First, I want to touch on the rock show. About a month ago, while we were in Idaho, one of my sons picked up an awesome book about rocks and minerals at the bookstore. He has been pouring over it ever since. All of my kids have always liked collecting interesting rocks, but this book put it over the top. So, when my parents told me about a local rock show, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to go. It was only $2 for each adult to get in, and all kids under 12 (which included all of mine) were free. Not only were there a ton of incredible rocks to look at, they also had several 50¢ and $1 activities for kids to do, after which they walk away with A LOT of cool rocks. As if that weren't enough, there was also a treasure hunt. They divided an area up based on age groups, and had the field scattered with rock-filled eggs, candy, and some petrified wood and thundereggs. By the time we left, my kids were all loaded down with a bag full of new rocks. It was an hour and a half very well spent.
Now onto the hike. To get to the Lewisburg Saddle Trailhead take HWY 99 W north from Corvallis. Take a left at the light onto Lewisburg Road, then after a mile take a gradual right onto Sulfer Springs Road and follow to the top of the hill. At the top there is a small parking lot on your right. The orange gate is your trailhead.
The trail immediately splits, and you will follow William A Davies forest road on the left. Only about 0.1 miles down the road, you'll come to the New Growth Trail on your left. That trail meanders through the beautiful forest, over a couple of bridges, and spits you out onto the Old Growth Trail. At this point, it is has only been a 0.5 mile hike, and you can follow the Old Growth Trail the the right, meet back up with Davies Rd., and finish just under a mile if you have real little ones for whom 1 mile is just the right length. If you're up for a little more, follow the trail to the left/straight instead, and finish the Old Growth Trail for another 0.4 miles before connecting with Davies Rd. On this stretch, you'll encounter another bridge or two, and wind the trail between large old trees. Once you hit the road, it's a perfect place for a snack break, with some logs laid out for seating (although these did look like recent cuts, and may only be there temporarily). Just about 0.2 miles down the road, you'll come to a beautiful area to your left. Don't pass it by! There is a small pond to check out, which made for an ideal playtime for our friends' dog that was with us.
In another 0.3 miles, you'll come to the Old Growth trailhead on your right. You could choose to continue folllowing the main road back to the parking lot, but we decided to hit the trail again, and take the trail to the New Growth Trail junction, take that left, and head back to our car the way we originally came. If you take this route, you'll finish the whole hike with a total of about 2 miles.
Bonus: We bought a Geocaching membership a while back, but have yet to activate and use it. My daughter just happened to accidentally discover a Geocache right along our trail. Unfortunately, the pen in the box didn't work, so we couldn't sign the book, and we didn't have anything on us to leave in exchange for taking something. Instead, we put everything back, and vowed to return with a pen and trinkets for next time. Now, we need to finally activate our account so we can look for more out on our hikes!
Park Fee: Free
Total Distance: 2 miles
Trail Type: Loop
Trail Appearance: Well maintained, packed & nature covered gravel
Trail Elevation: Relatively flat
Atmosphere: Serene, birds chirping, water trickling at times
View: Trees, ferns, streams
Extras: Geocache
Difficulty: Easy
My Rating: ****
Kid Ratings: ***; ***; ***
Just gorgeous.
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