Calendar

Past Activity

Canceled: North Fork Willamette (Upper Section)

  • Start date: 09/21/2017

  • Start time: 12:00 AM

  • End date: 09/21/2017

  • End time: 11:59 PM

Description:

Beautiful river/forest hike along the North Fork of the Middle Fork of the Willamette. Not in Sullivan's Central Oregon Cascades hiking book. , but this trailhead is the same one as Sullivan's fourth edition #166. Old growth Douglas Fir and Cedar trees can be viewed along the trail. Hike will end at "Constitution Grove, unless the group wishes to proceed further. Fine river views on a relatively flat trail with good tread. Unless the trail has been recently cleared, expect to encounter several large log crossings.

  • Event Leader: Dan Christensen

  • Event Leader Phone: 541-343-8941

  • Event Leader Email: lddc1010@aol.com

  • Assistant Leader: Frank Lulich

  • Event category: Trips

  • Area Type: Mountain

  • Departure Location: Amazon Park, 28th & Hilyard entrance parking lot

  • Rating: Moderate

  • Roundtrip total drive miles: 79

  • Season: 2017

  • Permits Required:

  • Event Status: Passed

  • Supplies and Equipment Required: Lunch, plenty of water, hiking poles or walking stick will help with navigation. Ten Essentials. Rain gear if any threat of rain in the forecast.

  • participant prerequisites:

  • Conditions:

  • Total Distance: 8

  • Member Fees: 1

  • Elevation Gain: 400

  • Non-Member Fees: 5

  • Committee: Trips

  • Junior member fees: —

Trip Report

The scheduled trip to the North Fork upper trailhead could not be completed as the Aufderheide was closed due to fire activity before the trailhead. So we flipped the hike to the lower trailhead (Sullivan #79). We covered the 3.3 miles suggested by Sullivan very quickly, so decided to continue up the trail to find a good lunch spot for a turn-around. We hiked another 1-1 1/2 miles and found a nice riverside lunch stop. Then we turned around and proceeded back to the trailhead. It was estimated we covered 9 miles plus in total.
The hike proceeded through a typical Doug fir/hemlock forest. The trees were relatively small compared to the upper trail as extensive logging had occurred into the 1930s. It was very beautiful hiking within sight of the river on a trail which only about 4-500 feet of elevation gain. Temperature was just right for hiking, under cloudy skies, with a threat of showers, which never materialized.