Mt. Hebo

If it wasn't for my friend's suggestion, I probably would have never discovered the wonderful forested trails around Mt. Hebo.

Nice trailhead!

My friend Debbie and I were discussing where to hike one week in mid-August when she suggested we check out Mt. Hebo.  A place that had always been on my list to visit I jumped at the opportunity, giving Debbie a most emphatic yes!

Barry is all smiles

Mt Hebo is a mountain located in the Northern Oregon coast range, south of the town of Tillamook.  It's supposedly one of the best, most easily accessed viewpoints in the north Oregon Coast.  Created from a now extinct volcano, it rises to an elevation of 3,157 feet.  Legend has it Mt. Hebo was named by a party seeking a new route to the Willamette Valley.  They climbed its summit for a better view and someone remarked that the mountain should be called "Heave Ho" because it looked like it had been pushed upwards from its surroundings.  Like a game of "telephone," this casual comment evolved to become the mountain's permanent name.

The forest was amazing from step one

I really don't hike in the Oregon Coast Range as much as I should.  The forests here are exceptionally beautiful - full of huge, moss-covered trees and bountiful fields of ferns.  The Coast Range receives abundant rainfall, which fuels all this green vegetation.  And today I found out that no place is greener or mossier than the Pioneer Indian Trail, which takes hikers up to Mt. Hebo's panoramic summit meadow.

Dense forest full of moss

After a long-ish drive, my friends Debbie and Barry and I arrived at the Pioneer Indian Trailhead, our passage to the slopes of Mt. Hebo.  The trailhead was located next to a beautiful campground.  

Huge moss-covered trees

Our hike was amazing from the very first step.  My friends and I left the trailhead and entered a world of huge, moss-draped trees.  The forest floor was covered with all kinds of green vegetation, including copious amounts of ferns.  Oh my, I thought we had entered a "Lord of the Rings" movie set!

More views of this unique forest

Progress was glacially slow for the first mile, with me taking many photos of this glorious forest.

The mossy trees seemed to go on forever

Debbie and Barry didn't mind because while I was madly snapping away, they were searching the forest for birds.  Right off the bat we got a glimpse of some kind of thrush (sadly I can't remember the exact name!)  There were other feathered friends singing in the forest and it made a pleasant accompaniment to our lovely woods walk.

Some trees were particularly large

The first mile of the Pioneer Indian Trail also had several weathered wooden signs informing visitors of some of the unique plant life found here.  This one featured the grand Sitka Spruce, which flourishes in these coastal forests.

Old guide signs

The second mile traversed through an area called a "tree plantation."  The forest was logged years ago, and then replanted with the intent to harvest the trees when they grew large enough.  This stretch of the trail was less interesting.  The lush bushy undergrown and moss were absent, and the trees themselves were lined up in rows much too perfectly.

Lots of ferns here too

We did pass by a few unique "flowers."  They were white tubular stems with a white bloom-like flower on top.  Barry, having an identification app on his phone, was able to pinpoint the name (which now weeks later I can't remember!)

Unique white "flower" plant

My friends and I also passed by bushes and bushes of bright red berries.  They looked similar to huckleberries, but because they weren't the right color none of us were about to taste them.  Later, Barry's app came through again identifying these mystery berries as another type of huckleberry.  We did also see many of the traditional blue/purple huckleberries that we're used to finding in the Cascade Mountains.

Red huckleberries were everywhere

After about 3 miles of climbing, we crossed a road.  Now past noontime, my friends and I sat in the gravel shoulder and took a lunch break.  Although I hadn't seen many wildflowers thus far, there was a nice patch of fireweed blooms next to the trail that I couldn't resist photographing.

A small amount of fireweed

Then it was off again - walking through more gorgeous old growth woods to Mt. Hebo's summit meadows, our destination for the day.

Interesting leaves

This portion of the trail was especially green and lush.

Heading up to Mt. Hebo summit meadow

After a bit of climbing, the forest started to thin and then suddenly it opened up to a large clearing.  Some wildflowers were still blooming here and although the day had started threatening rain, the clouds seemed to lift a bit and allow some views.

Mt. Hebo summit meadow

From the summit meadow, my friends and I got a few glimpses of the Oregon coast and the forested foothills surrounding Mt. Hebo.  Although we didn't take the side trail to the proper summit, I did get some distant views of the radio towers atop Mt. Hebo.

Tiny radio towers on Mt. Hebo summit

If one wanted to go farther, the Pioneer Indian trail continued eastward for another four miles, crossing Mt. Hebo's east summit before finally ending up at South Lake.  However, we'd already covered four miles which now had to be retraced, so Debbie, Barry and I called the summit meadows our turn around point for the day.

Clouds didn't hide all the views

The return trip was a bit faster, as I didn't feel the need to re-photograph much of the scenery.  My friends and I only ran into two other hiking parties the entire day, both as we were heading back.  Not only is this trail incredibly beautiful, we also found it quite uncrowded.

Yep, I was there

Sometimes when you're hiking a trail in the opposite direction, you notice things that weren't apparent the first time you passed through.  My "aha" moment came when I walked by a quiet forest floor filled to the brim with ferns.  I'd never seen such a thick concentration of ferns anywhere!  It was breathtakingly beautiful, and I made sure to capture the moment with copious images.

Forest floor covered with ferns

Back at the trailhead, the friendly camp host stopped by as we were taking off our hiking shoes and struck up a conversation.  Having been a camp host here for many years, the guy was a wealth of information about this area.  Apparently Mt. Hebo has the distinction of being one of the rainiest places in the coast range, averaging 76 inches of precipitation a year.  No wonder everything was so lush and green!  The campground was so nice, I made a mental note that I'd have to return again next summer for a stay.

Back through the mossy wonderland

It's always wonderful to discover new trails.  The Mt. Hebo trail was definitely a winner.  My friends and I agreed a return trip is in order, maybe next spring to see the wildflowers (the camp host mentioned there is a nice spring wildflower show here.)  And I'd love to explore the eastern trail portion that we missed today.

Just another great day in the woods and a good reminder that I need to visit the Oregon Coast Range more often!