Starting Location: Parking lot, Point of Interest : two waterfalls, forest trail
Length of hike: Just over 2 miles,
Level: Easy to moderate
Bathrooms: Yes, pit toilets
Parking: large gravel lot
EV Chargers: No
$5 Day Use Fee (BLM) with credit card machine (not working)
We were fully expecting rain today, and were dressed for it. But somehow it just never showed up while we were hiking.
The drive to Alsea Falls is beautiful, if winding. We came up from Philomath, but there is also a route from the East, by Monroe.
Due to recent rains, the flow was pretty high, which made for a lot of water coming through the falls. Alsea Falls is just a few steps from the bridge over the river, and we could hear it. There is good access to the riverbank, and the trail is well maintained.
Here's a video to give you an idea of how powerful it sounded.
This is the view from the bridge, and you can see 3 from our group sitting next to the raging river.
We then headed down the trail to Green Peak Falls, which the sign said was about 1 mile away. Again, the trail is well maintained, with few steep areas. Even the mud was sparse. we only had to go around a few puddles. There were 2 deadfalls across the trail, but not really slowing us down.
The trail is also well marked, so it would be hard to get lost.
About halfway to Green Peak Falls is this campground (which was closed), with toilet. There's also a bridge across the river.
The parts of the trail that are steep, or go over a ravine, have very stable bridges and/or steps. These steps led to the bottom of Green Peak Falls, which seemed even louder, and there was a definite spray at the bottom. which we braved for photos.
It was hard to hear over the roar of water, and my glasses got covered with spray, but it was worth it. I wonder what it looks like in the summer?
On the way back, not far from the campground, Peak Creek joins the South Alsea River, and we found a swing hanging from a tree. The wooden slat of the swing was just low enough to be pushed around by the water. None of us was brave enough to try it out. Maybe in the summer?
On the way home, we stopped to get a picture of this old mossy sign for the Hubert McBee Memorial Campground. It still had not rained on us, and we headed home happy hikers.
We also stopped in Corvallis at the Old Spaghetti Factory for a late lunch. Yummy.
Tryon Creek State Natural Area (First Day Hike) Trail Map Starting Location: parking area by Nature Center Point of Interest : trails for hiking, biking, horse Length of hike: Several trails, we did about 5 miles Level : easy to moderate (mud, some steepness) Bathrooms : Yes, flush toilets in Nature Center Parking : Large paved lot, EV Chargers: No Our second, First Day Hike, this time at Tryon Creek. There were 5 hikes of different lengths and starting times available today, and we chose, of course, the longest and earliest. We had Ranger Nick leading us today, and he stopped occasionally to teach us about this particular forest in general, and a few interesting specifics. Here he is explaining about how loggers would cut holes in the trees for their platforms to stand on while they sawed the tree down. The trails are pretty well maintained, although we did have to step over a few trunks and branches that had not been ...
Our intention was to put in at Wallace Marine Park in downtown Salem, and float to Spong's Landing in Keizer. However, when we went to drop off our car, it was apparent that there is not a boat ramp at Spong's Landing. You could carry lighter kayak's down to the river, but it's a long haul for heavier craft. So, instead we dropped the car off at Keizer Rapids , and headed back to Wallace to launch. The boat ramp is very nice here, with a small dock and plenty of parking. The only bathroom near the ramp, however, is a nasty port a potty. While Wallace is smack dab in the middle of Salem (okay, more to the West, but close...) it doesn't take long to get away from busy road noise. There weren't too many people on the river, probably because we put in pretty late in the afternoon, almost 4pm. There was quite a bit of wildlife, including this heron which took flight when we got too close. We saw several heron, jumping fish, ducks, and hawks. But the scenery is alw...
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