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TRIP 1 Gnat Creek

Distance		2.5 miles, Out-and-back
Elevation Gain		150 feet
Hiking Time		2 hours
Optional Map		USGS Knappa, OR; Cathlamet, WA (trail not shown)
Usually Open		All year
Best Time		Any
Trail Use		Good for kids, dogs OK, fishing
Agency		Clatsop State Forest
Difficulty		Easy
Note		Good in cloudy weather

HIGHLIGHTS This recently completed trail makes for an enjoyable and relatively easy leg-stretcher for families driving to Astoria. With the sounds of nearby traffic on U.S. Highway 30, the hike is not a wilderness experience, but the dense forest and clear stream are a beautiful and soothing change of pace. In addition, the fish hatchery at trail’s end is educational and entertaining for both young and old.

DIRECTIONS Drive 76 miles north and west of Portland on U.S. Highway 30 to a junction with Gnat Creek Road shortly after milepost 78. Turn right, following signs to Gnat Creek Campground, and drive 0.1 mile on this good gravel road to the large trailhead parking area just before a bridge over Gnat Creek.

After climbing a set of wooden stairs, the trail heads west (upstream) amid a dense, moss-draped, second-growth forest of western hemlocks, Sitka spruces, and western red cedars. The winding but well-built trail remains entirely in forest with lots of mushrooms, deer and sword ferns, salmonberry bushes, and forest wildflowers to keep your interest along the way. Several huge stumps allow visitors to marvel at the size of the trees that once grew here and to mourn the loss of these ancient giants. Views are nonexistent, but the trail passes several places where hikers can look down on the clear, rippling waters of Gnat Creek, which flows about 30 feet below the trail. The only easy access to the water comes at 0.9 mile at a lovely spot on the banks of the creek that makes a perfect picnic location.

At a little more than 1.1 miles the trail crosses Highway 30. Watch carefully for traffic on this busy thoroughfare, the source of all those car and truck sounds you have been hearing from the start of the hike. On the other side of the highway the trail goes 0.1 mile to its end at the Gnat Creek Fish Hatchery. Spend some time touring this facility before returning the way you came.

Backlit red alder