Читать книгу Afoot and Afield: Portland/Vancouver - Douglas Lorain - Страница 28
ОглавлениеTRIP 13 University Falls
| Distance | 5.0 miles, Out-and-back | |
| Elevation Gain | 400 feet | |
| Hiking Time | 3 hours | |
| Optional Map | Tillamook State Forest | |
| Usually Open | March to November | |
| Best Time | April to June | |
| Trail Use | Good for kids, dogs OK, mountain biking, horseback riding | |
| Agency | Forest Grove District, Tillamook State Forest | |
| Difficulty | Moderate | |
| Note | Good in cloudy weather |
HIGHLIGHTS In a part of the Tillamook State Forest that is generally overrun by all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), the newly rerouted Gravelle Brothers Trail provides a welcome respite from the machines. While it never completely escapes the motorcycles’ noise, this route is nonetheless a pleasant adventure on a nonmotorized trail with a destination that is a real eye-popper. University Falls is justifiably one of the most photographed spots in Tillamook State Forest, and when you catch sight of this 80-foot cascade you will no doubt want to take a few snapshots of your own.
DIRECTIONS Drive west from Portland on State Highway 6 toward Tillamook. On the west side of Rogers Pass, near milepost 33, turn left (south) on a gravel road signed Rogers Camp Trailhead. Go 0.1 mile to a junction, turn left, and proceed another 0.1 mile to the large trailhead parking lot.
Start by walking the road almost all the way back to Highway 6. Just 50 feet before the highway, turn left at a trail sign and follow the outside of a barrier that loops around a highway department gravel yard and storage building. At the west end of the facility, turn left on Gravelle Brothers Trail, which goes downhill following an abandoned jeep road. At 0.3 mile veer right onto a narrow foot trail and walk 120 yards to a possibly unsigned junction with the Storey Burn Trail. You go straight, still on the Gravelle Brothers Trail, and make a short switchbacking descent to a log bridge over clear-flowing Devils Lake Fork Wilson River. This is a lovely spot at any time of year but especially in mid-spring and late fall when the red alders that fill this area are either coming out in full greenery or putting on an impressive display of muted yellow.
The trail climbs slowly away from the river through a second-growth forest of Douglas firs and red alders. Although viewless, the scenery is very attractive especially around the several small intermittent creeks that cross your path. You may hear the occasional truck on increasingly distant Highway 6 or perhaps be disturbed by the noise of ATVs on a paralleling trail on your right, but the dominant sounds are the songs of winter wrens and kinglets in the forest. After a short up-and-down traverse, you curve to the south and follow a hillside well above often unseen Elliot Creek.
At 1.7 miles is a junction with a spur trail to the paralleling ATV trail. You go straight and then climb rather steeply over a small ridge, before dropping to a junction and horse-hitching area. Turn right on the hiker-only University Falls Trail, and go 130 yards to the base of this lovely fall, which cascades over a rocky terrace. On a hot summer day the spray at the base of this falls provides a cool retreat and a great place for lunch.
It is possible to make an 8-mile loop out of this hike by turning left (uphill) at the University Falls junction and following the Wilson River Wagon Trail and Nels Rogers Trail back to Rogers Pass. This is not recommended, however, because of countless confusing ATV trail junctions and the abundant noise from all the machines. Returning the way you came is much more pleasant.
University Falls
