1.4 hr
Overview
NOTICE: Trails in this area were affected by the 2020 Beachie Creek Fire. Please check current closures in the Willamette National Forest before planning an outing. Treat your eyes to a visual feast of green and turquoise as you hike through an old growth forest along a magical river with deep pools. This hike on the Willamette National Forest's Little North Santiam Trail #3338 is located in the Opal Creek Scenic Recreation Area. The route parallels the river with a trailhead at either end, but be prepared for quite a few ups and downs. The trail can generally be hiked all year; if you prefer solitude, avoid the summer, when the crowds converge on the river's well-known swimming holes, especially those at Three Pools. This is a great trail for shuttling or stashing your bike near the Little North Santiam East Trailhead before driving back to the Little North Santiam West Trailhead. Starting at the Little North Santiam West Trailhead, you'll head into a Douglas-fir plantation. The trail drops through a rocky area and switchbacks down. Soon enter an old-growth Douglas-fir/hemlock forest. A spur leads left to the bank of the Little North Santiam. Switchback down to a footbridge. This part of the trail exhibits a variety of mushroom species in the fall. Descend a little, and make a traverse. Another spur leads down to a cobbled bar where a mossy rock offers a good look at the river and low, wide Elkhorn Falls. The trail undulates and then drops down wood steps to a footbridge. At river level now, you're hiking under old-growth Douglas-firs and western red-cedars. A spur leads left to rocks and a defile in the river through which gushes a small waterfall. Salal, Oregon grape, and sword fern form the lush understory. When you reach a junction, keep right here and head up past some large Douglas-firs. The path switchbacks up, and then weaves up and down to a lookout over the river under a large cedar. Make two switchbacks up a rock face, and follow the edge of a cliff. Then drop to a rocky stream with a thin thread
Trail Stats
0.0 km
408 m
545 m
0 m
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Photos
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500px-LittleNorthSantiamMap
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