Gnat Creek Trail Moss-O-Rama

This winter has been such a great snow year in the mountains, I've been concentrating more on skiing than hiking.  However, in early March my friends Debbie and Barry managed to lure me back into the woods to check out a favorite trail.

Interesting moss

Nestled deep in the Oregon Coast Range is a wonderful path called the Gnat Creek Trail.  Paralleling lovely Gnat Creek, it wanders through thick forests covered in moss, lichen and ferns.  I'd hiked this trail in January 2022 with another friend (see post here) and was so impressed, I knew it wouldn't be a "one and done."  However, I didn't think it would take three years to return!

The forest floor was carpeted with moss

Bright and early on March 1st, my friends and I drove winding Highway 30, following the mighty Columbia River, to reach our chosen trail for the day.  After traveling nearly to the highway's end at the town of Astoria, we reached the trailhead, merely a wide spot in a gravel road.

Admiring all the greenery

Although the day began a bit chilly, the skies were thankfully dry.  From the parking area, my friends and I climbed steeply uphill smack dab into a mossy wonderland.  We spotted fuzzy moss carpeting the forest floor, and larger specimens that looked a bit like miniature ferns.  Long strands of lichen hung from tree branches like gauzy draperies.  In an otherwise leafless winter landscape, this explosion of green was much welcome.

Big tree and stump

My friends and I wound through a thick forest, oohing and aahing over all the greenery.  We spotted Gnat Creek far below our path.  Surrounded by numerous trees, the creek only offered occasional glimpses of its rushing waters.

Small creek crossing

As we continued the trail began to gradually wind downhill, bringing my friends and I closer to Gnat Creek's banks.  Although I'd spotted lots of fisherman on my previous visit, today we didn't see any (must've been off-season.)

Fern-lined Gnat Creek

A mile of wandering through this lush, green-hued wonderland brought us to an intersection with a very busy Highway 30.  The trail continued on the road's opposite side.  After a bit of a wait for a gap in the traffic, we all three quickly scrambled across.

Hall of mosses

From the last time I'd hiked this trail, I remembered a continuation through more lush coastal forest.  However, I was disappointed to find the trail was now leading through a bleak clear cut.  What had happened here?

Rapids on Gnat Creek

The trail had been rebuilt through this clearing.  Signboards spaced along its length informed visitors of the trees and shrubs one could find in the Coast Range.  (Yeah, all the trees that used to be here!)  Then we came upon a display that explained the trees in this area had succumbed to some sort of disease, and had to be taken down.  Understandable, but still very sad to see.  (And although I took pictures of the devastation, I just couldn't bring myself to post one of them here.)

 

Smile everyone!

Past the clear cut area, my friends and I emerged onto the grounds of the Gnat Creek Fish Hatchery.  Two cozy homes sat on the outskirts, one surrounded by the neatest woodpiles I've ever seen.  We continued past large concrete holding tanks full of tiny salmon.  From my past visit, I remembered the trail split into two separate paths, looping around the hatchery grounds, before combining again at the Upper Gnat Creek Trail.

Old nature trail marker

My friends and I randomly chose the first trail we came across, and it went uphill through a boring stand of second growth before finally descending to a viewpoint of Gnat Creek.  A bit of confusion ensued, as I tried to remember the location of Upper Gnat Creek Trail.  After a short wander, we came out on a road to signs pointing the way.  Whew!

Debbie found Sasquatch!

Not far into the Upper Gnat Creek trail, we spotted something in the trees.  Someone, probably a fish hatchery employee with a sense of humor, had affixed a huge cutout of Sasquatch to a nearby tree.  It was a fun photo op, and Debbie graciously volunteered to be my Sasquatch model.  (Who says Bigfoot doesn't exist?)

Gorgeous forest

The Upper Gnat Creek trail featured more of the same luscious, green coastal forest.  We climbed uphill, and then descended to cross several tiny creeks.

 

Spooky looking trees

One section of the trail was full of trees absolutely dripping with long lichen strands.  They kind of looked spooky - reminded me of wispy ghosts with bony arms waiting to grab someone.

