Fish Creek Mountain 11/2007
- hambone
- Post-Industrial Non-Secular Mennonite
- Location: Portland, Ore.
- Status: Offline
Fish Creek Mountain 11/2007
Beautiful hike on a historic trail, recently saved from oblivion by Trailadvocates. Here's the description:
Fish Creek Mountain Trail 541
Fish Creek Mountain trail leads to a former lookout site and to High Lake. The double summit is clearly visible for miles and provides a great high country experience. One should be prepared for a long ascent. It is a 2000' climb. Bring plenty of water. Trail offers a variety of views, flowers, berries, rock features, and dramatic ridge walking in addition to a summit and a delightful hidden lake which is reason alone to visit this trail.
Trail is currently being restored. Consequently there are a couple of rough spots. The upper trail head was isolated by road closures after the floods of 1996. The access is now from an older trail head abandoned in 1969.
Follow the 4620 Road from Hwy 224 (Indian Henry) for 7.8 miles. You will pass a red (literally) road on the left just before another left which has been closed off by piles of rock. This was the continuation of 4620 towards Thunder Mtn lost by land slides. The trail head is at this former junction of 4620 and 4622. Follow a cat road parallel to the abandoned road for a slight way and trail departs to the right.
Follow up a couple of switchbacks to an apparent end of trail at a tumble of large blow down. Climb uphill and slightly left and follow a clearing through the rhododendrons about 200' to resume the original trail. There may be flagging marking the way. The passage though here is becoming clearer as use increases.
Continue up the hill into a stand of 35 year old trees to another apparent end of trail. There will soon be a bit of a grassy opening on your right. At this point climb up a steep set of short switchbacks in thimbleberries (yum) to the decommissioned road. There may be some flagging marking the spot where you come out on to this road. Make sure you are confident you will be able to find your way back the way you have come. We have begun scratching out new tread here but it will take another season or two to complete.
Once on the road proceed north about a third of a mile to a fork in the road. The trail head lost to the road closures is at the junction rising up the ridge between the two roads. From here onwards the trail is easy to follow. The High Lake junction is in a saddle between the two summits 2.35 miles from the trailhead. It is a half mile down to the lake. A descent of a little over 300' in elevation. The trail to the summit is seriously brushed in at places. Down to High Lake the route is also brushy in places. High Lake has two nice camp sites. Be careful over the large log on the way to the east shore camp. we used to walk it for years, but the bark has recently begun to slip away.
Mileage to High Lake: 2.87 miles, to the summit: 2.5 miles.
Trail shows on older topo maps and is in some older guide books. All the roads shown on the west side of the divide are decommissioned, ie., ripped up. The dotted line jeep road has slipped down the hill and is gone.
Fish Creek Mountain Trail 541
Fish Creek Mountain trail leads to a former lookout site and to High Lake. The double summit is clearly visible for miles and provides a great high country experience. One should be prepared for a long ascent. It is a 2000' climb. Bring plenty of water. Trail offers a variety of views, flowers, berries, rock features, and dramatic ridge walking in addition to a summit and a delightful hidden lake which is reason alone to visit this trail.
Trail is currently being restored. Consequently there are a couple of rough spots. The upper trail head was isolated by road closures after the floods of 1996. The access is now from an older trail head abandoned in 1969.
Follow the 4620 Road from Hwy 224 (Indian Henry) for 7.8 miles. You will pass a red (literally) road on the left just before another left which has been closed off by piles of rock. This was the continuation of 4620 towards Thunder Mtn lost by land slides. The trail head is at this former junction of 4620 and 4622. Follow a cat road parallel to the abandoned road for a slight way and trail departs to the right.
Follow up a couple of switchbacks to an apparent end of trail at a tumble of large blow down. Climb uphill and slightly left and follow a clearing through the rhododendrons about 200' to resume the original trail. There may be flagging marking the way. The passage though here is becoming clearer as use increases.
Continue up the hill into a stand of 35 year old trees to another apparent end of trail. There will soon be a bit of a grassy opening on your right. At this point climb up a steep set of short switchbacks in thimbleberries (yum) to the decommissioned road. There may be some flagging marking the spot where you come out on to this road. Make sure you are confident you will be able to find your way back the way you have come. We have begun scratching out new tread here but it will take another season or two to complete.
Once on the road proceed north about a third of a mile to a fork in the road. The trail head lost to the road closures is at the junction rising up the ridge between the two roads. From here onwards the trail is easy to follow. The High Lake junction is in a saddle between the two summits 2.35 miles from the trailhead. It is a half mile down to the lake. A descent of a little over 300' in elevation. The trail to the summit is seriously brushed in at places. Down to High Lake the route is also brushy in places. High Lake has two nice camp sites. Be careful over the large log on the way to the east shore camp. we used to walk it for years, but the bark has recently begun to slip away.
Mileage to High Lake: 2.87 miles, to the summit: 2.5 miles.
