffic isn’t a problem on the way to trailhead, but coming home is always a different story.

Reeder’s suggested hike for the Underhill Trail is an out-and-back to Fifteenmile Creek which for us came to 6.3-miles with approximately 1600′ of elevation gain.
Clearly the trail has been realigned based on where the map shows it is and where our track shows we were.

Since that hike alone would have led us to violating our self-imposed rule of not spending more time driving than hiking on day hikes we wanted to add some hiking miles. We had some options including continuing down Fifteenmile Creek three miles on a seldom used section of trail. We also could have hiked upstream along Fifteenmile Creek, but we had hiked the trails leading upstream in 2016 on an 11.9-mile loop (post). The third option was to try another nearby hike which is the option we chose. We picked the Eightmile Loop based on its proximity to the Underhill Trail (less than 5 miles) and length.

We began our day at the Underhill Site.

Scarlet gilia with the Underhill Site picnic shelter in the background.

The Underhill Trail began next to a signboard and descended to cross Forest Road 4450.

Balsamroot

Penstemon

Rosy pussytoes

Lomatium

Paintbrush

Forest Road crossing.

Shortly after crossing the road we passed an old fence and then came to a fork in the trail.

Here the Old Cabin Loop Trail headed left while the Underhill Trail continued straight ahead. We decided to turn onto the Old Cabin Loop after looking at the map and seeing that it wouldn’t add too much distance to the hike (it added about a third of a mile).

The abandoned East Loop splits off from the Old Cabin Loop shortly beyond the Underhill Trail.

The Old Cabin Loop descended to a footbridge over Ramsey Creek where Scouts from nearby Camp Baldwin had placed some benches.

Ramsey Creek

After crossing Ramsey Creek the trail climbed to an unmarked junction with the Underhill Trail.

The first Queen’s cup blossom that we’d seen this year.

The junction with the Underhill Trail.

We turned left on the Underhill Trail and climbed gradually to Logging Gulch Road atop a ridge.

Penstemon along the trail.

View of the opposite ridge from the trail.

Sliverleaf phacelia

Rayless arnica

Honeysuckle and snowberry

There were no signs at the road crossing but a small rock on top of a larger rock to the left on the far side of the road marked the continuation of the Underhill Trail.

Lookout Mountain (post) from the road.

Closer look at Lookout Mountain.

After crossing the road the Underhill Trail starts a 1.8-mile descent to Fifteenmile Creek. While this section of the trail loses over 800′ of elevation it managed to do so without ever feeling too steep. This was accomplished by good use of switchbacks and hopping ridges a couple of times.

Yarrow and white-stemmed frasera

There was a lot of white-stemmed frasera blooming which was exciting because we had been too early for the bloom when we were in the area Memorial Day Weekend (post).

Flag Point is the highest point to the left and Lookout Mountain is behind the tree.

Buckwheat

Diamond clarkia

Onion

Nevada deervetch

Balsamoot covering the hillside. We were a few weeks late for the balsamroot bloom, but getting to see so much white-stemmed frasera made up for it.

Onion

Passing over a ridge.

Grand collomia

Gently heading down an open ridge.

Mt. Hood making an appearance.

Mt. Hood

Desert yellow fleabane

Pacific coralroot

The junction with the Fifteenmile Creek Trail.

Fifteenmile Creek

We took a short break at the creek before starting the climb back up to the Underhill Site. The reasonable grade of the trail kept the climb from feeling overly difficult.

Mt. Hood from the Underhill Trail.

Sagebrush false dandelion

Western sulphur

Balsamroot covered hillside.

Beetles on white-stemmed frasera

Brief glimpse of Mt. Adams through the trees.

Swallowtail

Woodland stars

Lupine

We went left sticking to the Underhill Trail when we reached the junction with the Old Cabin Loop Trail.

Vanilla leaf lining the trail.

Footbridge over Ramsey Creek.

Old cabin ruins near Ramsey Creek.

Steep set of stairs leading up from the creek.

Passing the upper junction with the Old Cabin Loop Trail.

During the hike Heather was dealing with a blister on her foot which wasn’t causing a problem yet, but she was a little concerned that doing the whole Eightmile Loop might be pushing it. We’d talked about it and came up with a plan. I would drop her off at the Bottle Prairie Trailhead where we had originally planned to start the loop. I would then take the car to the day-use area at Eightmile Campground and start the loop from that trailhead. This would allow me to be following behind Heather and possibly catch up to her at the Fivemile Butte Lookout, and Heather would be able to skip approximately 3-miles of the loop along Eightmile Creek while still getting to see the views from the lookout site. It took just ten minutes to drive to the day-use area after dropping Heather off and I was quickly on my way behind her.

Please note that this campground is one of several that the Forest Service has contracted private concessionaires to manage and there is a $10.00/day parking fee for day-use. An annual NW Forest Pass is accepted in lieu of the fee but a single day NW Forest Pass and some interagency passes may not be. There is conflicting information online through the Forest Service website and what is posted at the trailhead.
Signage at the trailhead still shows that a variety of passes are honored there but the link for the campground provided above only lists the annual NW Forest Pass as accepted.

I followed the trail from the parking area down to Eightmile Creek and crossed it on a footbridge.

