Old Growth Ridge Trail in Oregon

Went camping in Oregon and hiked a trail that I really love,  The Siltcoos Lake trail.  The trial is only 4 miles but it is pretty.

Sleeping under the trees at Wittaker Creek

Also hiked the "old growth ridge trail" at Wittaker creek.  Thank you Mr. Smith for making this trail so folks can see the old growth!

Our destination was Dune City, and that is not a bad days drive from here, but still I thought it would be fun to see something new so I stopped at Wittaker Creek about 14 miles outside of Mapleton on the way down.

I found a nice private campsite and was really liking the campground until two cyclists decided to camp on top of me in the nearly empty campground.  It was not really on top of me, but it felt like it since there was a path between the picnic tables in my site and the one they took.  The path allowed for no privacy and since the cyclists did not have chairs they preferred to sit on top of their picnic table and look directly at me.  I think they were friendly the way they kept staring and saying hello, but I was there for privacy and it really started to annoy me.

I tried playing loud music to drive them off before they pitched their tents, but no dice.  When it became clear they were not leaving I decided to leave.  I found another spot on the other side of the creek.  The spot was not as nice but it was very private.

In the morning I walked the Old Growth Ridge Trail and returned on the Armantrout trail.  Both trails were really nice and quite different from my home range.  I'm getting very bored with all the trail in the Olympics so it was nice to go somewhere new.

I walked to the top of the ridge trail had coffee and then walked down the Armantrout trail.  There were a lot of yummy salmon berries on the lush lower trail, there was also stinging nettles.   When I got back to my campsite it was getting hot, so I packed up quickly to save the ice in my cooler and headed for my next camp site on the coast.  Camping at this BLM camp costs $10 or $5 for seniors and disabled.

This is the top of the ridge trail, there used to be nice benches here but they have worn out
a bit over the years from what I can tell.  We had a coffee break and a dogfood break here.

On the Ridge

Old Growth Ridge trail and  Armantrout Trail near Whittaker Creek
out side of Mapleton Oregon

Mr. Nuttal got everything named after him

Carpet of oxalis, we don't seem to get this up North in Washington

Lake Siltcoos Trail

Please support my effort by becoming a Patreon of Walks with Moss 

Took a trip down to Oregon to hang out near Florence where my mother lived for three years when I was a child.  I visited her down there and had a good time.  This was right before she lost control of her drinking and things were a bit better.  Those visits where a nice escape from my abusive family.

This trail goes down to Siltcoos Lake and is 4 miles long, if you hike the two spurs down to the lake.  There is also a loop at the end.  It's a pretty trail and is best enjoyed in the fog.

Transients camp

Siltcoos Lake Trail

This trail is just south of Dunes City Oregon.  It is a loop trail and according to the sign it is a 4 mile trek.  My GPS track log put it at 3.8 miles.  I hiked this trail twice last week.

The first time it was later in the day and I did not have my headlamp with me.  I was not sure if I wanted to do the entire trail, but I did and I made it out with plenty of daylight left.  I found a few geocaches and there were a couple of caches that I could not find.  I decided to do the trail again when I was not in such a rush.


Three days later I hiked the trail a second time and I found one of the two geocaches that I did not find in the first trip.  I gave myself plenty of time so I walked slowly taking pictures and hunting mushrooms.

The trail head is right on highway 101 and the trail heads straight to some campsites on Siltcoos Lake.  The campsites have picnic tables, fire pits and pit toilets. Hiking in to camp here would save on campground fees but I might be leery about leaving my car overnight at a trail head that is so close to a major highway.

This is a fun and popular little trail, a good leg stretcher when you're not feeling too ambitious.

Total for two hikes was about 7.5 miles including a side trip to an old look out site.

Nice second growth spruce

At the old look out site not on the trail

Stumps are everywhere to remind you of how majestic
the forest here once was

The trail head sign claims that you can hardly tell this forest was logged

Add caption

A geocache