Trail shows on older topo maps and is in some older guide books. All the roads shown on the west side of the divide are decommissioned, ie., ripped up. The dotted line jeep road has slipped down the hill and is gone.
http://greencascadia.blogspot.com
http://pdxvolksfolks.blogspot.com
it balances on your head just like a mattress balances on a bottle of wine
your brand new leopard skin pillbox hat
http://pdxvolksfolks.blogspot.com
it balances on your head just like a mattress balances on a bottle of wine
your brand new leopard skin pillbox hat
- hambone
- Post-Industrial Non-Secular Mennonite
- Location: Portland, Ore.
- Status: Offline
Thanks Man! And welcome back. Missed ya.
I was blessed with incredible light shooting thru rolling mist...
I was blessed with incredible light shooting thru rolling mist...
http://greencascadia.blogspot.com
http://pdxvolksfolks.blogspot.com
it balances on your head just like a mattress balances on a bottle of wine
your brand new leopard skin pillbox hat
http://pdxvolksfolks.blogspot.com
it balances on your head just like a mattress balances on a bottle of wine
your brand new leopard skin pillbox hat
- regis101
- Getting Hooked!
- Location: Livermore, Ca
- Status: Offline
- Westy78
- IAC Addict!
- Location: Stumptown OR
- Status: Offline
Beautiful shots Hambone. Is that Jefferson peaking out of the clouds in the distance?
I need to get out there and start exploring some of these trails with you. Crazy how I've been camping in that area for years but have barely scratched the surface of what's really out there.
I need to get out there and start exploring some of these trails with you. Crazy how I've been camping in that area for years but have barely scratched the surface of what's really out there.
Chorizo, it's what's for breakfast.
- hambone
- Post-Industrial Non-Secular Mennonite
- Location: Portland, Ore.
- Status: Offline
Anytime you want to go give me a holler. I was thinkin yesterday how nice it would have been to have company out there, although I do enjoy spookin myself!
Clacky is a huge district, with so much history. It would take a lifetime to just begin to understand it. Every time I go, I'm a newbie. Never even been to Fish Cr Mtn....and there's abandoned trails all over the place. It's inspiring!
Hopefully I'll get the gumption to make that Adventure Bob Tours a reality, but first I gotta find a new job. Then I gotta find suckers to pay me to stumble around the woods.
Clacky is a huge district, with so much history. It would take a lifetime to just begin to understand it. Every time I go, I'm a newbie. Never even been to Fish Cr Mtn....and there's abandoned trails all over the place. It's inspiring!
Hopefully I'll get the gumption to make that Adventure Bob Tours a reality, but first I gotta find a new job. Then I gotta find suckers to pay me to stumble around the woods.
http://greencascadia.blogspot.com
http://pdxvolksfolks.blogspot.com
it balances on your head just like a mattress balances on a bottle of wine
your brand new leopard skin pillbox hat
http://pdxvolksfolks.blogspot.com
it balances on your head just like a mattress balances on a bottle of wine
your brand new leopard skin pillbox hat
- Elwood
- IAC Addict!
- Location: So Cal
- Status: Offline
-
- Status: Offline
- bretski
- Ellipsis-Meister
- Location: out of hibernation...for now
- Status: Offline
- hambone
- Post-Industrial Non-Secular Mennonite
- Location: Portland, Ore.
- Status: Offline
Thank you! Yeah it was kind of a shock this summer in Central Oregon - lodgepole pines, subalpine fir, dry and dusty. Interesting tho.
http://greencascadia.blogspot.com
http://pdxvolksfolks.blogspot.com
it balances on your head just like a mattress balances on a bottle of wine
your brand new leopard skin pillbox hat
http://pdxvolksfolks.blogspot.com
it balances on your head just like a mattress balances on a bottle of wine
your brand new leopard skin pillbox hat
- hambone
- Post-Industrial Non-Secular Mennonite
- Location: Portland, Ore.
- Status: Offline
Luck luck LUCK! You should see my collection of mediocre pix.
Yes indeedy I do love it here.
Looking forward to seeing what's around yer neck of the woods. There's plenty of old growth your way too.
Yes indeedy I do love it here.
Looking forward to seeing what's around yer neck of the woods. There's plenty of old growth your way too.
http://greencascadia.blogspot.com
http://pdxvolksfolks.blogspot.com
it balances on your head just like a mattress balances on a bottle of wine
your brand new leopard skin pillbox hat
http://pdxvolksfolks.blogspot.com
it balances on your head just like a mattress balances on a bottle of wine
your brand new leopard skin pillbox hat
-
- Status: Offline
- hambone
- Post-Industrial Non-Secular Mennonite
- Location: Portland, Ore.
- Status: Offline
That's the one. Haven't spent much time around there before, I'm a fool. There was a trail along that whole ridge which has been abandoned for 50 years. I gotta get me a chainsaw.
I'm tellin ya there's nobody back there. Incredible, as Portland pulses just down the road.
I'm tellin ya there's nobody back there. Incredible, as Portland pulses just down the road.
http://greencascadia.blogspot.com
http://pdxvolksfolks.blogspot.com
it balances on your head just like a mattress balances on a bottle of wine
your brand new leopard skin pillbox hat
http://pdxvolksfolks.blogspot.com
it balances on your head just like a mattress balances on a bottle of wine
your brand new leopard skin pillbox hat