Beyond Eightmile Creek the trail switchbacked up to a crossing of Forest Road 4430 and then to a junction starting the actual loop.

The trail also crossed the campground road before climbing to FR 4430.

Raceme pussytoes

img src=”https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54590353341_97b8774ccf.jpg” width=”500″ height=”375″ alt=”IMG_3383″/>
FR 4430

Sticky cinquefoil

The start of the Eightmile Loop.

The loop is more popular with mountain bikers than hikers, in fact we saw no other hikers on any of the day’s trails. We did see around a dozen mountain bikers on the loop trails though.
Clockwise provides the gentlest climbing for the loop which is the direction we were hiking so I went left.

The trail gradually climbed for a little over 2.5-miles gaining over 650′ before arriving at the Bottle Prairie Trailhead.

Lupine

Columbine

The creek wasn’t visible for much of the 2.5-miles, but it was always within earshot.

Vanilla leaf

About a mile into the loop the trail crossed Eightmile Creek.

Eightmile Creek

Bunchberry

Western Jacob’s ladder

Arnica

Trillium

Valerian

Tall mountain bluebells

Eightmile Creek to the right of the trail.

Forest Road 120 near the Bottle Prairie Trailehad.

The Bottle Prairie Trailhead.

I located the sign for the continuation of the Eightmile Loop and headed up the trail.

Just beyond that trail sign I came to a fork where I went right on the unsigned Bottle Prairie Trail (the left fork was the Knebal Springs Trail

I learned later that Heather had gone left a short distance before realizing the mistake, something I too almost did.

A 0.4-mile climb brought me to another fork where the Bottle Prairie continued left and the Eightmile Loop split off to the right.

Duksy horkelia

Silvercrown along the trail.

This hillside was covered in buckwheat.

The OregonHikers Field Guild mentioned a short detour up the Bottle Prairie Trail to visit Perry Point, the site of a former crow’s nest lookout. At some point in the future we plan to hike a loop using the Bottle Prairie and Knebal Springs Trails and we will pass Perry Point then so I could have skipped the extension, but that’s just not in my nature so left I went.

I followed the Bottle Prairie Trail uphill a little over a quarter mile to a spur trail signed for Perry Point.

Flowers along the trail.

Penstemon, false sunflower, and scarlet gilia.

The spur trail toward Perry Point.

It was about two tenths of a mile out to the rocky point.

I failed to look for the remains of the old crow’s nest although there appears to be a small board at the top of the fir tree in the center.

Mt. Adams between the trees.

Lookout Mountain from Perry Point.

Larkspur

After visiting the point I returned to the Eightmile Loop and turned left.

After a brief climb the trail gradually descended to a saddle where it crossed Rail Hollow Road.

Orange agoseris

Vanilla leaf

Anemones

On the far side of the road the trail once again began climbing. It was a gentle climb through some recent thinning activities which are intended to help stop invasive insect damage to the areas trees.

Moth on yarrow.

View toward Central Oregon.

The trail stayed below the top of the ridge where Rail Hollow Road was.

View toward Lookout Mountain.

A little over half a mile from the crossing of Rail Hollow Road I forked left at this unsigned junction to visit the Fivemile Butte Lookout where Heather was waiting.

The rentable Fivemile Butte Lookout. Because the lookout is actively rented the Forest Service asks other visitors not to go up the tower.

Heather was sitting at a picnic table below the lookout and said she’d only been there about 15 minutes. She let me know where the views of Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Rainier were.

Mt. Hood from below the lookout.

Mt. Adams and Mt. Rainier from a path to the north of the lookout.

Mt. Adams with Mt. Rainier to the left.

Paintbrush and yarrow.

Rosy pussytoes

After a short break at the picnic table I started to get a little too warm in the sunlight and we resumed the hike together. From the junction with the spur to the lookout the trail began a series of long switchbacks that brought us down the hillside 1.6-miles to the junction at the start of my loop.

Large-flower triteleia

Stonecrop

Duskywing on penstemon.

The hill was fairly steep but the switchbacks made the descent nice and gradual.

Lupine and paintbrush along the trail.

Western tanager

Twinflower

Signs below marking the start/end of the loop.

After completing the loop we made our way to the car, changed shoes, and headed home. My hike including the side trips wound up coming in at a very fitting 8-miles.

My hike included approximately 1400′ of elevation gain.

These were a fun pair of hikes with lots of wildflowers and good variety in the forest types. Our timing was good for the flowers on the Eightmile Loop and okay for the Underhill Trail although as I mentioned earlier May would have been better for catching the balsamroot bloom there. We were also pleasantly surprised by how reasonably graded these trails were after a couple of extremely steep hikes in the area over Memorial Day Weekend. We’re looking forward to heading back to the area to experience more of the trails in the future. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Underhill Trail and Eightmile Loop

Tags Bottle Prairie Trail, Bottle Prairie Trailhead, Eightmile Campground, Eightmile Creek, Eightmile Loop, Fifteenmile creek, Fivemile Butte Lookout, hiking, Mt. Hood National Forest, Old Cabin Loop, Oregon, Perry Point, Ramsey Creek, Underhill Site, Underhill Trail, wildflowers