47. Middle Fork - Coal Creek

Summary

Length – 3-5 miles one way

Difficulty – Moderate

Season – Spring to autumn

Elevation range –1,900 feet – 2,600 feet

Human imprint – Moderate (FR 21 close in places; nearby plantation)

Information - Willamette National Forest, Middle Fork Ranger District

Primary old growth features

Diverse low-elevation old growth including species typical of both dry and mesic-sites.

Description

The section of the Middle Fork National Recreation Trail (3609) heading west from FR 2134 samples both drier and wetter varieties of Douglas-fir old growth, including a couple of delightful riverside terraces. The trail has been recently rerouted due to a floodplain restoration project at the confluence of Coal Creek and the Middle Fork which necessitated removal of the trail bridge over Coal Creek. One pleasant consequence of the reroute is a much more interesting path away from FR 21 and FR 2133 through older forest.

Start out switchbacking up a few hundred feet through an open forest with scattered large, fire-scorched Douglas-fir. Occasional views to the north reveal Youngs Rock and Moon Point (hike 46) and views of the restoration work being done in an attempt to save the older white oak, ponderosa pine and other fire-adapted species being crowded out by a thicket of younger trees. The trail contours along midslope through a mixed forest, then winds back down to FR 2133 though scattered large incense cedar, ponderosa pine, grand fir, and sugar pine. Battered old Douglas-fir with branch remnants close to the ground provide clear evidence that this stand was once much more open.

Cross FR 2133 on a short spur trail to the bridge across Coal Creek, or take FR 2133 to the right, then left on FR 210. Head down the trail on the west bank of Coal Creek until reaching the Middle Fork; veer left and continue downriver. Note that there is room for parking by the bridge providing an alternative starting point for a shorter hike along the river.

Hikers enter a small riparian grotto rimmed by a short, ferny cliff a mile or so past the bridge. Huge western redcedar and Douglas-fir pack the shoreline. Western hemlock and western redcedar become more abundant over the next mile and a half until an extensive terrace featuring moss-cloaked maples is reached. Big cottonwoods and Douglas-fir also dot the terrace floor. This gorgeous spot is especially striking in the fall when changing deciduous leaves paint the scene bright yellow. The trail continues downstream, but the terrace makes a sensible turnaround point.

25 years of change

The hike has been reconfigured to include the new section of trail, which adds diversity and mostly avoids older cutting units; the two TLPAs (Tiny Little Pretty Areas) are still pretty.

How to get there

Turn right (south) onto the Kitson Springs County Road towards Hills Creek Dam less than 1 mile southeast of Oakridge, and turn right again a half mile later onto FR 21. After a little over 20 miles on FR 21, turn right on FR 2133/2134 and stay to the left on FR 2134 after crossing the bridge. Trailhead parking is on the immediate left less than a ¼ mile from FR 21.