63. Park Ridge and Jefferson Park / February 27, 2019 by Matt Reeder

Distance: 10.8 miles out and back
Elevation Gain: 2,500 feet
Trailhead Elevation: 5,506 feet
Trail High Point: 6,886 feet
Season: July - October
Best: August
Map: Mount Jefferson Wilderness (Geo-Graphics)

Directions from Portland:

• From Estacada, drive southeast on OR 224 approximately 25 miles to the Ripplebrook Guard Station.

• A short distance after Ripplebrook, OR 224 becomes FR 46 at a junction with FR 57. Continue straight (right) on FR 46.

• Drive another 22.3 miles on FR 46 to a junction with the Olallie Lake Road (FR 4690) – you will notice that “Olallie” is painted on the road with an arrow to mark the direction.

• Continue past this junction 6.6 miles to a junction with the Skyline Road (FR 4220) on your left at Breitenbush Pass.

• Turn left here and drive 1 mile of gravel road to a large gate.

• Continue past the gate, where the road abruptly worsens into a rocky, narrow and severely rutted track that will test the patience of any passenger car driver to his or her breaking point.

• Drive another 5.8 excruciatingly slow miles to the signed trailhead on your right, at a large parking lot made of bright red cinders.

Directions from Salem:

• From Salem, drive OR 22 east approximately 49 miles to Detroit.

• Turn left at a sign for Breitenbush, Elk Lake and Olallie Lake onto FR 46.

• Drive 16.6 miles on FR 46 to a pass where you enter the Mount Hood National Forest.

• Turn right here on the Skyline Road (FR 4220) and drive 1 mile of gravel road to a large gate.

• Continue past the gate, where the road abruptly worsens into a rocky, narrow and severely rutted track that will test the patience of any passenger car driver to his or her breaking point.

• Drive another 5.8 excruciatingly slow miles to the signed trailhead on your right, at a large parking lot made of bright red cinders.

Note: Starting in 2020 you will need a limited entry permit for this hike.

Hike: After driving into the trailhead on the Skyline Road, you could be forgiven for wondering if this hike is worth the trouble it took getting there. It most definitely is. The view from the summit of Park Ridge is impossibly great: Mount Jefferson reigns supreme over the parklands and lakes of Jefferson Park. A more scenic destination is difficult to imagine. Once you’ve seen Jefferson Park from above, it is almost impossible to resist the temptation to continue on down to Jefferson Park, where Mount Jefferson fills the sky above an alpine wonderland of gorgeous lakes and meadows filled with wildflowers. Unlike many places, even the hyperbole cannot prepare you for Jefferson Park.

Pick up the PCT at a signboard at the trailhead. Hike a hundred yards to a junction where you meet up with the main trail. Turn left and hike through alpine forest with small meadows as you ascend gently out of the basin that holds Breitenbush Lake. Pass by a couple of talus slopes where pikas meep as you pass and enter forest burned in the Pyramid Butte Fire in 2010. Look out to your right to rocky Pyramid Butte (Hike 62), badly scorched in the fire bearing its name. Once you leave the fire zone behind you will begin a moderate ascent through unburned forest until you reach a crest at about 6,100 feet. Descend for a bit before beginning another moderate climb; soon the trail levels out and passes through a series of rocky meadows that are covered in snow until late in July most years. The tip of Mount Jefferson peeks out behind Park Ridge, reminding you of your destination ahead. At approximately 2.5 miles from the trailhead, leave the forest behind and enter a moonscape of rockslides, snow patches and scattered ponds fed only by snowmelt. The trail braids here in many places as it passes by ponds and through scattered clumps of weather-beaten trees. Follow cairns across this stark, rocky basin until you reach Park Ridge’s snowy, boulder-strewn headwall. Soon you will arrive at a permanent snowfield; follow footsteps here up to the summit of Park Ridge, where the view will knock your socks off. Mount Jefferson towers over the meadows and lakes that make up Jefferson Park. A more amazing view is hard to imagine.

