Kayaking and Hiking Adventures

  Ellendale Creek Loop Starting Location:  Yellow Gate, park on side of road about 2 miles up Reuben Boise Road Point of Interest  :   views Length of hike:  4.8 mile loop Level :  Moderate - well kept trails, some steep elevation Bathrooms :  No Parking :  Side of road EV Chargers:   No We've done this hike a few times, since it is close to where we live. It's also fun to see how the land looks different each time.  We always take the horse trail at the beginning that is steeper than I remember. Lots of short rests. The gravel road does wander to the same place, but this trail goes through the forest, which is a different look than most of the hike on a gravel road. The weather was amazing. End of January and not only is it sunny, but warm. I was comfortable in my tshirt. The trail was dry too. The view at the top is always amazing, unless it's all fogged in. It's also about the halfway point, so a good place to rest and have a sna...

Season 6. Hike #2 - Luckiamute State Natural Area Starting Location:  North Trailhead (Trail Map) Point of Interest :  wildlife habitat, hiking Distance : 4 mile loop with campground trail Difficulty : Easy. Flat, a bit muddy after rains, but passable Bathrooms:  Permanent bathroom at South end, porta potty at North Trailhead Parking : small lots EV Chargers :  No We liked our last hike so much, we came back so we could hike the trail to the rafters' campground, and bring our dog.  Dogs are permitted off leash, except for nesting times, April - July. The trail to the campground is wide and flat. There were some puddles, and low areas, but easy to go around.  The weather was clear and cold. There was still ice on the trail where there was shade. The campground is mostly a wide open space with a few picnic tables and raised BBQ grills. The ranger mentioned that they bring a porta potty out here for the summer. It was worth the hike to come out here...

  Season 6. Hike #1 (First Day Hike) - Luckiamute State Natural Area Starting Location:  North Trailhead (Trail Map) Point of Interest :  wildlife habitat, hiking Distance : 2 mile loop (4 with campground trail) Difficulty : Easy. Flat, a bit muddy after rains, but passable Bathrooms:  Permanent bathroom at South end, porta potty at North Trailhead Parking : small lots EV Chargers :  No This was our 3rd First Day Hike, and while looking at the long list of available First Day Hikes, we saw this one that was pretty close to where we live, and we had never heard of it before. We ended up getting there early, which was good, since there are 3 driveways marked as part of the state park, and we came from the South, so the 3rd time was the charm. Don't go to the middle driveway...that's the ranger offices. The North and South Nature Areas are separated by private land, for now, so there's no trail from one to the other. We had 2 rangers with us for this hi...

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 ...