Oregon Hikers

If the motorcyclists clear the trail of debris, why don't they do other kinds of maintenance as well, such as repairing the deep ruts they created?

That Road 23 washout is impressive. Did that happen just this past winter, or is that from a previous season?

There is a well-worn and short trail that accesses the boundary trail from the south without going so far up 23 (or all the way up Quartz Ck). I'm sure I posted about it here some years ago but since I'm away visiting family and don't have my maps, I can't recount it now. But it goes off of one of those paved roads that branches off 90, 9085 I think.

So you didn't see any hint of snow up to your high point? I've been wondering when the upper parts of the Quartz Creek drainage will melt out this year.

The motorcyclists are proud of the trail maintenance they do and since they get to focus on a limited number of trails open to them, it is unlikely the FS or WTA could do as well with the trees. But filling the wheel ruts would be a completely different kind of manual labor, and I don't think there is a tool that they can carry that would make short work of it like chainsaws do for trees. I once had a motorcyclist up there tell me that more trails should be open to them since it is easier for them to do maintenance. When I said we use horses to carry told he did not respond.

Cheryl,

There have been several posting on this & others might correct me, but my foggy recollection is that all that extensive damage to the Cowlitz Valley RD happened during a warm rain melt out in December of 2015.

The Cowlitz Valley RD has a page listing most of the damage, with an incomplete & out of date map. Road closure map

Dean,

That is a fun little trail, & you are right on the 9085 road number. It is a short distance east of the 88 Rd Jct. It is good paved road all the way up.

K.Wagner wrote:Dean,

That is a fun little trail, & you are right on the 9085 road number. It is a short distance east of the 88 Rd Jct. It is good paved road all the way up.

I like the sound of this a lot.
Could you please provide some more info about the trail and trailhead?? How many miles up the road is it?? Is the driving on 9085 pretty straight forward?? How long is the access trail?? How is the tread??
Thanks!!

-Q- wrote: I like the sound of this a lot.
Could you please provide some more info about the trail and trailhead?? How many miles up the road is it?? Is the driving on 9085 pretty straight forward?? How long is the access trail?? How is the tread??
Thanks!!

So from my memory, you drive all the way up 9085 - it is paved but narrow. I don't remember how many miles but maybe 7 or 8 miles. Very shortly before the end of the road (like a few hundred yards) there is an obvious and abandoned dirt road to the right. I don't think even a high clearance vehicle could drive this seriously rutted and steep road, maybe an offroad motorcycle. But you only have to walk it a few hundred yards. It turns a corner and ends on a small clearing and the obvious trail takes off from there. It's maybe a mile to the Boundary Trail and when I last hiked it (at least 5 years ago) the tread was in great shape. It hits the Boundary trail a short distance east of the #2 Summit Prairie (Quartz Creek ridge) trail.

Dean,

You almost got it right, those 5 years maybe rearranged a couple of memory cells.....
The trail actually hits the #2 Quartz Creek Ridge Trail, about 2 miles south of the #1 Boundary Trail, (the junction is just upslope of Summit Prairie).
The trail is a bit obscure to actually find. It is at the very end (top) of the clearing. Look for a track on the right heading up a very steep little dirt slide slope.
On this map, just look for the logical cross country route you would use to go from the road up to the #2 trail. That's actually how I found it. Then I came back & read Dean's TR.
Tie Trail Map

Well, now I'm going to have to go back and do it again this summer.

Thanks so much guys, this is great info. Can't wait to go check it out sometime this summer

By any chance does anyone know if there is camping up near Dark Mountain or those lakes/ponds near that point? Am thinking of backpacking up there soon...