Elk Lake far below: Near the summit of Battle Ax Mountain 
Oregon Wild has issued a simple challenge; hike in 50 Oregon Wilderness Areas between May 1 and October 31. After a slow start to hiking this summer and learning about the challenge somewhat late I have decided to attempt it anyways! Bull of the Woods and Opal Creek share a boundary, so I thought they would make a good start. Battle Ax Mountain is the highest point in Bull of the Woods Wilderness at 5,566 feet. The trail to the top of Battle Ax Mountain is straightforward once you reach Beachie Saddle look to your right and follow the trail to the top.

Battle Ax Mountain Trailhead

Battle Ax Mountain cutoff at Beechie Saddle

Looking northward from Beachie Saddle
Driving into Elk Lake Campground I was surprised to see so many cars. The road in is incredibly rocky and riddled with large holes. A truck or high clearance car is suggested. I made the mistake of driving to the start of the hike where Forest Road 4697 turns into a trail. Parking is no longer allowed here, so save your time and tires; park near the campground. There is a longer (15.5 miles)  loop option that will take you to past Twin Lakes and back to the Elk Lake Campground.

Looking south from the Battle Ax Mountain Trail

Wildflowers along the Battle Ax Mountain Trail
Despite the fairly large number of people camping at Elk Lake, I only came across two people on the trail. Awesome, friendly people often make hikes around Oregon an even better experience. Nearing the top I discovered that clouds had set in around the eastern side of the mountain. They made Elk Lake look pretty incredible, but obstructed views of the high cascades.

Foundation of the old fire lookout

Wildflowers clinging to the side of Battle Ax Mountain 



After talking for awhile a top Battle Ax Mountain we parted ways. The people from Portland made their way around the rest of the loop and I set out for Beachie Mountain.

Bear grass in bloom along the Battle Ax Mountain Trail

Very strange rock along Battle Ax Mountain 

There are over 75 miles of trails to explore in Bull of the Woods. Whether you're out for a day hike or setting out for a few days Battle Ax Mountain is a great jumping off point into a lush and beautiful area.

New cones forming on a western hemlock

Indian Paintbrush along what remains of FR 4697
Directions from Detroit: Turn left onto Forest Road 46, follow for 4.5 miles, turn left onto FR 4696, follow for .7 miles, turn left onto FR 4697, follow for 9.5 miles. Parking is on the right just before the campground. 

Hike Distance:  4.38 from the start of the trail miles round trip

Hike Type: Out and Back

Elevation Gain: 1500 Feet

Trailhead Elevation: 4000 Feet

Usage: Moderate

Difficulty: 3 out of 5

Fees: 5 dollar day pass or Northwest Forest Pass


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Oregon Wild has issued a simple challenge; hike in 50 Oregon Wilderness Areas between May 1 and October 31. After a slow start to hiking this summer and learning about the challenge somewhat late I have decided to attempt it anyways! Bull of the Woods and Opal Creek share a boundary, so I thought they would make a good start. Battle Ax Mountain is the highest point in Bull of the Woods Wilderness at 5,566 feet. The trail to the top of Battle Ax Mountain is straightforward once you reach Beachie Saddle look to your right and follow the trail to the top.

Driving into Elk Lake Campground I was surprised to see so many cars. The road in is incredibly rocky and riddled with large holes. A truck or high clearance car is suggested.

Jack Lake is an incredibly popular trailhead for good reason. The primary draw of this area is the Canyon Creek Trail, which leads to a breathtaking meadow below the northeast side of Three Finger Jack. Wasco Lake is worthy destination for a short overnight hike into the Mount Jefferson Wilderness.

After a short distance on the trail you will come to the the relatively shallow, but beautiful Jack Lake. There are a few large and popular campsites along the eastern shore of the lake.
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Near the junction of Highway 126 and Highway 20 lies Browder Ridge. Old-growth western hemlock, Douglas-fir and Alaska cedar blanket all slopes of the ridge. One can hike this trail from west to east, east to west or arrange a shuttle. In my opinion this hike is best done from the eastern trailhead at Gate Creek. As we set out up the trail I was quickly reminded how steep this section of the trail is, nearly 1400 feet in just less than 2 miles.

After several trips out to Ochoco National Forest last summer I was determined to get back again this year. One of my favorite sections of the Ochoco Mountain Loop was down the Payten Trail to Big Ford. The relatively high starting point of the trail means that you will be walking downhill nearly all the way to camp, which is a blessing and a curse.

Forest Road 19 also known as Aufderheide Memorial Drive is a great gateway to hiking in both the McKenzie River watershed and the Willamette River watershed. There is access to hundreds of miles of hiking trails including access to the Three Sisters Wilderness and Waldo Lake Wilderness. Because of relatively low snow pack these lower trails, most around 2,000 feet have been open all winter.

Snowshoeing is always something that I love to do, but very rarely have the opportunity. Not so recently a good friend and I made it out to the Gold Lake Sno-Park near Willamette Pass. It was his first time snowshoeing and my first time in this area. We happened to pick an absolutely beautiful day to go, it was sunny nearly the entire time.

Recently my quest to find great lower elevation trails took some friends and I to the Opal Creek area.  We decided to check out the Little North Santiam River Trail. Upon arriving at the trailhead there were already two cars and a third pulled in, my friends were questioning my judgement about the trail. Thankfully we ended up only seeing four other people including an awesome older couple who were scouting the trail for a Sierra Club outing.

There are few areas that I love more than the Fall Creek Watershed. I've spent many days hiking and swimming around this area going back about 15 years. Though until recently most of my hiking was done on different sections of the Fall Creek National Recreation Trail (NRT) and nearby user-made trails. About two weeks ago I had the opportunity to hike Jones Trail.

Damnation Creek trail is a special place along the Redwood Coast of northern California. The trail starts at the relatively high elevation of 942 feet and leads you, sometimes steeply towards an incredible rocky beach. 

As you descend you will cross an old section of Highway 101(now a section of the Coastal Trail) and shortly after the forest will shift from primarily old-growth Coast redwoods to a mix of Douglas-fir and Sitka spruce.
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