Do you enjoy the sound of gunfire in the morning? If so, we have the trail for you! As I continue to look for hiking trails that we have yet to visit the Wilson River Wagon Road Trail located in the Tillamook State Forest caught my eye. An entry in the OregonHikers.org Field Guide described a hike starting at the Deyoe Creek Trailhead that would visit two waterfalls and the Stagecoach Horse Camp. One of the waterfalls, University Falls, we’d visited in February 2015 (post), but other than 0.1-mile spur trail to that waterfall the rest of this hike would be new to us.
We parked on east side of the Devil’s Lake Fork of the Wilson River at a pair of signboards at the Deyoe Creek Trailhead.
\
Note that there is a pullout on the west side of the river here as well and each pullout has a signed trail leading off from it. There used to a footbridge across the river upstream from the trailheads, but that bridge is gone so unless your plan is to do a loop (description here) you want to take the trail on the eastern side signed “Nels Rogers Trail.
The trail took us along the river passing an unnamed waterfall on a side creek after a third of a mile.
After passing the waterfall the Nels Rogers Trail climbed a ridge above the river eventually leaving it and arriving at Beaver Dam Road across from the start of the Wilson River Wagon Road Trail.
Moss carpet
The first of several road and/or OHV trail crossings.
The forest was lovely, and the trail was in great shape, but from early on the sound of gunfire was a constant. It was a little surprising given we’d started hiking just after 6:30am but these target shooters were obviously early risers. We crossed the road and started on a three mile stretch of the Wilson River Wagon Road Trail that would end at the University Falls Trailhead. The Wilson River Wagon Road opened in 1893 for stagecoach and ox cart travel. At the time the toll road was the only route between Tillamook on the Oregon Coast and Forest Grove in the Willamette Valley. The trail was easy to follow and marked well at all road and OHV trail crossings. Yellow violets and white trillium were blooming, and we occasionally were able to hear the birds signing when the target shooters were reloading.
Skunk cabbage
Coming to an OHV trail crossing.
Violet
Another OHV crossing.
Trillium
Mushrooms
Approximately 1.4-miles along the Wilson River Wagon Road the trail followed Saddle Mountain Road for 150 yards before resuming on the far side.
The trail resuming on the left off Saddle Mountain Road.
Deyoe Creek
The Wilson River Wagon Road Trail arriving at University Falls Road across from the University Falls Trailhead.
University Falls Trailhead.
We detoured here and descended 0.3-miles on the University Falls Trail to visit the waterfall.
There was a clearcut on the right-hand side of the trail.
The Gravelle Brothers Trail joined from the right after 0.2-miles. This is the trail we’d used to reach the falls in 2015.
Salmonberry blossoms
Trillium near the falls.
After a brief break at the falls we climbed back up to the trailhead and turned right down University Falls Road for almost two tenths of a mile to the resumption of the trail.
Heading down the road from the trailhead.
Coltsfoot
After a tenth of a mile back on the trail we came to a “Y” junction with the Side Step Trail where we veered right to stay on the Wagon Road Trail.
This section of trail used to recross University Falls Road three times, but a clearcut on the north side of the road has apparently rerouted the trail because we didn’t cross the road again. The first two crossings are now gone with the trail sticking to the south side of the road, and the third crossing was closed by yellow caution tape.
Wood sorrel
University Falls Road below to the right.
This appeared to be a new section of trail replacing the old alignment on the north side of the road.
The closed section of the trail that remains on the north side of the road.
We turned left on University Falls Road and followed it two tenths of a mile to a road junction. Here the Side Step Trail joined from the left.
I decided to head down the road to the right to see if the section of the Wilson Wagon Road Trail from that road to the Stagecoach Horse Camp was open.
The closed section of trail coming up on the right with the continuation of the trail ahead on the left.
The other end of the closed section.
This section was open so I waved Heather on and we headed down through the clearcut to the horse camp.
It was a third of a mile down to the horse camp were we took a break from the light rain that had begun falling off and on under the cover of the community shelter.
A lot more hikes may look like this if the current administration gets its way.
The horse camp in the trees.
After another brief rest we headed back uphill to the Side Step Trail and followed it through the forest back to the Wagon Road Trail and University Falls Trailhead.
In hindsight we probably should have done the side trip to the horse camp before visiting University Falls and then we could have continued on a loop from University Falls that may have been a bit shorter with close to the same amount of elevation gain as the hike we wound up doing. We were focused on following the field guide entry though, so we retraced our steps on the Wilson River Wagon Road and Nels Rogers Trails.
Footbridge over Deyoe Creek.
Rough skinned newt.
In true Oregon fashion the weather was a mix of sprinkles and blue skies.
Violet enjoying some sunlight.
This stump looked suspiciously like Davey Jones from the Pirates of the Carribean movies to us.
Huckleberries
Devil’s Fork
Our hike came in just under 12.5-miles with approximately 1800′ of elevation gain.
The trails were great, and I’d love to give the hike 4 stars but the nearly constant gunfire, which was joined by OHV noise by late morning just won’t allow it. That being said if you’re okay with a noisy hike it is worth a visit. As mentioned earlier we would recommend doing a loop using the Gravelle Brothers Trail from University Falls to connect up to the Nels Rogers Trail rather than hiking back on the Wagon Road Trail and of course you could start from any of the trailheads located along the loop. Happy Trails!
Flickr: Wilson River Wagon Road Trail
wanderingyuncks 