Название: Afoot and Afield: Portland/Vancouver
Автор: Douglas Lorain
Издательство: Ingram
Жанр: Книги о Путешествиях
Серия: Afoot and Afield
isbn: 9780899975399
isbn:
Mt. St. Helens from Bells Mountain Trail
Walk the gravel path that goes east along the road’s shoulder and cross rushing Big Tree Creek on a wooden bridge that parallels the road bridge. From here you walk through the developed area of Moulton Falls County Park, generally looping to the south through a picnic area and past an outstanding swimming hole that is very popular in summer. Pulling away from the picnic area, the wide gravel trail climbs to an impressively tall arching bridge that spans the East Fork Lewis River.
After crossing the river, the 10-foot-wide gravel trail heads downstream through a forest of Douglas firs, western red cedars, bigleaf maples, and red alders towering over an understory dominated by ferns and thimbleberries. At 0.5 mile, shortly after passing the roaring cascades of Moulton Falls, is a junction.
Turn left (uphill) on the narrow Bells Mountain Trail, and begin exercising those thighs as you tackle a solid uphill grade. In the next 1.6 miles the trail gains about 1000 feet in an uneven but often moderately steep ascent with numerous switchbacks and twisting turns. Several gullies and seasonal creeks along the way are spanned by wooden plank bridges, which help to keep things interesting. The forest is also attractive, although not particularly varied being dominated by second-growth Douglas firs and red alders. Sword fern is so abundant on the forest floor it crowds out virtually all other plants. At 2.1 miles the main climbing ends where you hit the end of a logging spur road at a small clear-cut. Although the surroundings are a bit unsightly, the opening provides excellent views to the north over the East Fork Lewis River valley to Mt. St. Helens, mantled in snow for most of the year. This viewpoint is a reasonable turnaround point for those seeking a shorter hike.
Those continuing south on the Bells Mountain Trail will find the next section of gentle ups and downs to be easy walking. Sadly, it is not very attractive, because the area is dominated by clear-cuts. Seemingly every tree is either already cut or assigned for harvest in the near future. On the plus side the clear-cuts provide nice southeasterly views of Silver Star Mountain. When you reenter the forest, you soon encounter a second problem, ATVs. Although officially prohibited on the Bells Mountain Trail, the riders of these noisy intruders either haven’t gotten the message or simply don’t care. One of the many problems the machines cause is confusion, as unmarked bike trails sprout up and lead off to various unknown destinations. At the first of these junctions you should veer left, and then just 0.15 mile later go straight where another ATV trail cuts directly across your path. Don’t be surprised if more of these unmarked ATV trails spring up in the future. There would be much less confusion if it were easy to distinguish your foot trail from those made by ATVs. Unfortunately, the ATVs muck up the works even more by riding on the Bells Mountain Trail itself. The result is not just confusion but a sloppy mess of muddy trails, erosion, and torn up tread.
The ATV damage is especially sad because, apart from the machine-caused eyesores, the surroundings are quite attractive, especially as you descend along an unnamed but pretty creek that rapidly increases in volume. At about 4 miles you cross the creek on a sturdy metal bridge and then gradually climb to another group of clear-cuts. In the midst of this logging activity, at about 5 miles, the trail comes to another primitive logging road. To relocate the trail, you need to cross the road at an angle going slightly to the right and a little uphill.
After this extended unattractive section, you are finally rewarded with some of the trail’s nicest scenery. Back in forest, the trail descends to Cedar Creek and follows this clear, rollicking gem upstream for about 2 miles to a sturdy metal bridge. Immediately on the other side of the bridge is a junction with a gravel, wheelchair-accessible trail to Cold Creek Campground. You cannot leave a car at this permit-only site, so to reach a legal trailhead, go right (uphill), still on the Bells Mountain Trail, and continue through pretty forest for 0.5 mile to another trail junction. This junction comes immediately before the main trail crosses the gravel access road to Cold Creek Campground. To reach the nearest legal parking area, go right and in about 0.6 mile of gradual climbing through second-growth forest come to the Cold Creek Trailhead on Road L 1000 (see Trip 8 for directions).
TRIP 7 Tarbell Trail to Hidden Falls
Distance | 10.0 miles, Out-and-back | |
Elevation Gain | 1100 feet | |
Hiking Time | 5 hours | |
Optional Map | USGS Dole | |
Usually Open | Mid-March to November | |
Best Time | April to June | |
Trail Use | Dogs OK, mountain biking, horseback riding | |
Agency | Yacolt State Forest | |
Difficulty | Moderate | |
Note | Good in cloudy weather, recent logging activity along the first mile of the trail has created unsightly conditions and confusing skid trail |
HIGHLIGHTS More than 100 years ago, a man named George Tarbell lived alone in the roadless forests northwest of Silver Star Mountain. He made a living by farming and mining for gold. His isolated cabin was connected to the outside world only by a narrow 6-mile-long trail that led to the nearest wagon road. Walking in the hermit’s footsteps leads to a spectacular waterfall that remains nearly as unknown today as it was in Tarbell’s time.
DIRECTIONS Begin by driving to Battleground, either by going north on State Highway 503 from Interstate 205, or by going east on State Highway 502 from Exit 9 off Interstate 5. The two state highways intersect in the middle of Battleground. From here drive north 5.7 miles on Highway 503. Turn right on N.E. Rock Creek Road, which soon becomes Lucia Falls Road. After 8.5 miles turn right on N.E. Sunset Falls Road. Go another 2.0 miles on this road, then turn right again onto N.E. Dole Valley Road. Exactly 2.4 miles farther on turn left onto gravel Road L 1100, which is marked with a small brown sign for the Tarbell Picnic Area. After 2.2 miles, turn right at a junction. Fifty feet later, park in the signed lot on the left side of the road.
You begin by a sign saying that Hidden Falls is 4.75 miles away. Walk through a pleasantly rustic picnic area, and then turn right at an unsigned junction. Soon thereafter you come to a second junction—this one with the Tarbell Trail, which is heavily used by horses. The sign here says that Hidden Falls is now 5.8 miles away. Apparently the falls is not only hidden, it is also a moving target! Actually neither sign is correct. Hidden Falls is actually 4.9 miles away.
Turn left onto the Tarbell Trail, which wanders gradually uphill in a typical, second-growth, Douglas-fir forest. With just over a century of growth since the 1902 Yacolt Burn, most of the trees are little more than 1 foot thick, but a few are as much as 3 feet thick and nearly 100 feet tall. Vegetation covers almost every square inch of the forest floor, especially Oregon grape, oxalis, thimbleberry, salal, false lily-of-the-valley, and sword and bracken fern. There are also lots of vine maples, whose leaves turn scarlet and orange in late October.
СКАЧАТЬ