Many hikers will want to make this their final destination. Though wildly beautiful, Jefferson Park is 2 miles and 1,000 feet of elevation below the summit of Park Ridge, miles and elevation you will need to regain on the way back to your car. If you choose not to hike down to Jefferson Park but have a bit more energy and a willingness to explore more of the rugged landscape up on Park Ridge, you have several options. Exploring either east or west along the ridge crest is highly recommended; every step east or west opens up new views to Mount Jefferson and hidden basins on both sides of the crest. Remember that the boundary with the Warm Springs Reservation is less than a mile east of the Park Ridge viewpoint, and continuing east from there is prohibited. If you are continuing to Jefferson Park, it’s 1.9 glorious miles downhill through hidden basins and meadows to a junction with the South Breitenbush Trail just west of Russell Lake. From here, the possibilities are seemingly endless. Return the way you came. For more information about Jefferson Park and points south see Hikes 70, 73 and 74.

*Following the Pacific Crest Trail downhill to Jefferson Park.*

Backpacking in Jefferson Park:
Jefferson Park is among the most crowded backcountry destinations in Oregon. If you wish to camp, plan ahead and check to see if a proposed permit system (similar to the one found at Pamelia Lake) has been implemented. In any case, be sure to camp in designated campsites (marked by a post) or at least 250 feet away from any body of water on bare, non-vegetated surface.

If you visit in July or August, mosquitos are a major nuisance. This is also peak flower season, and the park is extremely crowded. September brings cool weather and less crowds, and best of all, the mosquitos are gone. October brings cold nights and frequent snow showers. The vast huckleberry fields here turn a vivid shade of red, you are more likely to spot wildlife and the solitude is tremendous. You can’t beat it if you don’t mind the cold.

14. Lower Lewis River Trail / February 27, 2019 by Matt Reeder

Distance: 11.4 miles out and back
Elevation Gain: 600 feet
Trailhead Elevation: 1,247 feet
Trail High Point: 1,312 feet
Season: March - November
Best: April - June, October
Map: Lone Butte (Green Trails #365)
Pass: NW Forest Pass
Drivetime from PDX: 110 minutes

Directions:
• From Portland, drive east on Interstate 84 to Cascade Locks.
• Leave the freeway at exit 44 and follow the off-ramp to the Bridge of the Gods.
• Pay the $2 toll and cross the river.
• On the far side, turn right at a junction with WA 14.
• Drive 5.9 miles, passing through Stevenson along the way, to a junction signed for Carson and the Wind River Road. Turn left here.
• Drive the Wind River Road north for 14.2 miles to a T-Junction. Turn right here to stay on the Wind River Road.
• Continue 12.9 miles of winding road to a junction with the Curly Creek Road on your left, just after the Wind River Road crosses over Old Man Pass.
• Turn left and drive the Curly Creek Road downhill for 5.1 miles to its end at a junction with FR 90, the Lewis River Road. Turn right.
• Drive FR 90 for just 0.9 miles to a junction with FR 9039 on the left. As the road leaves at a very sharp angle, this junction may be difficult to see, so watch your mileage closely.
• Turn sharply to the left here and drive downhill to a bridge over the Lewis River. Cross the river and continue uphill. At 0.9 mile from FR 90, turn left into the Curly Creek Falls Trailhead. The Lewis River Trail begins here.
• Note: You can also drive here via Cougar and around Swift Lake. This approach will take you at least 20 minutes longer, and is much more winding and curvy than the approach described above. Nevertheless, if you’re visiting this area in the winter, this is a safer approach as it stays at a much lower elevation.

