The original plan had been to head up the Gales Creek Trail from Reehers Camp, but we found out that trail was closed between Round Top and Bell Camp roads due to a logging operation, so we hiked the trails below Round Top Road. We took the Gales Creek Trail along the Nehalem River, which crossed at the bridge on Cochran Road. When we got to the Step Creek junction, we branched left and, in short order, began the Step Creek Loop.
The trail took us over the bridge at Plenty Big Creek. The Coast Range is on the cusp of spring, and with few flowers out, lichen, mosses, and fungi were the order of the day. I was surprised to notice a few noble firs in the forest mix, beginning about the 1400-foot level above Step Creek. There are dense, moss-draped vine maple thickets here, with a couple of trees down on the trail as well as a fair amount of debris. Colorful bogs of skunk cabbage were on display. Burned stumps with springboard platforms attested to old growth logging before the Tillamook Burns. Much of the area was marked with timber sale signs, so one suspects this trail may be off-limits in the near future.
We left the Step Creek Trail to take a shortcut up to Rice Road. A 400-yard cable had been spooled out along the road for some reason. The constant blasts of a logger's whistle signaled much activity on the slope above. We got to the junction with Round Top Road, and inspected the closure post on the Gales Creek Trail.
We then descended that trail back to where it crosses the abandoned Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad. East of the trail is private property, but west of the trail the line runs on state land, and we found that someone has been keeping the rail tie section between the tracks clear. We walked as far as a small rock slide and turned back.
After crossing the Nehalem again, we took the Triple C Trail, a short loop named after the Civilian Conservation Corps, which once had a base camp there. The best part of the Triple C runs along the Nehalem, where early flowers like trillium, violet, and toothwort were beginning to bloom. By now, after a few short sprinkles, blue skies had broken out above.
Reehers Camp trails 03-26-24
Re: Reehers Camp trails 03-26-24
That's a heck of a route, about how many miles did you do? And did you have a traimap other than the Tillamook County trail map?
Thanks, and nice photos
Thanks, and nice photos
Re: Reehers Camp trails 03-26-24
It was about 9.2 miles according to my GPS, including short sections off trail on the railroad and logging roads.
As for maps, the state doesn't have a current map, the older Gales Creek Trail map available online showing the former alignment of the Step Creek Trail when it was not a loop. You can see the trails on Caltopo (the Map Builder Topo and TF outdoors layers).
We have all the trails in the Field Guide, with maps.
Re: Reehers Camp trails 03-26-24
Fantastic, it's a lot of work to keep maps updated. The team does great work. Thanks for the mileage update.
Re: Reehers Camp trails 03-26-24
Thank you for posting about this closure! The Reehers Camp trails are one of my favorite places on earth. Do you have any sense of how long trails tend to be closed for logging?
Re: Reehers Camp trails 03-26-24
The closure was effected on December 23rd and it will probably continue a while. There’s no end date given.