Just like the Henline Trail hike, you'll find this one by following Hwy 22 to mile marker 23, and turning onto North Forth Rd {directly across from Swiss Village restaurant}. After 14 miles of pavement you will enter the Willamette National Forest where the road turns to gravel. You are now on Forest Road 2209.
After approx 1.5 -2 miles you will see a turn-off on the right towards Three Pools. Stay to the left on Forest Road 2209. Continue another 4 miles to the Opal Creek/Jawbone parking area and trail head.
Parking day passes are supposedly available at the trailhead, but there were no envelopes. I assume that they are better stocked during the summer months, when the trails are used more often. Day and annual forest passes can also be purchased at Santiam Sports Store in Mill City.When we started down the path, I realized it wasn't going to be one of my all-time favorite hikes. While the wilderness surrounding us was beautiful, the trail was a gravel road. If you've been following my blog, you'll know that gravel roads are far from the top of my 'ideal trails' list. If you're able to ignore the trail beneath your feet {or perhaps you don't mind gravel road trails}, you'll enjoy being enveloped in the forest beauty surrounding you. It is a mossy, dense forest, interspersed with little streams/waterfalls running down the mountain above you, flowing beneath the trail, and into the creek below you.
Along the way, you'll be gifted with special sights you won't find on most hikes. You'll come across an old mine on your left, and some old mining equipment on your right. A little further past the equipment, there is an old saw mill on the right {there is also a picnic table, perfect for a snack/lunch break}. We took a detour here, and walked through the old saw mill to the water's edge behind it, for a gorgeous view. It's a little bit tricky with little ones, but it's worth the view of the creek. For a safer/easier, but less spectacular view, you can take the small path off to your right just past the sawmill.
The town itself is just over 3 miles up the road from the parking lot. There are a handful of old buildings, one of which has old appliances lining the porch. There are also vintage cars & trucks {including a fire truck} lining the road, and mining equipment scattered throughout the town.
I was so excited to do this hike, that I jumped the gun a bit and didn't think about just how inaccessible things would be in the winter. The small town was completely shut down. It is a cool place to explore, but not on a winter day. It was much colder than I had anticipated, and we had set off a little later than we should have with kiddos. We were losing light and getting colder quickly on the way back to the car. Had we done this hike in the summer, we would have been able to explore the town more and had more of a break before making the kids trek another 3 miles back to the car. As it was, we had to rush back, and everyone was exhausted by the time we reached the parking lot again. You can browse this site for more information on the right times to go, the programs and cabin rentals they offer, and a little history on the town.
Total Distance: 6.5 miles {At least 7, including all of the detours/exploring you'll do}
Trail Type: Out & back
Trail Appearance: Gravel road
Trail Elevation: Continuous gradual incline for 3 miles
Atmosphere: Quiet, serene, birds, flowing water
View: Creek, trees, birds, waterfall, mountain
Extras: Old mining town
Difficulty: Moderate-Difficult
My Rating: ***
Kid Ratings: ****;***;** {7 miles in the cold, with only small breaks was too much for my 6 yr old}
Along the way, you'll be gifted with special sights you won't find on most hikes. You'll come across an old mine on your left, and some old mining equipment on your right. A little further past the equipment, there is an old saw mill on the right {there is also a picnic table, perfect for a snack/lunch break}. We took a detour here, and walked through the old saw mill to the water's edge behind it, for a gorgeous view. It's a little bit tricky with little ones, but it's worth the view of the creek. For a safer/easier, but less spectacular view, you can take the small path off to your right just past the sawmill.
The town itself is just over 3 miles up the road from the parking lot. There are a handful of old buildings, one of which has old appliances lining the porch. There are also vintage cars & trucks {including a fire truck} lining the road, and mining equipment scattered throughout the town.
I was so excited to do this hike, that I jumped the gun a bit and didn't think about just how inaccessible things would be in the winter. The small town was completely shut down. It is a cool place to explore, but not on a winter day. It was much colder than I had anticipated, and we had set off a little later than we should have with kiddos. We were losing light and getting colder quickly on the way back to the car. Had we done this hike in the summer, we would have been able to explore the town more and had more of a break before making the kids trek another 3 miles back to the car. As it was, we had to rush back, and everyone was exhausted by the time we reached the parking lot again. You can browse this site for more information on the right times to go, the programs and cabin rentals they offer, and a little history on the town.
Total Distance: 6.5 miles {At least 7, including all of the detours/exploring you'll do}
Trail Type: Out & back
Trail Appearance: Gravel road
Trail Elevation: Continuous gradual incline for 3 miles
Atmosphere: Quiet, serene, birds, flowing water
View: Creek, trees, birds, waterfall, mountain
Extras: Old mining town
Difficulty: Moderate-Difficult
My Rating: ***
Kid Ratings: ****;***;** {7 miles in the cold, with only small breaks was too much for my 6 yr old}
I hate gravel roads/wide trails, too. But, your final destination looks like it would have some great photo ops (especially when it's warmer and you're more inclined to linger).
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm not the only one! Travis thinks I'm a little picky about trails. He and the kids don't seem to mind the gravel roads, and you're right- I'm excited to go back in the summer to get some great pics in the town.
DeleteI don't remember there being gravel roads. It may be new, but I understand that vehicles at sone point need to make it up there to supply the town and perhaps take the people up there with thier supplies that plan to spend half the year up there. Penny's cousin had her wedding there and everyone had to park at the trailhead and they were shipped up. They try to use the trail as little as possible.
DeleteI haven't researched it, but I would guess the road's been there a very long time, from the looks of it. It's my understanding that residents are the only ones allowed to use it, and only very rarely. I get why it's there, it just isn't my favorite type of trail....
DeleteGreat pics!
ReplyDeleteThanks. I actually forgot my memory card for my camera, so I had to take all of these with my cell phone!
Delete