Hike: After the Eagle Creek Fire in September 2017, the waterfalls on the Lewis River became the place to be. People flocked to Lower Lewis River Falls the most, bringing their campers, coolers and everything else you would associate more with a day at the beach. Amazingly, the crowds never discovered that the Lewis River Trail downstream of the falls passes through one of the finest groves of ancient forest in the Pacific Northwest. Because there are no waterfalls to be found, this portion of the Lewis River Trail has
remained relatively quiet. Hikers can follow the river upstream to a restored shelter in a riverside flat ideal for camping. Energetic hikers can continue upstream past some of the largest cedar trees you’ll ever see until you reach a campsite at a trail junction. And if you really want to see waterfalls, there are two within a short walk of the trailhead.

Begin at the Curly Creek Trailhead. Follow a wide trail downhill to a junction with the Lewis River Trail. Right will quickly take you to both Curly Creek Falls and Miller Creek Falls, both of which tumble into the Lewis River. Save this short detour for the end of your hike. So turn left and follow the Lewis River Trail upstream a little less than a half-mile to a crossing of FR 9039 beside the bridge. You could park here instead, saving yourself a little bit of hiking, but there isn’t much parking and you miss Curly Creek Falls. Locate the Lewis
River Trail and follow it through the woods along the river. The trail mostly stays to the slopes above the river, but you will have the occasional chance to ramble down to beaches and viewpoints. Along the way you will pass some truly huge trees, both Douglas fir and Western red cedar. At 3.1 miles from the trailhead, you will reach Bolt Camp Shelter. The shelter was first built in 1931 and was eventually restored in 1991. The shelter that stands here now was restored anew in 2013, and appears to be brand new. Hikers looking
for a easy hike or a quick backpacking trip should turn around here.

Beyond the shelter, the trail passes a huge, park-like flats along the Lewis River. Here the old growth becomes truly stupendous, with eight to ten-foot-thick Douglas firs and Western red cedars reigning supreme over the flats. Your neck may grow sore from looking up. This stretch of trail is even more scenic in the fall, as the undergrowth here is primarily vine maple, which turns many shades of yellow and orange. At 5.6 miles, the Lewis River Trail reaches a junction with the Speed Trail on your right. There is a nice campsite here if you’re backpacking. Ignore the Speed Trail – this path crosses the Lewis River and heads
uphill to FR 90. The crossing is dangerous and not recommended at any point other than late summer. Instead, return the way you came. You can keep going upstream as far as you wish, but unless you’ve arranged a car shuttle, every mile you hike upstream is a mile you have to hike downstream.

If you still have a little energy when you reach the junction near the trailhead, take the time to visit Curly Creek and Miller Creek Falls. Continue past the junction another 100 yards to Curly Creek Falls. The falls is a natural wonder: a 75-foot plunge into the Lewis River through a natural arch. It must be seen to be believed. Continue downstream another 100 yards to Miller Creek Falls, also on a stream emptying into the river; note how the creek divides in two just after the plunge pool. Both streams run extremely low in the summer, but in winter and spring they should be exceptionally scenic. When you’ve finished visiting these falls, return the way you came.

33. Fifteenmile Creek / February 27, 2019 by Matt Reeder

Distance: 11.6 mile loop
Elevation Gain: 1,900 feet
Trailhead elevation: 4,627 feet
Trail high point: 4,627 feet
Season: June - October
Best: June - July
Map: Flag Point (Green Trails #463)
Pass: none needed
Drivetime from Portland: 110 minutes

Directions:
* From Portland drive US 26 east to a junction with OR 35 on the side of Mt. Hood
* Turn onto OR 35 and continue for 13.5 miles to a junction with FR 44 (Dufur Mill Rd.) between mileposts 70 and 71.
* Turn right and continue on FR 44 for 5.2 miles.
* At a junction, turn right and continue on FR 44 for 3.1 miles.
* Turn right on unsigned but paved FR 4420 and continue for 2.2 miles to a junction.
* Drive straight, now on paved FR 2730 for 2.1 miles to rustic but charming Fifteenmile Campground. The trail departs from a sign on the left side of the campground, near the outhouse.