More moss-draped trees

Last time I'd hiked the Gnat Creek Trail, I had to turn around short of trail's terminus.  A landslide had rendered the last half mile or so impassible.  However, the trail now repaired, today I was able to follow it to the very end.

Small bench at trail turn-around point

The Gnat Creek Trail dead-ended in a lovely grove of fir and cedar trees with nice views of the creek.  Someone had thoughtfully placed a log bench at the small viewpoint.  

This old stump looks like a face!

Now it was time for us to retrace our steps back to the trailhead.  Which is what my friends and I did.  The nice thing about an out-and-back hike - you get to see the same beautiful scenery twice.

World of green

My favorite part of the entire trail was the half mile before the fish hatchery grounds.  It meandered through another mossy forest, past huge old growth trees, and Gnat Creek was visible down below the tread.  Benches and a few informational signs had been erected for visitors.

Return along Gnat Creek

Back through the fish hatchery, past the horrid clear-cut area, to a second successful dash across the highway.  The final mile my friends and I again admired the ultra-green mossy, fern-y forest as we headed to the parking area.

Another view of Gnat Creek

Dense forest path

My friends enjoyed this trail as much as I did the first time.  The large quantities of ferns, moss and lichen, as well as the huge fir and cedar trees, made this a beautiful place for a forest walk.  It appeared to have few hikers - we didn't see anyone else except at the fish hatchery.  I'm sure we'll be back again - maybe on another dry, late winter day!

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!

Spring Wildflower Explosion on Saddle Mountain

Amazing, breathtaking, spectacular, extraordinary, stunning, incredible, off-the-charts.  And I still don't think these superlatives adequately describe this spring's crazy wildflower bloom on Saddle Mountain.

Wild iris

The tallest peak in the Northern Coast Range, Saddle Mountain is known for its rare wildflowers and stunning summit viewpoint.  The mountain is named for it's double-peaked summit, which forms a "saddle" between the two high points.  Maintained by the Oregon State Parks system, a steep 2.5-mile trail takes hikers to the very top.  On a clear day one can see the distant Pacific Ocean and several Cascade peaks.  In May and June, wildflowers bloom profusely on the mountain's slopes.    

Indian paintbrush!

Saddle Mountain's hiking trail was closed from 2021 until fall of 2023 due to a broken bridge.  With the repairs finally completed, the trail was again open to hikers.  So one day in late May I rallied friends Debbie and Barry to go check it out.

Yellow monkeyflowers color the slope

Upon arrival, after some last-minute adjustments and trips to the rebuilt restrooms, my friends and I happily trotted past the trailhead sign.  The first half mile or so wandered through a lovely red alder forest, punctuated with a few massive tree stumps - remnants of huge old-growth conifers that towered here long ago, prior to the forest being logged.

More yellow goodness

From past hikes, I remembered Saddle Mountain's wildflower bloom didn't reach peak until mid to late June.  So I thought we'd be a bit early for wildflowers.  However once the alder forest gave way to open slopes, I realized that I couldn't have been more wrong!

Wow!  I've never seen so much yellow!

Looking ahead to the first large open slope, it seemed to be covered in large patches of yellow.  What was that?  Upon closer inspection, my friends and I realized those yellow patches were entirely made up of wildflowers.

Monkeyflower close-up

It was a monkeyflower super bloom.  Before today I'd only seen these thumb-sized, yellow flowers residing in small patches around wet areas, such as adjacent to mountain streams.  But today huge swaths of monkeyflowers covered the hillsides, painting slopes yellow.  I'd never seen such a large concentration of monkeyflowers anywhere.

But wait, there's more!

Wowza!  As you can probably guess, my camera came out of it's bag fast and stayed in my hands for a long while.  I assumed my usual hiking position lagging well behind my friends.  So. Many. Photo. Opportunities...

Sweeping coast range views

I thought maybe the first yellow hill was an anomaly, however climbing higher, I found more and more steep slopes also completely enveloped in monkeyflowers.  It was quite a sight!  To say I was giddy with joy was an understatement.

