Trail to Mitchell Point open? A route to Defiance?

General discussions on hiking in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest
pablo
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Re: Trail to Mitchell Point open? A route to Defiance?

Post by pablo » March 4th, 2018, 6:21 am

Lurch wrote:You guys realize that state park closures are separate from national forest right? At best all you'll get is a few hundred dollar ticket and be banned from the property...

"Sneaking" in the back doesn't somehow make it any less wrong :roll:
Starvation Creek State Park was re-opened a while back though access to the powerline trail might be blocked. According to http://oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?d ... parkId=125 Wygant is open as is Seneca Fouts (Mitchell Point) http://oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?d ... parkId=120. Any of these could provide access to FS lands not covered in the closure. Viento is scheduled to open in April. I wouldn't be hopping any barricades but if I can legally get to Viento Ridge or Wygant, I'm good to go.
The future's uncertain and the end is always near.

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bobcat
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Re: Trail to Mitchell Point open? A route to Defiance?

Post by bobcat » March 4th, 2018, 5:55 pm

pablo wrote:Starvation Creek State Park was re-opened a while back though access to the powerline trail might be blocked. According to http://oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?d ... parkId=125 Wygant is open as is Seneca Fouts (Mitchell Point) http://oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?d ... parkId=120. Any of these could provide access to FS lands not covered in the closure. Viento is scheduled to open in April. I wouldn't be hopping any barricades but if I can legally get to Viento Ridge or Wygant, I'm good to go.
I believe this is all correct. One conundrum, however, may be the HCRH Trail from Starvation to Viento; I believe it's still officially closed.

pablo
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Re: Trail to Mitchell Point open? A route to Defiance?

Post by pablo » March 4th, 2018, 7:15 pm

bobcat wrote:
pablo wrote:[...]
I believe this is all correct. One conundrum, however, may be the HCRH Trail from Starvation to Viento; I believe it's still officially closed.
The HCRH is indeed closed so my powerline access trailhead is out of reach. I drove out that way today and there is a barricade and 'Road Closed' sign at Viento State Park and a barricade and 'Park Closed' sign at Mitchell Point. I expect this to change in a month or so. Signage is out of sync with the web site in the case of Mitchell Point.

The sign at Starvation Creek Park blocking the HRCH has an additional list of things not to do or to watch out for. One item is 'Danger - No Rescues' - I'm sure Lurch & Co. are relieved in knowing that there is no need to fetch the hapless individuals who ignore the closure and get into trouble.

--Paul
HCRHClosure.jpg
The future's uncertain and the end is always near.

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Guy
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Re: Trail to Mitchell Point open? A route to Defiance?

Post by Guy » March 4th, 2018, 7:35 pm

pablo wrote: The sign at Starvation Creek Park blocking the HRCH has an additional list of things not to do or to watch out for. One item is 'Danger - No Rescues' - I'm sure Lurch & Co. are relieved in knowing that there is no need to fetch the hapless individuals who ignore the closure and get into trouble.
:lol: :lol:
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chrisca
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Re: Trail to Mitchell Point open? A route to Defiance?

Post by chrisca » March 7th, 2018, 12:03 pm

The exit off I-84 to the Mitchell Point parking lot is blocked as of yesterday.

pablo
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Re: Trail to Mitchell Point open? A route to Defiance?

Post by pablo » March 31st, 2018, 9:53 pm

FYI:

All trails east of Starvation Creek are now open, so Wygant, Viento Ridge, Mitchell Point are all good to go. I did Mitchell Point today. Nice day. Lots of parking at Starvation Creek, Viento day use, and Mitchell Point so the word has not gotten around, I guess. From what I saw in the parking lot at Starvation Creek, the Viento-Defiance route has been done but that is a a tale for someone else to tell.

--Paul
MPoint.jpg
The future's uncertain and the end is always near.

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Chip Down
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Re: Trail to Mitchell Point open? A route to Defiance?

Post by Chip Down » April 1st, 2018, 5:48 am

Thanks Paul! Time to stop this Washington play and get back to some serious Oregon adventure :twisted:

Webfoot
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Re: Trail to Mitchell Point open? A route to Defiance?

Post by Webfoot » April 1st, 2018, 12:22 pm

Mitchell Point has been open at least since the 25th.

Incidentally have either of you climbed up from the west side of the ridge? There's a trail that splits off of the talus switchback that fades into deer trails but goes to the base of the cliffs next to a big chicken head. I wondered what this is or was used for.

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Chip Down
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Re: Trail to Mitchell Point open? A route to Defiance?

Post by Chip Down » April 1st, 2018, 5:36 pm

Webfoot, yeah, I hiked 360 degrees on a very cold day, snow on ground and some falling, trying every route up. Some were fun, especially west side. Most were failures.

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