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TRIP 12 Elk Mountain Loop

Distance		8.5 miles, Out-and-back
Elevation Gain		2500 feet
Hiking Time		4 to 5 hours
Optional Map		Tillamook State Forest
Usually Open		Late March to November
Best Time		Mid-May to mid-June
Trail Use		Dogs are allowed, but it’s too rocky and rough for most.
Agency		Forest Grove District, Tillamook State Forest
Difficulty		Difficult

HIGHLIGHTS All your hard work on that stair-climber at home will come in handy on this thigh buster. The trail up Elk Mountain is short, but it’s brutally steep. Fortunately, the flower show is excellent, and inviting views stretch over hundreds of square miles of hills and valleys. Be aware that this trail can be treacherous, especially downhill, because of loose gravel and extremely slippery mud. Boots with good traction are a necessity. There is no drinking water along the route, and since you will do a lot of sweating, you’ll need to carry at least two quarts of water per person on a hot day.

DIRECTIONS Drive west on State Highway 6 toward Tillamook. Near milepost 28, turn right on the well-marked gravel access road to Elk Creek Campground. The trailhead is at the end of this 0.3-mile road, just after you cross a bridge over Elk Creek.

The trail starts with a moderately steep climb of 0.1 mile in mixed coniferous and deciduous forest to a junction at a saddle. The path going straight is the Wilson River Trail (Trip 11). For Elk Mountain you turn right on a trail marked with a large blue dot painted on a tree. The path climbs steeply, sometimes through red-alder and Douglas-fir forests, but mostly up open, rocky areas on the spine of a narrow ridge. The views are frequent and superb, especially looking down the Wilson River Canyon and up to the ramparts of Elk Mountain. Flowers are numerous in May and June. Look for starflower, salal, paintbrush, lomatium, wild rose, thimbleberry, and a host of others.

At several points this ridgetop route loses elevation, but it is quickly regained. Steep climbs are the hike’s dominant feature. The terrain is very wild, although you never fully escape the sounds of well-traveled Highway 6, almost directly below.

View of Kings Mountain from north ridge of Elk Mountain

The route continues to resemble going the wrong way on a very steep downhill ski run, until the 2500-foot level. Here you level off a little, pass a small, waterless camp, and then traverse the west side of a rocky spine. Another series of steep uphills and open ridgetop viewpoints finally take you to a small open spot atop 2788-foot Elk Mountain. As expected, the views are terrific; look west to craggy Kings Mountain for the most photogenic. In early June wildflowers abound, including penstemon, lupine, arnica, beargrass, paintbrush, and Washington lily.

You can turn around here and return the way you came, but if you aren’t exhausted from the climb, there are two loop options you might consider. Both loops begin by dropping very steeply down a trail on the northwest side of Elk Mountain. This path, appropriately marked with signs stating CAUTION—STEEP AREAS, is narrow, challenging, and rugged. Subtlety was clearly not the goal of the trail builders, as they scornfully bypassed obvious opportunities for gentle sidehill traverses, opting instead for dangerous routes along the up-and-down, knife-edge ridge. Fortunately, these difficulties end within a mile, as you hit an old road that wanders pleasantly through shady forests. This overgrown road is also well-traveled by wildlife, as frequent elk droppings and piles of bear scat attest. You make several short and gentle uphill switchbacks and then follow a view-packed ridge crest to a saddle and an unmarked T-junction with another closed road.

For the recommended shorter loop, turn right at the saddle, and in 0.5 mile you reach a junction with the road leading back down to Elk Creek Campground. This old logging road often runs near Elk Creek, whose clear, cascading waters are a nice diversion from the otherwise rather monotonous red-alder forest. The total length of this shorter loop is about 8.5 miles.

More athletic hikers looking for a real challenge can turn left at the T-junction and head west to Kings Mountain. This longer loop initially follows a closed road, which soon turns to trail and gets fairly nasty. You must negotiate about 1 mile of very steep ups and downs as you skirt the north side of some sheer cliffs and rock pinnacles. Expect to use your hands and probably your backside from time to time, to safely negotiate this section. As compensation for your efforts, exceptional views to the north are frequent and flowers are abundant. In addition to the previously mentioned species, look for wallflower, phlox, larkspur, clover, stonecrop, bunchberry, and dandelion. Finally, the rough scramble eases off, as you enter the gorgeous open meadows atop Kings Mountain.

From here, the loop follows the trail down from Kings Mountain (Trip 10) and returns to Elk Creek Campground via the Wilson River Trail (Trip 11). The total length of this very difficult loop is 12.0 miles. Since there are no reasonable campsites along the way, the loop must be completed in one day.