Huge flower meadow

The trail zig-zagged quite steeply up to the first summit area.  Before we reached the top, my friends and I passed through a huge meadow dotted with wildflowers of all shapes, sizes, and most importantly - colors.

More of the wildflower meadow

There was orange Indian paintbrush, yellow wallflowers, purple iris, pink sea thrift, and a bunch of white flowers I couldn't identify.  Now quite high on Saddle Mountain my friends and I were treated to panoramic views of the adjacent coast range mountains.  Sadly, most of them were marred with checkerboard areas of clear-cuts from logging. 

Can you spot the hikers?

Stretching away from Saddle Mountain's first summit was a promontory.  Many hikers venture out to its very tip, both for views and photo ops.  Hiking towards this yellow-spotted viewpoint, I noticed two tiny people standing at the edge.  Can you spot them in the above photo?

Final summit push

My friends and I decided to bypass the promontory viewpoint for the time being.  It was nearing the noon hour, and we all were looking forward to a lunch break on the second summit proper.

It's a steep trail to the summit

From summit No. 1, our trail dived downward into the "saddle" portion of the mountain.  At this low point, we gazed out in each direction, taking in the views and of course more wildflowers.  Then my friends and I geared up for the extremely steep push to the true summit.

Lots of lovely flowers along the way

Because Saddle Mountain is comprised of crumbly basalt rock, erosion is a huge problem.  It's easy to lose one's footing scrambling uphill through its loose, pebble-sized soil.  Trying to curb the trail degradation and give hikers a bit of stability, Oregon State Parks rebuilt many portions of Saddle Mountain's trail using a chicken wire surface.  Although it does provide a small amount of traction I'm not a fan.  If it gets a tiny bit wet, chicken wire is also slippery.  But the final summit segment is almost entirely comprised of this wire mesh.  Up my friends and I trudged, trying not to slip on the soil and the wire.

 

And more flowers!

Not only is this final segment slippery and wiry, it's also super steep.  Slowly my friends and I slogged uphill, stopping frequently to catch our breath.

Orange spots of paintbrush

The good thing about this uber-steep trail section?  The wildflowers lining the way were absolutely out of sight!  Making frequent photo stops (which conveniently morphed into opportunities for a bit of rest) I tried my best to capture all the glory.

The trail squeezes between two boulders

All my photo-lollygagging put me quite a bit behind.  Naturally, my friends reached the summit a full 10 minutes before I did.

Cloudy summit view

Finally on top, I gazed in all directions.  Bright yellow buttercups brightened the summit's perimeter.  Despite a cloudy sky, I enjoyed some nice views of the coast range.  Although this weather hid all the Cascade peaks, I was able to make out the faint blue horizon of the Pacific Ocean.  

Lunch time!

As is often the case, Saddle Mountain's summit was cold and windy.  Debbie, Barry and I added some layers and then sat down on the summit bench for a quick bite.

The trail back down.  Yes, it's that steep!

Due to the wind, my friends and I didn't linger long on the summit.  After a quick lunch break, it was time to head downhill to calmer and warmer weather.

More orange goodness

When terrain is so steep, the downhill trek is sometimes more treacherous than the uphill.  Such was the case descending Saddle Mountain's summit trail.  The steep, crumbly, chicken-wiry path forced us all to proceed with extreme caution.

Another technicolor meadow

Thankfully we all made it down with no mishaps.  And although I'd taken copious photographs on the uphill trip, the wildflowers were so amazing, I couldn't resist capturing a few more images on the descent.

Patch of sea thrift

Back through the flower fields, past the viewpoint, and once again traipsing by the blazing yellow slopes.  Still amazed by the sheer volume of monkeyflowers, I documented this rare superbloom event by capturing a bunch more images.

Flowers everywhere

What a day!  My friends and I were treated to a totally unexpected display of wildflower abundance.  I think we caught the bloom at or near peak.  We all felt lucky to have witnessed such a wonderful display of Nature's beauty.

Heading back downhill

Yes, I know I've saturated this post with a bazillion photos, but it was so amazing and unique I just couldn't help myself!  Hopefully you all enjoyed it too.