Hike: Traveling east out of the Cascades, the transition from wet, western forest to dry, high desert is rapid. Hike this outstanding loop on both sides of spectacular Fifteenmile Creek and you can experience an almost full transition and back in just 10 miles of hiking. There is a catch: you have to hike downhill first. While the thought of descending a canyon for five miles and then climbing back out might not be your cup of coffee, consider this: the way back is never steep, and the scenery is better on the second half of the loop. Because you have to climb out of the canyon later in the day, avoid this hike on hot days – it won’t be as nice when you’re climbing out in 95º heat.

Head out from the delightful Fifteenmile Campground into the pine forests above rushing Fifteenmile Creek, which Congress designated a Wild and Scenic River in 2009. In early summer look for a bouquet of flowers along the charming, stair-stepping creek. After half a mile reach a junction with the Cedar Creek Trail and turn right to begin the loop, crossing the creek and ascending slightly up to the ridge. From here it’s all downhill until your reunion with the Fifteenmile Trail. After 1.5 miles of descent you will reach Onion Flat, a park-like meadow dominated by old-growth Ponderosa pines. From here on down you can feel the transition into Central Oregon high desert as the terrain changes with each step. Look over the ridgeline across the canyon for views of Mount Adams and at one spot, the tip of Mount Hood. Also be on the lookout for peach-colored large leaf Collomia, very rare for this part of the Pacific Northwest, as well as bitterroot, which grows on the dry slopes on this trail in June. Cross a decommissioned road at 3.5 miles and begin a steep descent down into the canyon, finally crossing Fifteenmile Creek and reaching a reunion with the Fifteenmile trail exactly 5 miles from the campground. A beautiful cedar grove here along the glassy, crystal-clear creek immediately before the junction provides an excellent resting spot. Though unmarked, the Underhill Trail (Hike 32) also reaches this junction from the north; look for this faint trail heading uphill from the sign at the junction of the Cedar Creek and Fifteenmile Trails. After lunch it is well worth it to continue downstream (to the right) on the Fifteenmile Trail another 0.3 mile to Pinegate Meadow, surrounded by a cluster of tall, arching Ponderosa pines. Return then to the junction with the Cedar Creek Trail and continue straight.

Now on the Fifteenmile Trail, the climb out of the canyon begins with a relatively level stretch through flower gardens along Fifteenmile Creek. In summer look for large whitish-pink Cascade lilies, a showy flower that grows profusely down in this canyon. Above you ancient ponderosas reign supreme. Before you begin your ascent in earnest, pass several large black Cottonwood trees in a cedar grove along Fifteenmile Creek. Shortly after, begin your ascent. You may have competition for the trail from a few descending mountain bikers but they are few and far between. The climb uphill is mostly gradual with a few switchbacks and a relatively easy grade. 2.5 miles from the junction at the bottom of the canyon, reach an open meadow where you can look across the canyon while large Ponderosa pines beg to be photographed. Keen eyes may spot the Cedar Creek Trail on the ridge across the canyon. From this point on the climbing becomes even more gradual while the many wildflowers make you grab for your camera; look for scarlet gilia (also known as skyrocket), paintbrush, yellow balsamroot, stonecrop and many more. Pass by a road to your right (keep on the trail) and re-enter the forest. From here you’ll eventually turn left on the remains of an old road and continue uphill, always climbing gradually. At about 3.8 miles from the trail junction (or about 1.5 miles downhill from the campground) you reach a scenic rock outcrop known as Pat’s Point. There is an excellent view across Fifteenmile Creek’s canyon. Listen for the roar of the creek and what I assume is a waterfall in the canyon below. If you’ve still got some energy, the many and varied rock formations here invite exploration. Once past Pat’s Point, the Fifteenmile trail then returns to the forest and gradually climbs another mile to a reunion with the Cedar Creek Trail on the left. Continue straight another 0.5 mile to the campground and your vehicle.