Читать книгу Day Hikes in the Pacific Northwest - Don J. Scarmuzzi - Страница 15

9	SHEEP CANYON LOOP

ELEVATION: 4835 ft, with about 2150 ft vertical gain total

DISTANCE: 12 mi round-trip loop

DURATION: 5–7 hours round-trip loop

DIFFICULTY: Strenuous. Several trails, fairly accurate signage, never too steep, slightly overgrown at times, ups/downs, minimal poison oak, long

TRIP REPORT: Open late June through October, this is without a doubt one of the very best day hike loops on the volcano itself, here from the lower western slopes of Mount St. Helens. Check the websites for road and trail conditions (www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/giffordpinchot/alerts-notices, wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/trafficalerts/) as snow melts late and the region surrounding Mount St. Helens is continuously changing throughout our lifetimes. This will be abundantly clear even from the TH located SW of the summit, which gets moved farther S with every major rock- and mudslide. No fee or restroom.

TRAILHEAD: Blue Lake TH. Take I-5 N from Portland to exit 21 (Woodland/Mount St. Helens), turn right on Lewis River Road (WA-503) 27½ mi, turn left (N) on Merrill Lake Road (FR-81, Kalama Recreation Area, milepost 35½) 12 mi (gravel last miles) into FR-8123 for 1½ mi to the end with plenty of parking on the sides (75 mi, 1½ hours from Portland).

Upper Sheep Canyon Falls off the beaten path on another delightful day hike.

ROUTE: Walk past the sign a long ½ mi N to Blue Lake over the rocky Toutle Trail 238 through the slide area; try not to lose your way as the route meanders up the drainage then left (NW) toward Coldspring Creek just below Blue Lake without much elevation gain. Find a suitable log crossing before the lake as it can be a bit tricky to the more solid trail traversing a steeper hillside and ridge directly on the other side of the creek. See Blue Lake through the woods from its left (W) side and continue 2 mi N without difficulty to a juncture with Blue Horse Trail 237 on the right (E). Stay N on Trail 238 as you continue to descend more than ½ mi to the next intersection at the beginning of the lollipop loop.

Turn right (ESE) on Sheep Canyon Trail 240 to take the loop counterclockwise and save the spur path to Upper Sheep Canyon Falls for the end of the loop for better lighting later in the day or visit them now if curiosity killed the cat. For the falls you would turn left (NW) on Trail 240 down a few hundred feet as the (main) Toutle Trail crosses the creek to the N over a bridge. The old road (Trail 240) opens up nicely to a great overlook of the 101-ft, two-tiered, thin waterfall in a narrow amphitheater. Be careful near the lip of the ravine.

Back to the four-way intersection, hike steadily steeper on Sheep Canyon Trail 1½ mi ESE to the end at the next juncture (Loowit Trail). You cross a cool creek over the bridge to begin up through several varieties of pine and fir. There are good shots of Mount St. Helens through openings in the woods that drastically improve ahead. Turn left (N) on Loowit Trail 216 (encircles entire mountain for around 30 mi) 1 mi; the route dips down the first ½ mi crossing a small open gully near tree line then ascends to the high point of the day on Crescent Ridge. Begin to head down the ridge left (WNW) on the same trail as it narrows and is somewhat brushy but with the best views yet up the Toutle and Tallus Glaciers to Mount St. Helens, and N over toward the South Fork Toutle River. Easily and pleasantly descend about 1¾ mi from Loowit Trail to the next junction; you find yourself surrounded by multitudes of wildflowers including bear grass, lupine, and paintbrush late June through August.

You will need to turn right (SW) on Toutle Trail 238 to finish the loop but take Trail 216 right (W) instead a couple hundred yards toward the river to check out the canyon, stopping before the main trail continues down to cross the water. There’s an open Indian paintbrush-covered meadow off-trail near the ledge with superb views up the South Fork Toutle River. Hike the last 1½ mi of the loop by staying right (SW) at the sign (for South Fork Toutle River, Toutle and Loowit Trails), soon crossing a small creek, then ascend the thin, uneven path as it winds up to the bridge near the Sheep Canyon Trail four-way intersection. Stay on Toutle Trail 238 for 3 mi S back to the TH without any trouble, the first mile being uphill.

Bear grass owns the steeper slopes up Crescent Ridge to Mount St. Helens in July.