Kayaking and Hiking Adventures

Minto Brown Park - Salem Downtown Starting Location:  parking area by the Carousel, Riverfront Park. Point of Interest  :   trails for hiking, biking, river Length of hike:   Several trails, we did just over 5 miles Level :  Easy,. mostly paved trails, some gravel, flat Bathrooms :  Yes, flush toilets Parking :  Large paved lot, EV Chargers: No This was another trek through Minto before heading over to the Art Galleries in Salem to see Lisa's artwork displayed.  Although it was a bit chilly, the walk was beautiful. There had been a lot of rain recently, with flooding in the area. There was one section of a trail that we could not take due to flooding, but we ended up walking from the Carousel parking lot to the Minto Dog Park, and back again. Then we headed into Salem to see some art.  At one of the galleries, we get to vote on a People's Choice Award. Every vote counts! Congratulations to Lisa Borja who won the "Something Red" People's Choic...

  S5. Hike #17 - Drift Creek Falls Starting Location:  parking lot at trailhead Point of Interest :  forest scenery, waterfall, suspension bridge Distance : 3 miles (with option for 1 more) Difficulty : Moderate due to steepness Bathrooms:  Vault toilets at parking lot Parking : decent parking, well marked. EV Chargers :  no It's been quite a few years since we've been here. The road to the trail is longer than I remember, and not really well marked. There is a sign on Hwy 18 for Drift Creek Covered Bridge, and this is the correct turn. There's another way coming from Hwy 101 south of Lincoln City.  The road is narrow, but paved the whole way. You just have to go slow around corners. We came here on Veterans Day, and the weather was gorgeous. Temp was mid 50s, but my hands did get chilly in the forest.  The trail is easy to follow, and well maintained. It wasn't too wet when we hiked, so not muddy or slippery. We did bring a set of poles, an...

  S5. Hike #16 - Peavy Arboretum (McDonald Dunn Forest) Starting Location:  parking lot at Peavy Arboretum Point of Interest :  forest scenery Distance : 4 miles (lots of trails available) Difficulty : Moderate due to steepness Bathrooms:  porta potties at parking lot Parking : plenty of parking, several small lots EV Chargers :  no We've been here before, in Feb 2024, but the weather was so good, and this is close to home, and the leaves are changing color. Our group of 8 started out walking uphill along a service road, with trees arched over us, dropping colorful leaves. The road is in great shape, but a constant incline for over a mile. We eventually left the road for the Powder House trail. This trail is smaller, but still in good shape, although the wet leaves could be slippery. We were here in the afternoon, and the light was fantastic, setting off the color of the leaves. Lots of interesting places and views along the way, including this small ...

 S5. Hike #15 - Fitton Green Natural Area, Bald Hill Starting Location: Allen Throop Loop Trailhead Point of Interest :  Views of South Willamette Valley Distance : 1.5 miles, many trails available of various lengths Difficulty : easy to medium, trails in good shape, some steep Bathrooms:  porta potty Parking : small gravel lot EV Chargers :  No This is a tale of 2 hikes. We started with the Allen Throop Loop, part of the Fitton Green and Bald Hill Natural Areas. There are lots of trails, so you do need to pay attention to what trail you are on. They seem to be marked well enough. The trail is easy, and the views are amazing. We drove up to the trailhead, and this trail was only about 1.5 miles, it went by very quickly. The other trails in the area that connected were longer than we wanted to go, so we ended up driving down to the Bald Hill Natural Area. Bald Hill is more established, and busier, with bikers and joggers, as well as other hiker/walkers. Some...

S5 Kayak #4 - Santiam River from I5 to Buena Vista Starting Location:  I5 Rest Area at the Santiam River (accessible from either side.) Point of Interest :  Beautiful River scenery Distance : Just over 8 River Miles Time on float: about 3 hours Bathrooms:  Plenty at the Rest Area! Parking : Lots of parking. Trailers may need to drive back over to the rest area EV Chargers :  no Rentals:  no This was our first time on the Santiam. We've heard about this float, and finally decided to try it. The hardest part? It was just the 2 of us, and taking 2 cars would mean an extra hour of driving between the put in and take out area. Luckily, we talked our son into coming with us to drive the truck back to Buena Vista! So off we went. The boat ramp is concrete, and gently sloped. There is some parking nearby, on gravel, but with a trailer it would be hard. However, there is a rest area nearby with plenty of trailer parking. It's a short walk to the boat ramp. I could ...

  S5 Hike #14 - Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge Starting Location:  parking lot at Ankeny Hill Nature Center Point of Interest :  hiking, education, Distance : depends on trails. Difficulty : easy, flat Bathrooms:  nice bathrooms at Nature Center Parking : yes, paved, and other parking at trail heads EV Chargers :  No I've come across this Refuge on a "shortcut" to I-5. It's just a few miles from I-5, and the Buena Vista Ferry. There's a short hike of less than a mile at the Nature Center, and then you have to drive to a trailhead. The short trail at the Nature Center winds through some wetlands, and connects some building which are used for education purposes, like field trips. There are nice views and a variety of plants which are labeled. While this is a good place to start, if you want to hike, you'll need to drive to a trailhead. So we went to the Pintail, Egret Marsh Boardwalk trailhead. There's a nice boardwalk that winds through a pretty dense ...